The 4-5 USC Trojans face the 5-4 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, and the Trojans are making a quarterback change and attempting to become bowl eligible. The Cornhuskers are just one win away from bowl eligibility but have made changes of their own on the offensive side of the ball.

Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule spoke in the weekly press conference about the matchup with USC. The Nebraska quarterback starting against the Trojans is still up in the air. Rhule said the team will see how quarterback Dylan Raiola is doing but is preparing Heinrich Haarberg. 

When asked about how the team is preparing both quarterbacks with their different playing styles, Rhule’s response remained ambiguous.

“That’s why I’m not gonna let anybody talk to you guys tomorrow because you guys are really good at your jobs, and I appreciate that,” Rhule said. 

While speaking about Nebraska’s quarterback situation, Rhule changed the conversation to having to prepare for a new USC quarterback. Jayden Maiava will be making his first start for USC but has played numerous games in his career while at UNLV.

“We’re sitting here trying to figure what to do with, you know, they’ve changed the quarterback. You know, we’re watching UNLV film and spring film and all that,” Rhule said.

Rhule expanded on the challenges of preparing for Maiava. While there is film on him, Maiava has not played much under the USC offensive scheme. 

“It’s sort of the same thing, right? You’re sitting there looking at, you know, what do they do well, and they do a lot well.” Rhule said. “Maiava, you know, he has the ability to move.”

Rhule also spoke about how well USC coach Lincoln Riley utilizes the run game each week. The Nebraska coach spoke highly about Trojans running back Woody Marks, who has been having a strong season.

“The tailback is, I mean, like all Lincoln Riley offenses, you know, Marks is a fantastic tailback. He’s explosive, dynamic. They’re, you know, I’ve coached against Coach Riley for a long time. He’s going to find a way to run the football. He’s elite at what he does,” Rhule said. “Even in the last game against Washington, they got back in the game by just running the football at a high level.”

Rhule then spoke about the Trojans’ receiving core, highlighting wide receiver Zachariah Branch and his ability as the slot receiver.

“Branch is, you know, excellent excellent excellent slot,” Rhule said. “They have some guys that can really go on the outside.” 

USC’s offensive weapons make it more challenging for Nebraska to defend the offense. Being able to run the ball well and now having Maiava’s ability to run is difficult to contain. If USC gets the run game going early, that could open the passing game.

“Now as a defense, you’re having to defend the counter and the tackle trap and all these plays that they run. Plus, the opportunity for the quarterback to pull the ball and run because he, you know, he’s a dual threat player,” Rhule said. “And you don’t know exactly which direction they’re going to go with him.”

The Nebraska fanbase is a loyal one. Rhule closed speaking to the media giving the Nebraska fanbase credit on the road, and how it will help them against USC.

“I think the impact of our fans on the road always is elite,” Rhule said. “When they do show up in mass it limits the need for the silent cadences and all the things that make being on the road hard.”

The USC Trojans and Nebraska Cornhuskers will kick off at 1 p.m. PT in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. 

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The USC Trojans are coming off a bye week heading into Saturday’s matchup vs. the Nebraska Cornhuskers. What do this week’s Big Ten power rankings look like?

The Oregon Ducks remain at the top the Big Power rankings after their win over the Maryland Terrapins. The Ducks are now 10-0 and the unquestioned No. 1 team in the conference.

Next Game: 11/16 at Wisconsin

Ohio State handled their business against the Purdue Boilermakers in a shutout victory on Saturday. The Buckeyes are hoping to get another crack at Oregon in the Big Ten title game.

Next Game: 11/16 at Northwestern

In a dream season for Indiana, the Hoosiers are now 10-0 and likely just need to win one of their final two games to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff. They held on to a 20-15 win on Saturday over Michigan. After the game, coach Curt Cignetti’s daughter got engaged on the field. It’s like a movie in Bloomington!

Next Game: 11/23 at Ohio State

Penn State took care of Washington 35-6 on Saturday. The Nittany Lions do the same thing every season. They beat everyone except for any team that is remotely close to their level.

Next Game: 11/16 at Purdue

Illinois moves up after neither winning or losing during the bye week.

Next Game: 11/16 vs. Michigan State

Minnesota flipped their season around and won four straight games but went right back to their old selves with a loss to a struggling Rutgers team. It is too difficult to get a read on this Golden Gophers team.

Next Game: 11/23 vs. Michigan State

Iowa lost a close road game on Friday night to UCLA. The Bruins have been playing well as of late, so Iowa will remain at No. 7.

Next Game: 11/23 at Maryland

Nebraska is coming off of a bye week but still jumps up a couple of spots.

Next Game: 11/23 at USC

The UCLA Bruins are better than their 4-5 record would indicate. The Bruins took down a hot Iowa team 20-17. They looked lifeless after their 1-5 start, but they have rolled off three straight wins and have a legitimate opportunity to become bowl-eligible. First-year coach DeShaun Foster has surprised many with the turnaround.

Next Game: 11/15 vs. Washington

The Badgers had a bye week. If they can compete against Oregon next week, they will likely stay in the top ten.

Next Game: 11/16 vs. Oregon

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The Nebraska women’s basketball team surged to No. 21 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 rankings released on Monday.

After a 2-0 start to the season with home wins against Omaha Southeastern Louisiana last week, the Huskers rose two spots from their preseason ranking. Nebraska handled Omaha 88-48 in their season-opening win on Nov. 4, but flirted with a near-slip against the Lady Lions on Saturday. Nebraska fought its way back to win 78-68.

The No. 21 ranking is the highest for the Huskers since being rated No. 22 during the 2022-23 season. Nebraska was last inside of the top 20 in the 2014-15 season, rising as high as No. 12.

Nebraska’s Big Ten Conference foes represented well in the top 25, with the Big Ten featuring six programs in this week’s poll. Four other teams received votes, giving the Big Ten over half of the conference representation by the Associated Press.

Big Ten favorites USC and UCLA lead the pack with their No. 3 and No. 5 ratings respectively. No. 11 Maryland and No. 12 Ohio State narrowly missed out on the top ten after the Terrapins jumped seven spots. No. 23 Illinois and No. 25 Oregon rounded out the conference’s ranked teams, as Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, and Indiana all received votes.

The Southeastern Conference earned the top overall spot with No. 1 South Carolina continuing its traditional grip on the sport. The SEC also included three more teams in the top 10, with No. 4 Texas, No. 7 LSU, and No. 9 Oklahoma. No. 19 Ole Miss, No. 20 Kentucky, and No. 22 Alabama gave the SEC a total of seven teams featured in the poll.

The Big East has the No. 2 team in the nation with 2-0 UConn, while the Big 12 four programs in No. 8 Iowa State, No. 10 Kansas State, No. 15 West Virginia, and No. 17 Baylor. The Atlantic Coast Conference was featured by No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 13 North Carolina State, No. 14 North Carolina, No. 16 Duke, No. 18 Louisville, and No. 24 Stanford.

The Huskers will continue their home stand Tuesday night, welcoming Southern to Pinnacle Bank Arena, followed by a road test in Sioux Falls battling South Dakota at the Sanford Pentagon Saturday.

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