No. 23 USC (5-2 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) at Nebraska (6-2, 3-2)
When: 4:30 p.m. PT Saturday
Where: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
TV/radio: NBC (Ch. 4)/ESPN LA 710
Line: USC by 7
NOTABLE INJURIES
USC: OUT: CB Prophet Brown (undisclosed), DL Floyd Boucard (undisclosed), K Caden Chittenden (undisclosed), RB Eli Sanders (knee), RB Waymond Jordan (ankle), CB Chasen Johnson (knee); QUESTIONABLE: OL Kilian O’Connor (knee), DL Jamaal Jarrett (undisclosed), OL Elijah Paige (undisclosed).
Nebraska: OUT: DL Conor Connealy (undisclosed), OL Nolan Fennessy (undisclosed), DL Malcolm Simpson (undisclosed), RB Trent Uhlir (undisclosed), WR Janiran Bonner (undisclosed), OL Gibson Pyle (knee), CB Blye Hill (knee), LB Gage Stenger (undisclosed), TE Mac Markway (knee); QUESTIONABLE: DL Tyson Terry (undisclosed), RB Jamarion Parker (undisclosed), OL Julian Marks (undisclosed), WR Demitrius Bell (knee), CB Malcolm Hartzog Jr. (undisclosed), OL Gunnar Gottula (undisclosed).
What’s at stake? This game will serve as an elimination round for two teams competing for an at-large bid into the College Football Playoff. USC and Nebraska are in the second tier of the Big Ten Conference behind unbeaten Indiana and Ohio State and 4-1 teams Iowa, Michigan and Oregon. There’s no room for another loss for either team – especially for the Cornhuskers, who are one of five teams who are 3-2 in conference play. A convincing performance could also affect potential bowl-game destinations should they miss out on a CFP bid. ESPN analysts Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach are predicting USC will land in either the Dec. 30 Alamo Bowl or the Jan. 2 Holiday Bowl.
Who’s better? USC is pound-for-pound the healthier and more talented team and Nebraska has lost 28 consecutive games to ranked opponents. The Cornhuskers’ last win against a ranked team was against Oregon in 2016. They’re trying to swing the momentum back in their favor by creating a formidable playing environment — Saturday will be a black-out game at night, and temperatures are expected to drop into the low 30s. The Trojans have lost two out of their three road games this season after going 1-4 in away games last year.
Matchup to watch: USC’s run defense vs. Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson. The Trojans defense is under a microscope after falling flat against Notre Dame’s run game and will face another difficult task in Johnson, who is a hard runner that can break contact.
USC wins if: The defense can finally play in unison. USC has struggled with gap integrity and knowing individual assignments, which has led to missing tackles and giving up chunk plays. Nebraska will play with a depleted offensive line due to injuries, which could give the Trojans an edge.
Prediction: USC 27, Nebraska 21. Cold weather will mean a run-heavy game that won’t be high-scoring and the Trojans shake their inability to win away from home.
