Purdue opponent preview: USC

This fall, a new era of Purdue football begins as Barry Odom fields his first squad in West Lafayette. A tall task awaits Odom, who will seek to turn the tide after Purdue went just 5-19 over the last two seasons, including a paltry 1-11 campaign a year ago. The schedule won’t hand Purdue many easy wins, either.

Over the summer, GoldandBlack.com will preview the 12 opponents on the schedule. Today, we open Big Ten play with a glance at USC thanks to Erik McKinney of On3’s WeAreSC.

The overview

Purdue opens Big Ten play with a tough one: welcoming USC to Ross-Ade Stadium. For the first time in 2025, a 3:30 kickoff on CBS will give Purdue a bit of a spotlight. After only playing Oregon in 2024, Purdue will continue working its way through the West Coast additions with USC and Washington on the slate this fall. Close losses to Penn State, Minnesota, Washington and Michigan held the Trojans back in 2024, but USC hopes to flip the script and reach the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.

Name to know: offense

WR Ja’Kobi Lane – There was a bit of a logjam at receiver for USC last season but nobody was more dangerous than Lane when he was on the field. He had 12 touchdown receptions in 43 total catches and finished the year with back-to-back three-touchdown games against Notre Dame and Texas A&M. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound receiver is heading into his third season and was a dominant presence for the USC offense this spring.

Name to know: defense

S Kamari Ramsey – Ramsey is USC’s best defensive player and this will be his third season in defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn’s system. Ramsey has some positional versatility and could be used all over the defensive backfield this year as well as closer to the line of scrimmage. He had an opportunity to leave early for the NFL Draft after the 2024 season but chose to return to the Trojans. He’s a likely defensive captain this season and a clear leader on that side of the ball.

Biggest question

Is Jayden Maiava the right answer at quarterback? Head coach Lincoln Riley replaced Miller Moss with Jayden Maiava after the ninth game of the 2024 season. Maiava went 3-1 in his four starts but threw six interceptions (three returned for touchdowns) and completed fewer than 60% of his passes. This offseason, Riley stuck with Maiava despite several potential options in the transfer portal and this is now Maiava’s offense heading into 2025. Riley hasn’t gotten the quarterback position wrong often in his coaching career, but Moss didn’t make it through the entire 2024 season and there are still some questions about Maiava heading into 2025.

Key newcomer

RB Waymond Jordan Jr. – There are a few options here and a handful of them are on both lines of scrimmage (defensive tackles Keeshawn Silver and Jamaal Jarrett and offensive linemen DJ Wingfield and J’Onre Reed). But Jordan looks positioned as the starting running back for a USC program that just had one-year transfer back Woody Marks post a 1,000-yard season on the ground. USC needs a strong ground game this season and Jordan looks like the guy who will lead the way.

Early Purdue vs. USC outlook

Barring anything earth-shattering occurring in the first two weeks, Purdue will take the field as a double-digit home underdog against USC. Right, wrong, or indifferent, Purdue will get little benefit of the doubt after the last two seasons. Purdue holds a 1-3 all-time record against USC, though it doesn’t get grander than the 14-13 win in the 1967 Rose Bowl. The Trojans swept a mid-1970s home-and-home series, and they handled Purdue on a scorching Los Angeles day in the 1998 season-opener.

2025 expectations

Lincoln Riley probably doesn’t have to make the College Football Playoff this season, but the Trojans need to be in the conversation and eight regular season wins feels like the absolute floor to feel good about moving into 2026. USC misses both Penn State and Ohio State this season and gets Michigan at the Coliseum. There are tough road games at Oregon, Notre Dame and Illinois, but USC could lose all three of those and still have a solid year if the Trojans win out at home and don’t trip up as road favorites (which they did over and over in 2024).

Previous previews: Ball State | Southern Illinois

2025 Purdue football schedule

Date	Opponent
Aug. 30	Ball State, Noon ET, BTN
Sept. 6	Southern Illinois, 7:30 p.m. ET, BTN
Sept. 13	USC, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Sept. 20	at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m. ET, NBC
Sept. 27	BYE
Oct. 4	Illinois
Oct. 11	at Minnesota, 7/7:30 p.m. ET, TV TBA
Oct. 18	at Northwestern
Oct. 25	Rutgers, Noon ET, TV TBA
Nov. 1	at Michigan
Nov. 8	Ohio State
Nov. 15	at Washington
Nov. 22	BYE
Nov. 28	Indiana, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC (Friday)