USC Trojans vs. Indiana Hoosiers Live Score Updates

No. 18 USC head to Bloomington to square off against No. 9 Indiana, the defending national champions, in what could be must-win for both schools to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.

The two teams are coming off a bye week. Kick off at Memorial Stadium is slated for 12:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on CBS.

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Jayden Maiava Josh Hoover Indiana Hoosiers College Football Playoff Trent Mosley Live Score Big Ten — Oct 10, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) throws a pass during a warmup prior to the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This article will be updated throughout the game.

Overcoming Road Struggles

USC has been a much different team away from the Coliseum in the Riley era. The program's struggles when playing in two or three time zones away predates Riley but it hasn’t gotten better.

Riley is 1-7 on the road against ranked teams as the Trojans head coach.

Wisconsin was not ranked when USC suffered a devastating loss on them on Oct. 24. The offense scored seven points and rushed for 39 yards outside of sack yardage. Quarterback Jayden Maiava was picked off twice on the first three possessions.

Outside of the Trojans first half defense, it as an ugly performance from all three facets of the game.

Southern Cal had play much better in a win over Penn State on Oct. 10, arguably their best road performance since joining the Big Ten three years ago. That performance came after previously struggling in a narrow victory over a winless Rutgers team on Sept. 19. So, which version of the Trojans shows up on Saturday?

Either way, a matchup with Indiana presents the biggest road challenge this season. The Hoosiers have only lost one game at home in Curt Cignetti’s three seasons as head coach.

College Football Playoff Path

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USC went into their game against then-No. 2 Ohio State on Oct. 31 with everything on the line, including Riley’s future in Los Angeles. The Trojans upset the Buckeyes, keeping their CFP hopes alive.

Now, they have to do it all over again. It’s been a one-game season for USC since the loss to Wisconsin to remain in the College Football Playoff race. The path simple for the Trojans, win out, and they're likely in. Riley’s squad still controls their destiny, but it all starts on Saturday.

Indiana dropped five spots in the latest playoff rankings, despite not playing last week. They can’t afford to drop another game, especially with no big-time wins on the resume.

Game Preview

Maiava felt the impact of having his trio of star freshmen in receivers Trent Mosley and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and tight end Mark Bowman in the lineup together for the first time since late September.

USC patched up its offensive line against the Buckeyes by inserting freshman Kannon Smith in at left guard. They got their best showing from running back Waymond Jordan that night to complement King Miller.

The Trojans offense runs into a stingy Indiana defense that has only allowed more than 20 points this season, which came against Northwestern all the way back on Sept. 25

The strength of the Hoosiers defense comes upfront. How USC fairs in the trenches on both sides of the ball will play a major factor in Saturday’s outcome.

Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover is off the injury report after leaving at halftime against Minnesota on Oct. 31 but Cignetti did not reveal during the week if Hoover or Grant Wilson would start.

The Hoosiers desperately need to jumpstart an offense that has not scored more than 20 points in regulation in over a month. And they’re going to have to do without leading rusher Turbo Richard and guard Joe Brunner, who sustained an injury in practice on Tuesday.

The good news for Indiana is they still have two star receivers in Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh. Both present a unique challenge for a Trojans secondary that is battled tested but not faced a pair of receivers like they will in week 11.

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