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The No. 18 USC Trojans are fresh off their second bye week and are preparing for their biggest game of the season against the No. 9 Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington on Saturday.
With a 7-2 overall record and 4-2 in Big Ten play, Saturday’s game against the Hoosiers will likely determine whether the Trojans make the College Football Playoff or miss out again in their fifth season under coach Lincoln Riley.
The bye week gave the Trojans extra time to prepare for the defending national champions, but also to heal key players whom they will need on Saturday to upset the Hoosiers and take one step closer to making the CFP. Here’s a look at the first availability report ahead of the Trojans' clash with the Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Despite being the defending Big Ten and national champions, the Hoosiers (8-1 overall, 5-1 Big Ten) have shown major flaws this season. The Hoosiers have recently had close calls against the Michigan Wolverines and the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Quarterback play has been a concern for Indiana, as Josh Hoover has looked inconsistent in the Hoosiers' recent games, and his lingering injuries have contributed to his inconsistency. In their 23-16 overtime win over the Golden Gophers, Hoover was benched for backup Grant Wilson. On Saturday, the Hoosiers may start either Hoover or Wilson at quarterback against the Trojans.
“We’ll see how the week plays out, and we’ll see who we trot out there,” Cignetti said at his Monday presser.
Like the Trojans, the Hoosiers are also coming off a bye week and hope the extra time they've had to prepare for this matchup can help them in what's a high-stakes game for both teams' Big Ten title and CFP hopes.
“We’ll have to play well and obviously can’t do a lot of the things we did against Minnesota, which looked like we played 19 games in a row instead of nine. Just a very uncharacteristic game for us in so many different ways,” Cignetti said.
According to the latest FanDuel Sportsbook betting odds, the Hoosiers have the best odds to win the Big Ten championship for the second consecutive season at -115, followed by the No. 4 UCLA Bruins (+290) and No. 16 Oregon Ducks (+650). The Trojans are tied for fourth with the No. 20 Ohio State Buckeyes at +1100.
In what has been a wacky year, to say the least, with the Ducks still alive for the Big Ten championship and CFP despite suffering three losses without their star quarterback Dante Moore and the Buckeyes falling from among the country’s best to barely in the top-25 with two consecutive losses without Julian Sayin, it almost seems like the result of Saturday’s game between the Trojans and Hoosiers could ultimately decide who wins the conference.
With the CFP set to expand to 24 teams next season and the elimination of conference championship games, the Trojans would love to win the final Big Ten title game in Indianapolis on Saturday, Dec. 5.
The Trojans will enter Bloomington as underdogs, but what has surprised so many is a line that had the Hoosiers as 7.5-point favorites, per DraftKings Sportsbook betting odds, has now moved to 10.5 points.
The Hoosiers, despite being on a bye week, dropped four spots from No. 4 to No. 9 in the CFP Top 25 rankings on Tuesday. That drop alone is likely to motivate Cignetti’s Hoosiers, who have always been a tough team to bet against when they are counted out.
How the Trojans' offense, led by star quarterback Jayden Maiava and a talented group of wide receivers, plays against a stout Hoosiers defense will be one of the determining factors in who walks away with a victory on Saturday in Bloomington.
The Trojans and Hoosiers will kick off at Memorial Stadium on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PT, with the game broadcast on CBS.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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