It seems to be lost in the weeds, but USC is 6-1 with the whole world still there for the taking. It doesn’t have a signature win, and it lost at home to Oregon, but it beat Penn State and Washington.
Realistically, the Trojans will go to the College Football Playoff if they close 5-1. However, with what’s coming next, they can’t afford to miss in Madison.
Wisconsin is still alive for big things, too. And here’s the funky part – the rest of the schedule isn’t that bad. Beat USC, and all of a sudden, the team whose only losses are to Notre Dame and UCLA will be in the thick of the hunt.
USC vs Wisconsin: Quick Hits
- USC gets Ohio State and goes to Indiana after this, and then after facing Maryland, it closes in the Rose Bowl against UCLA.
- Wisconsin goes on the road for three of its next four games, starting with Iowa before hosting Rutgers.
- USC is 7-1 all-time in the series, highlighted by a classic 42-37 win in the 1963 Rose Bowl.
How To Watch USC vs Wisconsin
Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026
Game Time: 7:30 PM ET
TV: NBC
Location: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI
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Why USC Will Win
What takes down the Trojans? Passing accuracy. Wisconsin’s passing game isn’t sharp enough.
Dante Moore and Dylan Raiola combined to connect on 77% of their passes in Oregon’s win over USC. Louisiana’s Lunch Winfield gave the Trojans fits in the 49-30 Ragin’ Cajun loss, and Penn State kept it close two weeks ago with Rocco Becht hitting 66% of his throws.
Badger quarterback Colton Joseph is a good all-around quarterback, but over the last two games he has only completed 15 of his last 36 throws. For all the improvements, the Badgers are still 133rd in the nation in first downs, and they have to somehow control the offensive narrative.
Why Wisconsin Will Win
The Badger defense has been terrific. It might have been a loss, but the run defense was the only one to keep UCLA’s ground game under wraps. The secondary held both Penn State and Michigan State to under a 48% completion rate.
USC might have a devastating midrange passing game when Jayden Maiava gets going, but things have slowed down a bit. The one loss to Oregon came when he completed just 55% of his throws. Wisconsin is allowing teams to complete 57% of their passes.
USC vs Wisconsin Prediction, Betting Lines
Can Colton Joseph get hot?
The conditions in Madison will be perfect, and the Wisconsin defense will keep this close, but Joseph has to be accurate, and he needs to be excellent on the move.
Wisconsin doesn’t have a pass rush to get to Maiava, and it doesn’t take the ball away. Joseph and the Badgers will come close, but they won’t be able to close out enough drives with touchdowns to pull this off.
USC 26, Wisconsin 23
Latest Consensus Line: USC -2.5, o/u: 50.5
ATS Confidence (out of 5): 1.5
Must See Rating (out of 5): 4
Consensus line based on BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.