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Dylan Raiola predicts USC game will be at night in cold weather: 'They're not gonna like that'

IMG_6598by: Nick Kosko08/27/25nickkosko59
USATSI_25072717 (1)
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Dylan Raiola predicted Nebraska will take on USC at night later this season and the temperature will drop significantly. Simply put, the Trojans from the west coast won’t like that, per the quarterback.

Raiola admitted he wears hand warmers during games that aren’t as cold as late-season matchups, but said it was for the grip on the football. Either way, he believes USC coming to Lincoln at night in November will catch them off guard.

Nebraska is a popular dark horse pick to make a run in the Big Ten this season, maybe even making the College Football Playoff. All things considered, the USC-Nebraska game could be a massive one.

“Yeah, we’re gonna catch USC November 1, probably gonna be a night game,” Raiola said, via CBS Sports. “I hope it’s cold, they’re not going to like that.”

Raiola led Nebraska to a bowl game last season, which was a welcome sight for Husker fans. Now a sophomore, he knows the expectations are greater.

But if there’s anyone who can make it happen, it’s him and head coach Matt Rhule, who goes into Year 3 with the program. 

At the time when Raiola committed to Nebraska, the Cornhuskers hadn’t been to a bowl since 2016. Still, he saw the potential in the program and flipped to the Cornhuskers. He explained on Hail Varsity.

“Every time that I committed to a place,” Raiola said. “I was all in on that place. When plans had changed and things opened back up, there was always something that was like, you could go to Nebraska and be a part of something special. I didn’t have the courage at the time, being a junior in high school, I didn’t really know what that was gonna look like. So, for me, it was like it’s gonna be a step, it’s gonna be hard, but, ultimately, at the end of the day, you can do something that you want to do, and what you really love.”

Raiola was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2024. He was the 21st-ranked recruit overall and the third-ranked quarterback in that recruiting cycle. At various points, he was also committed to other schools, including Ohio State and Georgia. But, he’s fully locked in at Nebraska and if he can lead the team to new, but familiar, heights, he can go down in program lore.