Two Big Ten teams meet in West Lafayette to open their conference campaigns for this season. Neither squad has lost so far this year, but both are staring at their first true test on the schedule now. The USC Trojans (who are still unranked) head to Indiana to take on the Purdue Boilermakers in this Big Ten contest. We’ve got quite the big spread in this one, but it should be no match for Lincoln Riley and his boys. Or will Purdue pull off a miraculous upset at home? Let’s find our favorite picks.
Go to Betting News to check out what else I’ve got on the slate for Week 3, and view the latest odds at the best online sportsbooks.
USC Trojans vs. Purdue Boilermakers NCAA Football Insights
Ryan Browne has moved into the starting role for Purdue this season
Each team has two wins already this season. The hosts shutout Ball State in Week 1, beating them 31-0. They followed that up by taking down Southern Illinois 34-17 when the Salukis came to town last weekend. Ryan Browne saw some action last year, but has stepped in to the lead quarterbacking role for this Boilermakers team. So far he’s completed 65% of his passes for 481 yards and four touchdowns while throwing just one interception. He’s also added 55 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.
But the USC Trojans are cruising as they come to town, and they are looking to surprise some people in the Big Ten. I had faith in USC prior to the start of the season, noting they could be a sneaky team to win the conference and make the College Football Playoff, and they’ve proven me right throughout two games so far. Sure, wins over Missouri State and Georgia Southern might not mean much, but the offense is clearly fine as they’ve put up 132 points so far this season.
Will they keep it up against Purdue on the road? USC had just one conference road win last season, and it came in the same city that they play in. When traveling away from the West Coast last season, USC lost at Michigan, at Minnesota and at Maryland, but Maiava was not the starter then. Will they perform better outside of the pacific time zone this year?
Matchup Information – USC vs. Purdue – September 13
- Venue & Location: Ross-Ade Stadium (West Lafayette, IN)
- Date: Saturday, September 13, 2025
- Kick Off: 3:30 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: CBS
USC vs. Purdue Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of September 12, 2025 at 3:11 p.m. eastern. Sign up today with Promo Code BNBOL55 for a 55% deposit bonus up.
Spread
- USC -20.5 (-110)
- Purdue +20.5 (-110)
Moneyline
- USC -1500
- Purdue +874
Total
- Over 60.5 (-103)
- Under 60.5 (-117)
Although the Trojans have a “bigger” matchup against Michigan State next week, they will be back in Los Angeles and will have plenty of time to regroup. The focus at hand will be making sure they win this game, doing anything they can to avoid underestimating their hosts. Jayden Maiava is now 5-1 as the starter at USC dating back to last season, only losing to the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who went on to play in the National Championship.
Maiava boasts wins over Nebraska, at rival UCLA, and beat an SEC team in the Las Vegas Bowl last year (Texas A&M). The young QB is looking to make a name for himself and his team this season, and I see them keeping their momentum pointed in the right direction this weekend on the road.
USC vs Purdue NCAA Football Picks and Predictions
Jayden Maiava is 5-1 as a starter at USC dating back to last season
USC vs. Purdue Prediction: USC Wins and Covers, Over 60.5
Best Bets: USC -20.5 (-110) BetOnline
USC will cover this spread with ease. They’ve already covered a couple of HUGE numbers against other opponents, and this one should be no different. Purdue just simply isn’t that good. They haven’t been impressive against bad teams so far this year, and they are in for a wake up call at home.
Lincoln Riley will make sure his team is focused and fired up prior to this outing. They’ve started incredibly quickly, leading 42-10 at halftime against Missouri State, and 31-13 against Georgia Southern last Saturday. Maiava has over 700 passing yards to 12 different pass catchers, and six passing touchdowns to five different skill players. All three of his tight ends have a TD this season and Maiava also has a rushing touchdown and 14 yards on the ground.
I see the Trojans showing no mercy, keeping their foot on the gas the entire game, and likely winning this game by four touchdowns. While this Purdue team seemed to be a little frisky at home as a big favorite last year, the Trojans have National Championship thoughts in their mind. Whether or not they are delusional, they’ll bring those intangibles into this game, resulting in a massive road win for the program.
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