USC Trojans vs. Illinois Fighting Illini: Underrated Big Ten Matchup Of 2025 Schedule?

“This one is sneaky. It’s very under the radar. USC at Illinois, Week 5. This one is going to be very important for both teams,” Klatt said. “Both teams could very well be 4-0 entering this game. I think that’s absolutely within the realm. A win for Illinois would put them at 5-0, with really their only difficult game left being hosting Ohio State several weeks later. At that point, it’s almost identical to what Indiana was a year ago.”

Illinois has long been a Big Ten competitor and has shown an upward trajectory in recent years. Since quarterback Luke Altmeyer transferred from Ole Miss, he’s made a strong impact for the Fighting Illini and has been a consistent leader on the Illinois offense. 

The Fighting Illini put together a strong showing in Big Ten play, finishing 6-3 in conference play with key wins over Michigan and Nebraska. They placed fifth in the final conference standings right behind Oregon, Indiana, Penn State and Ohio State. 

Recently, USC has struggled to find a consistent signal-caller since the departure of Caleb Williams. Quarterback Jayden Maiva could help unlock a new and explosive Trojan offense and has the potential to be one of the best in the Big Ten. 

The Trojans had a tougher time in their inaugural season in the Big Ten, finishing 4-5 in conference play and ninth in final standings. Their key wins were Wisconsin, UCLA, and two impressive non-conference wins over SEC opponents LSU and Texas A&M. 

Klatt didn’t hesitate to share the Trojans success, highlighting their No. 1 ranked 2026 recruiting class. He also emphasized that USC cannot afford another 7-5 season like in 2024 – especially under a coach like Riley, who has led teams to the Playoff before. 

“They've done a great job in recruiting for next year one of the best recruiting classes if not the best recruiting class in the country. They're trying to build momentum off the field and they need to build momentum on the field,” Klatt said. “This would be a great opportunity on the road to go and beat an Illinois team that a lot of us think a lot of if they lose their next three games — Michigan at Notre Dame at Nebraska. So things could go off the rails quite quickly if they were to lose this one to Illinois.”

A win over Illinois would be an important step for the Trojans in reentering the College Football Playoff conversation. However, Illinois has been labeled by some as “the next Indiana” – a potential Playoff dark horse. Beating a team like Illinois who has potential to enter a solid postseason run, especially early in the season, would be huge for Riley and the Trojans.