The No. 21 USC Trojans will face their stiffest test of the season so far when they take on the No. 23 Illinois Fighting Illini in a key Big Ten Conference matchup on Saturday. USC is coming off a 45-31 win over Michigan State, while Illinois will look to rebound from a 63-10 loss at Indiana in Week 4. The Trojans (4-0, 2-0 Big Ten), who tied for ninth in the conference at 4-5 and were 7-6 overall in 2024, are 2-4 on the road since the start of last season. The Fighting Illini (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten), who tied for fifth at 6-3 and were 10-3 overall, are 8-1 on their home field since the start of last year.

Kickoff from Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill., is at noon ET. USC leads the all-time series 11-2, and will meet for the first time since 2007. The Trojans are 6.5-point favorites in t

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