USC Trojans On Upset Alert Vs. Northwestern As Betting Odds Shift

The USC Trojans might be on upset alert this Friday according to the latest shift in betting odds for their game vs. the Northwestern Wildcats. After opening up as -15.5 point favorites, the Trojans' have began to see their odds slip.

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans quickly had to turn their attention to Friday's showdown vs. Northwestern after reaching bowl eligibility in their comeback win over Nebraska last week. With the Trojans playing on a short week, it could set up a potential trap game opportunity. The Wildcats are looking for their first-ever win over the Trojans and haven't been playing horribly as of late.

However, USC opened up as a big betting favorites over the Wildcats, making the late weekday game even more intriguing.

Odds Slipping?

Oct 1, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley applauds after a touchdown in the first half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

After opening up as -15.5 favorites vs. Northwestern according to ESPN BET, the Trojans have seen their odds take a slight dip as Friday approaches.

The spread in USC's upcoming game has dropped down to -14.5 points, which begs the question, do oddsmakers see a realistic path in which Northwestern give the Trojans some problems on both sides of the ball.

Northwestern is coming off a bye week with their last game being a 28-21 loss to Nebraska on Oct. 25. That loss snapped a four-game win streak that the Wildcats were in the midst of. They will be fresh and ready to go against a USC team that just came off a tough 21-17 Big Ten road win vs. Nebraska.

This is the only game of the season on USC's schedule that is not played on Saturday.

Breathing Room for the Trojans

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Texas A&M Aggies in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Trojans opened up the week as the No. 19 team in the country in the latest College Football Playoff poll, giving them plenty of confidence and momentum rolling into the short week, especially after the emotional effort it took to steal a win in Lincoln last week.

It's interesting to see how high oddsmakers have been on USC this season. Despite holding a 6-2 record, the Trojans have been favored to win all but one of their games. The only time USC has not been favored this season was in the road game at Notre Dame, an AP Top 15 team at the time.

The analytics agree with the oddsmakers about the Trojans' chances of coming out on top vs. the Wildcats. ESPN's Matchup Predictor gives USC a 90.8 percent chance of beating Northwestern.

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Big Key To Victory For USC

Nov 1, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) scrambles against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

If USC wants to pick up their seventh win of the year, cover the spread, and stay in CFP contention, they will need their offense to pick things back up. Their win over Nebraska saw one of, if not the ugliest performance of the season from USC quarterback Jayden Maiava.

He threw for a season-low 135 yards and two interceptions with no touchdowns. His only score of the game came on a 16-yard touchdown run. Although Northwestern's defense doesn't pose nearly as big of a threat as Nebraska's did, the Wildcats are still not one to be taken lightly.