Nebraska vs. USC: Keys to victory, HuskerOnline score predictions for Saturday
LOS ANGELES – For the first since 2006, Nebraska (5-4, 2-4) will travel to Los Angeles to take on USC (4-5, 2-5) in the LA Coliseum.
The Huskers and Trojans have had their fair share of ups and downs in 2025, and today’s game will give them a chance to turn the corner in November.
As kickoff approaches, here are NU’s keys to victory against USC. Nebraska is currently an 8.5-point underdog to the Trojans. Today’s game is set for a 3 p.m. CT kickoff on FOX.
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KEYS TO VICTORY: Nebraska vs. USC
KEY 1: Punch them early
Nebraska’s offense must come out with a spark under new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen. The Huskers have an early advantage in this game—the advantage of the unknown—and they need to make that a factor.
KEY 2: Defensive communication
USC will attack the Huskers with a complex offensive system. They will spread the Huskers out at times, but also attack them with one of the best running backs in the Big Ten in Woody Marks. NU needs to win up front early and set the tone at the line of scrimmage.
KEY 3: Establish a ground game
In just about every game the Trojans have lost this season, they’ve run out of gas in the fourth quarter. Nebraska needs to establish some sort of rushing attack in this game to set things up for the second half. This will likely be a game that goes deep into the fourth quarter.
KEY 4: Force Maiava into some tough decisions
USC will come to Nebraska with a brand-new starting quarterback. UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava was one of the hotter names in the transfer portal a year ago after being named the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year. Maiava is athletic and big and possesses elite arm talent. He’s also been turnover-prone over his career, as a year ago, he put himself into 24 turnover-worthy plays. The Huskers have to force a turnover or two to have a chance to win this game.
KEY 5: Make the Husker red in the stadium be a factor
We may see a crowd of 20,000 Husker fans inside The LA Coliseum today. Nebraska needs to play at a level early on that makes this large traveling contingent of Husker fans a factor.
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EXPERT TAKES
Sean Callahan – HuskerOnline Pubisher
Nebraska has so many unknowns heading into this game on Saturday. What version of Dylan Raiola will we get at quarterback, and what version of the Blackshirt defense will show up? What will this offense look like under Dana Holgorsen? I expect an improved effort, but NU won’t have enough firepower to pull it out. The Trojans will score late to put it away.
USC 31, Nebraska 27
Steven Sipple – HuskerOnline columnist
Nebraska’s offense will look better – appreciably better – but USC’s chunk plays will add up and ultimately become too much to overcome. Nebraska doesn’t need a nice effort right now; it needs wins. For that to happen, it needs more consistency from all three units. Bottom line, the Huskers still haven’t put together a complete performance, and it’s getting awfully late in the season.
USC 31, Nebraska 27
Robin Washut – HuskerOnline senior writer
In what I’ve dubbed as “The Desperation Bowl,” Nebraska and USC come into today facing equal levels of pressure. The Huskers have the advantage of the unknown with Dana Holgorsen’s debut as offensive coordinator. The Trojans shook things up with a quarterback change. In a game where it’s impossible to know what to expect, I’m siding with the home team.
USC 31, Nebraska 30
Andy Kendeigh – KETV ABC-Omaha
Some call this the desperation bowl, I call it the fascination game. USC’s Lincoln Riley makes a big change at quarterback. Matt Rhule takes an enormous swing changing his Offensive Coordinator bringing in Dana Holgorsen. Which change makes the biggest difference? I lean Nebraska since there is so much upside on offense. We have seen upsets every week in the Big Ten, here’s another.
Nebraska 27, USC 24
Jim Rose – 1110 KFAB Radio-Omaha
Pick for or against the Huskers at your own risk. Is it the D we saw against Ohio State or the one that couldn’t get off the field against UCLA? Is it the Dylan Raiola (and offense) of the first half against Colorado or the inept bunch of the Purdue and UCLA games? Dana Holgerson was brought in to jump-start the offense. But he can’t block for runners or pick out receivers downfield. That said, the USC offensive line is shaky, they had to change QBs just cuz the new guy is more mobile. And the Trojans still haven’t adjusted to the physical nature of the B1G. I’m on a limb but hopeful.
Nebraska 28, USC 17
Mike’l Severe – Big Red Wrap-Up
The one thing we know for sure about the offenses Dana Holgerson and others from the Hal Mumme coaching tree do well is get wide receivers open. I expect we see more pre-snap motion to get the defense or at least their eyes moving and routes designed to pick off the defenders. This season, USC has not been a team that gets pressure on the QB (last in sacks in the B1G). Woody Marks might be the most complete backup NU has seen this season, so I hope you limit him while keeping Jayden Maiava in the pocket. He was prone to turnover-worthy plays at UNLV, especially in the middle of the field. I see NU playing well but just falling short versus a superior special team unit.
USC 27, Nebraska 21
HuskerOnline Week 12 Score Predictions
| Week 12 | Sean Callahan | Steven Sipple | Robin Washut | Andy Kendeigh | Jim Rose | Mike’l Severe |
| Nebraska at USC (-8.5) | 31-27 USC | 31-27 USC | 31-30 USC | 27-24 Nebraska | 28-17 Nebraska | 27-21 USC |
| Michigan State at Illinois (-3) | 27-23 Illinois | 28-21 Illinois | 28-24 Illinois | 19-13 Illinois | 27-17 Illinois | 21-17 Illinois |
| Oregon at Wisconsin (+14) | 38-20 Oregon | 34-24 Oregon | 41-21 Oregon | 31-21 Oregon | 45-20 Oregon | 34-17 Oregon |
| Utah at Colorado (-10) | 38-24 Colorado | 37-17 Colorado | 38-27 Colorado | 42-31 Colorado | 38-27 Colorado | 31-20 Colorado |
| Tennessee at Georgia (-8.5) | 34-24 UGA | 24-21 Tenn. | 23-20 Tenn. | 38-31 UGA | 35-24 UGA | 31-30 UGA |
| Kansas at BYU (-3) | 31-17 BYU | 34-12 BYU | 35-28 BYU | 31-24 BYU | 42-21 BYU | 23-21 Kansas |
HuskerOnline Score Prediction Standings
| Picker | Straight Up | Vs. Spread | Cumulative |
| Andy Kendeigh | 43-23 | 39-27 | 82 |
| Mike’l Severe | 41-25 | 34-32 | 75 |
| Robin Washut | 40-26 | 33-33 | 73 |
| Jim Rose | 40-26 | 29-37 | 69 |
| Sean Callahan | 35-31 | 33-33 | 68 |
| Steven Sipple | 35-11 | 28-38 | 63 |
Sean Callahan can be reached at [email protected] and is heard daily at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall, and each week, he appears on Nebraska Public Media’s Big Red Wrap-Up Tuesdays at 7 pm.
