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Indiana Beats USC 27-13, Ending Trojans’ College Football Playoff Hopes

Indiana beat USC 27-13 on Saturday as backup-turned-starter Grant Wilson threw for 305 yards. USC missed chances in the red zone and threw three interceptions, ending its College Football Playoff hopes. The committee releases new rankings Tuesday night.

By Alistair Sterling

November 15, 20263 min read

Indiana Beats USC 27-13, Ending Trojans' College Football Playoff Hopes — Indiana Beats USC 27-13, Ending Trojans’ College Football Playoff Hopes

No. 9 Indiana ended No. 18 USC's hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff with a 27-13 win on Saturday, November 14. The Hoosiers improved to 9-1, while the Trojans fell to 7-3.

USC's problems were in the red zone. The Trojans got inside the Indiana 10-yard line on three straight second-half drives and came away with only three points.

Red-zone turning points

The decisive moment came with USC trailing 20-13 at the Indiana 6-yard line. Quarterback Jayden Maiava threw toward the end zone on second down and apparently never saw linebacker Isaiah Jones, who stepped in front of the pass.

Seven plays later, Grant Wilson found Charlie Becker in single coverage for a 42-yard touchdown on third down with 3:30 to go. Maiava threw his third interception of the game with 2:24 remaining, and the comeback was over.

An earlier drive had also stalled. USC reached the 10-yard line, but a run for no gain and a third-down incompletion led coach Lincoln Riley to call for a 27-yard field goal. Camden Chittenden's kick from the right hash never moved left enough to go inside the uprights.

Wilson steps in for Hoover

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said in his postgame TV interview that Josh Hoover was "healthy" going into the game. He still started Wilson, a seventh-year senior making his first start since the 2024 season.

Wilson finished 17-of-27 for 305 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He threw a touchdown on Indiana's opening drive, then the offense stalled. The Hoosiers scored on three of their first four second-half drives before running out the clock.

Running backs Khobie Martin and Lee Beebe Jr. combined for 153 yards and a score on 28 carries. Becker caught three passes for 75 yards.

What it means for the rankings

Indiana had not scored more than 23 points in any of its previous four games. It topped 20 against Minnesota only because of overtime, winning 23-16 in Week 9. Those struggles helped drop the Hoosiers from No. 5 to No. 9 in the second set of playoff rankings.

The Big Ten teams Indiana has beaten this season all lost in Week 10, and none was ranked. Saturday gave the Hoosiers a conference win over a ranked opponent. The committee could re-evaluate them when it releases new rankings Tuesday night.

For USC, the loss is another road failure. The Trojans are now 0-8 under Riley against ranked teams in games played outside Los Angeles. They are guaranteed at least three losses this season, and no USC team in Riley's five years has lost fewer than three games.

Since joining the Big Ten, USC is 4-6 in conference games played in the Central or Eastern time zones. Its wins came over Purdue and Nebraska in 2025 and Rutgers and Penn State in 2026.

Travel is not the only explanation. USC entered Week 11 scoring on just 82% of its red-zone possessions, which ranked 89th among 138 FBS teams. In a 24-7 loss to Wisconsin, the Trojans finished with negative rushing yards, and Oregon's offense gained 504 yards on 58 plays against the USC defense.