After joining the Big Ten last season, USC will host Northwestern for the first time as conference foes, with the Trojans (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) fresh off a 21-17 victory over Nebraska.
Despite the novelty of the Wildcats’ (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) first trip to California since 2019, many of the game’s major storylines are rooted much deeper in college football’s past. Beyond the stat sheet and the team’s performances this year, here are three big-picture ideas to keep an eye on ahead of Friday night’s game.
1. Revisiting the Rose Bowl
Nearly thirty years ago, the ’Cats capped their illustrious 1995 Rose Bowl season with a matchup against the Trojans in Pasadena. The two teams haven’t met since, that is, until Friday.
NU honored its legendary squad earlier this year during a shutout of Purdue with an on-field commemoration where many members from that team returned to campus, including then-coach Gary Barnett, former running back Darnell Autry, and former linebacker and coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Although the ’Cats ultimately lost 41-32, the trip to the Rose Bowl revitalized NU and has become a symbolic high-water mark for the program since. After three decades, the ’Cats get their first opportunity for revenge.
When NU and USC face off later this week, it won’t be a rematch. Neither team rosters a player who was alive to watch the New Year’s Day game. The two teams will face off at a different stadium and as Big Ten opponents rather than as playoff adversaries in Pasadena.
Still, the ’Cats return to California to face the Trojans will likely carry extra meaning for some members of the NU faithful.
2. Snap the streak
After three tough tests at Tulane, Penn State and Nebraska to open its road slate, the ’Cats fourth away game this season presents yet another daunting home-field advantage.
While NU’s first trip to the Coliseum since 1969 won’t end the ’Cats streak of hostile road environments this season, it does provide an opportunity for the program to snap an even longer streak.
NU has only played one team at least five times and never won a game — USC.
Coming out on top versus the Trojans is never easy, and historically the task has been even taller for the ’Cats in Los Angeles.
Through their five matchups, NU and USC have each played two games at home.
Although the Trojans came to Evanston with a top-10 ranking in each game, the ’Cats held them to an average of just 18 points. At the Coliseum, though, they were outscored 79-6.
Two weeks ago, coach David Braun made a point of highlighting the impact that Nebraska’s home crowd could play in determining the outcome of that game. In preparing for USC, he remarked that the team would approach the situation in a similar manner.
“Each environment has its own uniqueness to it, but this week looks very similar in terms of our prep that we had for Penn State and for Nebraska,” Braun said.
While he concluded his opening remarks Monday morning by remarking on the “scary operation” that USC has run this year, he also told reporters that it was a challenge his group was looking forward to.
3. Rest dynamics
Heading into the Trojans’ first Friday night game of the season, the two teams enter the evening with a large rest disparity.
The ’Cats make the trip to Southern California on a week’s rest following their loss to Nebraska. Come kickoff, NU will have gone 13 days without playing a game. On the other hand, USC played that same Huskers team Saturday — and is returning to the Coliseum for a short week of practice.
For Braun, the added time brings up mixed feelings.
“Sometimes it’s like ‘Oh great, we got to come off a bye week.’ But sometimes you can acquire rust throughout the bye week,” Braun said during Monday’s press conference.
So far this season, the numbers back up that sentiment, as FBS teams are a combined 91-93 following a bye week.
For USC coach Lincoln Riley, the shortened week also presents its unique set of challenges.
“Coming back from another time zone and a late kick just kind of resets the entire week,” Riley said on Trojans Live. “We’ve had to mend the schedule. The middle will be fairly normal to what we do, and then certainly the end will be a lot different when you’re doing it on one less complete day.”
Since 2020, the ’Cats and Trojans have both performed marginally better in short weeks, with 3-1 and 4-2 records, respectively, compared to 7-7 and 9-5 records after more than a week’s worth of time off.
For NU, the trip also means a long flight west — its third into the Pacific Time Zone in as many years. Friday’s game won’t answer any questions about the impact of rest time, but both coaches are preparing their team with factors outside the white lines in mind.
Email: alexboyko2026@u.northwestern.edu
X: @aboyko_nu
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