Biggest Games USC Trojans Fans Should Watch During Bye Week

USC’s next opponent is the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan will be coming to Los Angeles next week but before that, will host the Wisconsin Badgers for Big Noon Kickoff. 

Michigan is 3-1 this season. Their biggest win was on the road against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Their lone loss was at the Oklahoma Sooners. Wisconsin is 2-2.

The Wolverines are led by freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood. Underwood was the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025. Trojans fans will be able to get a good look at Underwood and company if they tune into this game on Saturday morning. 

No. 22 Illinois at Purdue (9 a.m. PT on Big Ten Network)

Illinois beat USC last week on a walk-off field goal. The week before that, they got blown out by 53 points by Indiana. A bad performance against Purdue would have Trojans fans scratching their heads to how they sandwiched in a win over the Trojans.

The Purdue game is a spot where Illinois can show that the Indiana game was just an outlier and that it wasn’t a bad loss for USC. 

No. 16 Vanderbilt at No. 10 Alabama (12:30 p.m. PT on ABC)

The Vanderbilt Commodores, yes, the Vanderbilt Commodores are going on the road to take on the vaunted Alabama Crimson Tide in a game that is the host of ESPN’s College GameDay this week.

It’s not everyday that Vanderbilt football catches the eyes of the nation. They have done so this season and it is well deserved. They are off to a 5-0 start and could arguably be ranked higher than No. 16. They can prove this with a win over Alabama, who just knocked off the Georgia Bulldogs. 

Vanderbilt beat Alabama last season and will look to make it two in a row over the Tide for the first time since 1955-1956.

Boise State at No. 21 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

One of USC's biggest rivals, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are fighting to keep their season alive after losing the first two games of the season.

Notre Dame has no ranked teams left on their schedule, unless USC can make their way back into the AP Top 25 Poll. For the Trojans, a potential ranked win over Notre Dame would go a long way for USC's College Football Playoff résumé. However, if Notre Dame stumbles against Boise State, a win over the Fighting Irish looks even less impressive.

No. 7 Penn State at UCLA (12:30 p.m. PT on CBS)

This game is for the Trojans fan who love to root for the downfall of the UCLA. UCLA has had a disastrous season thus far. They are currently 0-4, fired their coach, and has not led for a second in any game.

Penn State is coming off a tough loss to the Oregon Ducks and will be treating this as a get right game at the Rose Bowl. It could very ugly for the Bruins, making it an enjoyable experience for some.