Two teams come off a bye hoping change offers salvation

Three keys and a prediction for Nebraska-USC

Courtesy Nebraska Athletics

Two all-time top-10 winners, classic uniforms, iconic setting—what more could you ask for from Nebraska and USC’s first meeting as fellow Big Ten members?

Plenty, I guess, based on both head coaches pushing the randomize button over their shared bye weeks in hopes of salvaging sinking seasons. Trojan head coach Lincoln Riley made a change at quarterback, naming Jayden Maiava the starter. The 2023 Mountain West Freshman of the Year at UNLV, Maiava has made one appearance for USC this season where he attempted a pass, throwing 11 in the second half of a 48-0 win over Utah State in Week 2.

Matt Rhule countered with the shocking revelation Monday that Dana Holgorsen, hired last week as a consultant, is actually taking over as offensive coordinator upon further review. Holgorsen may or may not have starting quarterback Dylan Raiola available for his Nebraska debut. Raiola was questionable on Monday while still recovering from a back injury suffered against UCLA, though we should get some update on his status later today.

As if trying to assess a game between two teams that are a combined 2-7 since the start of October wasn’t hard enough, now you could convince me almost anything will happen.

But there should still be some football truths that hold here. Let’s focus on those.