Weather Concerns Mount For USC Trojans at Nebraska

The No. 23 USC Trojans come out of the bye week with a 5-2 record on the season heading into a pivotal road matchup against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The weather conditions could be a concern for the Trojans against Nebraska.

USC Trojans Nebraska Cornhuskers College Football Playoff Big Ten Lincoln Riley Matt Rhule Jayden Maiava Dylan Raiola weather rain | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

After their final bye week of the season, the No. 23 USC Trojans will face another pivotal road test against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln on Saturday night with their College Football Playoff hopes on the line.

Frigid Temperatures Expected For Saturday Night in Lincoln

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley greets quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) after scoring a touchdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Saturday night's matchup between USC and Nebraska is expected to have some chilly weather conditions for the first day of November. The forecast on Saturday night is currently expected to be 38 degrees with 10 mph wind gusts.

These weather conditions could benefit the Cornhuskers while hurting the Trojans. Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola, back in August, even predicted that the conditions for the game would be cold and that the Trojans wouldn't be ready for it.

The Trojans are just starting to get used to playing in the frigid Big Ten conditions that they weren't accustomed to for the most part in the Pac-12.

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Now, with the game here and the weather expected to be frigid, it's up to USC to fight through the elements and earn a signature win on the road against Nebraska. The Trojans will be facing the Cornhuskers in what will be a hostile night environment at Memorial Stadium. The Cornhuskers are debuting new alternative black uniforms for their "blackout" game.

Playoff Chances On the Line Between USC and Nebraska

Oct 25, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers wide receiver Nyziah Hunter (13) celebrates with tight end Heinrich Haarberg (10) and offensive lineman Elijah Pritchett (57) after scoring a touchdown against the Northwestern Wildcats during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

While USC's playoff hopes are on the line against Nebraska on Saturday night, the Cornhuskers' chances are also at stake. Despite being unranked, Nebraska has a 6-2 record on the season with losses coming to No. 21 Michigan at home on Sept. 20 and on the road against Minnesota on Oct. 17.

The Cornhuskers bounced back from their crushing 24-6 loss to Minnesota with a 28-21 win over the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday at home. Similar to USC, Nebraska could make a case among the two-loss teams to sneak into the playoff if it wins out.

After playing USC, Nebraska has two road games remaining against UCLA (Nov. 8) and Penn State (Nov. 22), as well as a home matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes, another current two-loss team, on Nov. 28.

Oct 18, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Jaden Richardson (15) turns up field against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

USC's path to make a case for a spot in the College Football Playoff is much more difficult compared to Nebraska, if they are sucsessful in knocking off the Cornhuskers in a hostile road environment on Monday night.

USC has another challenging road test remaining against the No. 6 Oregon Ducks on Nov. 22, as well as three home games against Northwestern (Nov. 7), Iowa (Nov. 15), and UCLA (Nov. 29). If the Trojans were to win out and finish the regular season with a 10-2 record, they would make a strong case as one of the two loss teams that deserve an at-large bid in the 12-team bracket.

USC and Nebraska will face off on Saturday night with the kickoff from Memorial Stadium set for 4:30 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on NBC.