Overview
- USC (5-1, 2-1) will play at Penn State (3-2, 0-2) in the White Out at Beaver Stadium on Oct. 10 with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET and national coverage on NBC.
- USC’s defense showed clear improvement against Washington, recording multiple sacks and tackles for loss, and freshman edge Luke Wafle has collected three sacks over the past two weeks.
- Penn State arrives on a two-game losing streak after allowing 413 rushing yards and four touchdowns to Northwestern, a breakdown that exposed missed tackles and poor gap control.
- The matchup also pits USC’s explosive offense led by Jayden Maiava, who has 15 touchdowns and a high completion rate, against a Penn State offense that has struggled to protect QB Rocco Becht and sustain drives.
- Oddsmakers see a close game with Penn State favored by about 1.5 points and analysts split on the pick, with the result likely to shape momentum in the Big Ten and scrutiny of both teams’ coaching fixes.