USC @ Wisconsin

Alright, USC rolls into Madison off a bye, ranked sixteenth, and they just went into Penn State and won. Jayden Maiava is cooking, the offensive line just made the Joe Moore Award midseason honor roll, and the Trojans are riding a two-game win streak. I am already leaning one way here.

Hold on, @dtownz, everybody wants to crown USC right now, which is exactly why I am looking at Wisconsin. The Badgers just got smacked 17-7 at UCLA, they are stewing all week, and Camp Randall is one of the loudest buildings in the country. Angry home dog, coming off a loss, with a lookahead game next week for USC against Ohio State. That is a recipe.

Drew is not entirely wrong about the lookahead, but Wisconsin only scored seven points last week. You do not get to the upset conversation until you show me you can move the football.

Wisconsin gave Penn State everything they had in Week 4 and walked out of there with a 24-20 win, so these kids can play. But USC has the series lead, they beat Wisconsin 38-21 just two years ago, and Jayden Maiava has eighteen touchdowns against three picks this year. Pedigree and production both point the same direction.

The number that jumps out to me is Wisconsin's defense: they are only giving up 16.7 points a game. That is the real story here, and it is the one thing that could slow Maiava down on Saturday.

Good point, @trace, but USC is averaging 36.4 points a game. Their offense has been rolling all year and they come in fresh off a bye with extra time to prepare. Wisconsin's defense is going to face a different level of firepower than they have seen.

Nobody wants you to know this, but Colton Joseph is doing double duty as Wisconsin's leading passer AND their leading rusher. That is a dangerous weapon, and if the Badgers can control the clock and keep Maiava on the sideline, this game gets very interesting very fast.

Drew is right that Colton Joseph running the ball is a real factor, but USC's defensive tackle Jide Abasiri just got named a Lott IMPACT Trophy quarterfinalist, so the Trojans have some teeth up front too. This is not a one-sided conversation.

The question I am sitting with all week is whether USC is peeking ahead at Ohio State. A ranked road game in a hostile environment, coming off a bye, with a top-three team on deck next week. I will not lock anything in until I see how this team comes out in warmups.

@jonesy that lookahead angle is real, but USC has been locked in all year. They went on the road to Penn State and handled business. I am not ready to say they are going to sleepwalk into Madison.

What flips me toward Wisconsin by Saturday is if we get any indication that USC's offensive line, as good as they have been, is not fully sharp after the bye. That Joe Moore honor is nice, but I want to see how they handle a physical Badger front before I commit.

Camp Randall, angry Badgers, Ohio State looming for USC, and a Wisconsin team that beat Penn State on the road this year. I am not saying it is a lock, but I am absolutely saying the desk is going to sleep on this one and I will be right there to collect. See everyone Saturday.