For two football teams ranked within four spots of each other and with records separated by just one game, No. 17 USC and No. 21 Iowa couldn’t be more different.

The Trojans (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten) sport one of the best offenses in the nation and are currently first in the Big Ten in average yards per game and second in points per game behind No. 2 Indiana (10-0, 7-0). However, their defense has been middle of the road, especially struggling to stop the run as of late.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Hawkeyes have the second fewest total yards per game, only ahead of bottom-feeding Wisconsin (3-6, 1-5). But Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz, who has been in the role since 1999 and became the winningest coach in Big Ten history earlier this year, has built his brand on defensive dominance — a trait this year’s team certainly maintains.

Iowa has allowed the third fewest points per game in the conference with 13.7 — only behind Indiana and No. 1 Ohio State (9-0, 5-0) — and has given up the third fewest yards per game in the Big Ten.

In short, Saturday’s homecoming game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a battle of one of the best offenses and one of the best defenses in the country — and the stakes are even higher with the College Football Playoff looming and both teams lingering on the bubble of contention.

‘It’s like the NFL at this point’

A win for USC sets it up for a season-defining bout with No. 8 Oregon (8-1, 5-1), who Iowa hung with before losing 18-16 on Nov. 22 — a game that has been on the radar for many since USC’s loss against Notre Dame that likely forced the Trojans into a narrow margin of error to make a CFP debut. 

The two-loss USC, with both coming against ranked teams in competitive games, is likely to make the 12-team bracket, especially with big-time wins over the Ducks, No. 18 Michigan (7-2, 5-1) and Iowa. While the Hawkeyes are still unlikely to make it with a win over USC since they have three losses, it would be a marquee win for the program and would likely set them up to finish in the middle of the top 25 by the end of the season. 

“It’s like the NFL at this point,” USC Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn said in a post-practice news conference Wednesday. “It’s like every single game is either going to keep you in it or knock you out … It’s been pretty fun.” 

Though USC’s next two games, as well as its season-closing matchup with crosstown rival UCLA (3-6, 3-3), all have massive implications for the end results of Head Coach Lincoln Riley’s fourth season with the Trojans, he said the team is confident in its approach and ready to take it one game at a time. ESPN gave USC a 76.2% chance to win.

“Every one of these games, they all matter a lot. We understand that. This is a big-boy game, big-time opportunity,” Riley said of Saturday’s matchup in a post-practice news conference Tuesday. “We’re trying to embrace it, enjoy every moment because it’s going to be over quick.”

Maiava, Miller earn semifinalist honors

Redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava was named as one of 20 semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award on Wednesday, the latest accolade is his stellar first full season as the Trojans’ starting quarterback.

Outside of an uncharacteristically inefficient performance during a grueling comeback win over Nebraska (7-3, 4-3) two weeks ago, when he completed only 39.1% of his passes, Maiava has been the definition of consistency. 

He has completed over 60% of passes in seven of nine games and consistently accrued at least a high 200 yardage count and multiple passing touchdowns. He has 2,614 yards and 17 passing touchdowns total, alongside six rushing touchdowns of his own.

However, Maiava’s interception troubles from the end of last year have only grown as the 2025 season has gone on. He has thrown at least one in each of USC’s last five games, which proved costly in both of the team’s losses.

“Definitely a lot of room for me to learn, a lot of room for me to get better,” Maiava said in a post-practice news conference Tuesday. “In this last stretch, [we have to] continue to sharpen our edge and be better for each other … raise the standard.”

On the other side, Hawkeye graduate quarterback Mark Gronowski has a stellar 64% completion percentage, though he takes far fewer attempts than the standard Big Ten quarterback. 

While Gronowski has thrown almost 100 fewer passes than Maiava, he is a consistent threat with his legs, running for over 300 yards on 88 attempts. Iowa sophomore running back Kamari Moulton has been very efficient this season, averaging five yards per carry for a total of 537. 

“Their identity is running the ball for the most part, as everyone knows,” sophomore linebacker Desman Stephens II said in a post-practice news conference Wednesday. “In a football game, you can’t really just focus on one thing; you’ve got to try to be multifaceted around the whole game.”

USC redshirt freshman running back King Miller also earned a semifinalist honor Wednesday for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is awarded to the top walk-on in the country. Since taking over as the starter midway through USC’s win over Michigan, Miller has shone, scoring three touchdowns, and has amassed 484 rushing yards — the most for any freshman in that period.

Crowd an ‘X factor’ for Homecoming game

Another standout for Iowa is graduate wide receiver Kaden Wetjen, who is among the best return men in the nation with three returning touchdowns this season to lead the Big Ten. Wetjen also has the highest punt return average and the second-highest kickoff return average in the conference.

“He’s aggressive about bringing the ball out. They do a good job schematically trying to put him in position to make plays,” Riley said of Wetjen. “Both our coverage teams will definitely be tested.”

On the defensive end, Lynn’s crew has had a tough time containing running backs recently, including Northwestern’s redshirt sophomore Caleb Komolafe, who averaged 6.9 yards per carry for a total of 118 in last week’s Trojan victory. Though it has struggled, USC has only given up a field goal in the second halves of its last two matchups.

“We need to be consistent up front. We need to stop the run. We need to limit big plays,” Lynn said. “When we do those things, we could be a really good defense.”

Though rain is anticipated for Saturday’s game, another storm will be in attendance for the Homecoming game: alumni. After playing in the rain earlier this season in South Bend, Indiana, and during their win against Purdue (2-8, 0-7), Maiava said the weather won’t be a big factor in their performance or in attendance.

“It’s always been that X factor for the team,” Miller said of the Coliseum crowd in a post-practice news conference Tuesday. “I expect it to be loud. I expect it to be just crazy on Saturday.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on Saturday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, as the Trojans hope to keep in CFP contention.