USC vs. Illinois Picks and Game Predictions

Bret Bielema and the Illini need a huge bounce back this weekend - USC Illinois Picks

After getting destroyed on the road in Bloomington last weekend, the No. 23 ranked Illinois Fighting Illini have to turn around and pick themselves up against another ranked opponent. The No. 21 USC Trojans are off to a high-flying 4-0 start led by Jayden Maiava who has been soaring up the Heisman odds board, and rightfully so. The team sits at 2-0 in Big Ten play, and will look to keep that momentum going against their hosts, who just lost their first conference contest. Let’s break it down and find our favorite picks for this matchup.

Editor’s Note: We found the Illini catching the full touchdown, so let’s just hope they bounce back at home.

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#21 USC Trojans vs. #23 Illinois Fighting Illini NCAA Football Insights

Jayden Maiava leads the Trojans into Champaign to take on the Illini

As I said, USC has been blowing teams out this season. They beat Missouri State by 60, Georgia Southern by 39, Purdue on the road by 16 and Michigan State at home by two touchdowns. The Trojans are putting up 52.5 points per game, and have scored at least 33 in every contest so far. But on the road against Illinois, can they keep up the offensive production in a tough road environment against a ranked opponent? They certainly haven’t played anyone worthy yet this year.

Plus, the Illini are coming off a terrible loss to their next door neighbor. The Indiana Hoosiers dominated Illinois when they came to town, beating them 63-10 last Saturday. Bret Bielema will certainly hope to motivate his locker room, as a loss like that can be demoralizing. However, Illinois is still 3-1 this season, with a win over Duke on the road, and two cupcakes against the Western Illinois Lethernecks (great name, had to mention it) and Western Michigan. Can they regroup and get ready for another ranked Big Ten opponent?

Matchup Information – USC vs. Illinois – September 27

Venue & Location: Memorial Stadium (Champaign, IL)
Date: Saturday, September 27, 2025
Kick Off: 12:00 p.m. Eastern
Broadcast: FOX

USC vs. Illinois Betting Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of September 27, 2025 at 8:47 a.m. eastern. Sign up today with Promo Code BNBOL55 for a 55% deposit bonus.

Spread

USC -7 (+102)
Illinois +7 (-122)

Moneyline

USC -230
Illinois +192

Total

Over 61 (-110)
Under 61 (-110)

Jayden Maiava is completing over 70% of his passes this season with 1,223 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s a big body who’s added 55 yards on the ground and four touchdowns near the goal line, while spreading the love on offense. There are seven different USC pass catchers with a receiving touchdown in four games this year, and Maiava has yet to throw an interception. The Illini secondary just got torched by Fernando Mendoza last week, as he went 21/23 for 267 yards and five touchdowns. Will Maiava have similar success against a bad passing defense?

On the other side, Luke Altmyer is also completing 70% of his passes with nine touchdowns and no picks, but only 855 yards. He went 14/22 against Indiana for 146 yards and a single touchdown last week, while taking seven sacks as well. While I got burned last week thinking the Illini would win outright (or at least cover the TD), I have the same faith and thinking in this game, and will be going right back to them.

#21 USC vs. #23 Illinois NCAA Football Picks and Predictions

Kaden Feagin has 240 rushing yards this season with three touchdowns

USC vs. Illinois Prediction: Illinois Wins Outright, Over 60.5

Best Bet: Illinois +7 (-118) BetOnline

I do not think Illinois should be catching a touchdown at home. Despite how great USC has looked, none of their wins move the needle for me. They didn’t cover in either of their conference games, and giving up 31 points to the Spartans makes me question the Trojans defense. Maiava can’t play perfect forever, and USC was just in West Lafayette two weeks ago. They had to fly back to LA, go to class (haha), play the Spartans, and then hop on a plane back to the central time zone.

With an early kick off (9:00 a.m. pacific), we might see a slow start from the Trojans and I don’t think this Illini team will let them recover. Illinois had so much hype this offseason (from myself, included), but in their first contest against a worthy opponent, they absolutely didn’t show up. They had possession for just 20 minutes, lost the turnover battle, and converted just 10% of their third downs while letting the Hoosiers go 8/11 (72.7%).

This is THE bounce back spot of all bounce back spots for Illinois, a team I still believe can make some noise in the Big Ten. This is their chance to prove to the world (and themselves) that they are still a good football team, even though conference championship hopes may be very slim.

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#21 USC vs. #23 Illinois Picks and Predictions: Can Illini Bounce Back at Home?