Northwestern Wildcats vs USC Trojans Prediction, Odds and Picks for Friday, 11/07/25

The Northwestern Wildcats will need to be ready for a big test Friday night when they travel to California to take on the USC Trojans. Northwestern is 5-3 on the season and 3-2 in the Big Ten Conference. They lost their last game to the Nebraska Cornhuskers 28-21 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Quarterback Peyton Stone struggled in this game, only completing around 50% of his passes and throwing 2 interceptions. Northwestern showed fight on the road, coming back from a 21-6 2nd half deficit. They tied the game in the fourth quarter, but ended up losing the game late. The USC Trojans find themselves as the 19th-ranked team in the country after starting the season 6-2 and 4-1 in the Big Ten Conference. The Trojans defeated Nebraska in their previous game 21-17 on the road. The Trojans also had a 2nd half deficit, but USC was able to take home the win after trailing 14-6. Quarterback Jayden Maiava was only 9 of 23 passing and 1 interception, but the Trojans ran for 202 yards. A majority of those yards came from King Miller, who ran for 129 yards and 1 touchdown. 

There is little room for error for head coach Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans if they want to make the college football playoff. With ranked Iowa and Oregon coming up next, the Trojans need to make sure they don’t overlook a Northwestern team that is coming off a bye week. Northwestern is a team that will not want to take a lot of chances. They will want to condense the game with their rushing attack, create short third-downs, and rely on Stone to make less than a handful of big throws throughout the game. Against Power Four competition, the Wildcats have not scored more than 22 points all season. With Northwestern still finding success this season, it goes to show the formula for their running game and solid defense has worked. USC has one of the best passing games in college football, averaging 302 yards per game. This number has them ranked 10th in the FBS in that category, but they will be tested in this game against a Northwestern defense that is ranked 14th against the pass. The Wildcats only allow on average 173 passing yards per game. It will be strength on strength when USC’s offense and Northwestern’s defense share the field. USC may very well win this game, but I believe the Wildcats, with an extra week to prepare, will be able to present some problems for the Trojans passing game. 

Northwestern vs USC prediction: Northwestern +14.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.