No. 19 Southern California will begin its closing four-game stretch of the season in the thick of both the Big Ten Conference championship and College Football Playoff races.

The Trojans will face another stout defense in Northwestern on Friday night in Los Angeles.

Southern California (6-2, 4-1) will return home for the first time since a 31-13 win over then-No. 15 Michigan on Oct. 11, bookending its Oct. 25 bye with a 34-24 loss at rival Notre Dame and a 21-17 victory at Nebraska last Saturday.

The grind-it-out defeat of the Cornhuskers helped land the Trojans at their position in the first playoff rankings of the season.

Northwestern (5-3, 3-2) will visit the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the first time since 1969 in the program's first matchup with Southern California since the

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