4:00 p.m. ET | Nebraska (5-4, 2-4) @ USC (4-5, 2-5) | FOX
Spread: USC -7.5 | Total: 50.5
This is a fascinating matchup with many moving pieces for a pair of big-name programs who are surprised to be still fighting for bowl eligibility after good starts to the season. Rewind to Week 4 when USC was ranked 11th in the AP Poll, with Nebraska checking in at No. 22. Everything was promising for Lincoln Riley and Matt Rhule.
Fast forward to Week 12, and the Trojans have benched Miller Moss in favor of UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava (11 passes this season), who has a bigger arm. As a freshman, Maiava threw for 3,085 yards (8.7 YPA) and 17 TDs (10 INTs).
Was Miller the problem? USC had fourth-quarter leads in every one of their five losses, so no. But he wasn’t the solution either. Considering their receiver talent, nine INTs (18 TDs) and 7.1 yards per attempt weren’t cutting it. Moss has thrown the third-most interceptions among B1G QBs and is ranked tenth in completion percentage and ninth in rating. That’s not good enough for SoCal.
Nebraska’s offensive metrics are even worse, so Rhule brought Dana Holgorsen last week to run the offense. We never liked hiring Marcus Satterfield as OC, but this feels too little, too late, and has a tinge of desperation. “We need some help,” said Rhule of the move, adding it’s not about 2025 but right now. We shall see.
I’m intrigued to see how both offenses look. Both programs need wins to clinch bowl eligibility and build toward next year.
Score: USC 28, Nebraska 20
