BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - SEPTEMBER 25: Josh Hoover #10 of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts after scoring a late touchdown to seal the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Memorial Stadium on September 25, 2026 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - SEPTEMBER 25: Josh Hoover #10 of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts after scoring a late touchdown to seal the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Memorial Stadium on September 25, 2026 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) | Getty Images · Getty Images

Indiana football, sitting at 8-1 overall and 5-1 in Big Ten play, is set to face USC this Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.

It’ll be the first meeting between the Hoosiers and Trojans since the latter program joined the Big Ten ahead of the 2024 season. It’s especially important now given Indiana’s recent tumble all the way down to No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings despite coming off of a bye.

There’s going to be a lot to talk about before and during the matchup. We’re giving you, the fans, the chance to voice your predictions ahead of time through a few polls we’ve attached below. Make sure to cast your vote below and join us on gameday for live discussion and analysis!

Who should Indiana start at quarterback?

Josh Hoover has been, rather notably, dealing with an injury he suffered in the second half against Ohio State for several weeks now. He’s tried to play through it against both of Michigan and Minnesota with Indiana struggling mightily in the passing game in each matchup before pulling off a pair of overtime wins.

He was replaced by Grant Wilson at the half against the Golden Gophers, with the latter going on to help lead Indiana to victory with a long touchdown pass to Charlie Becker on the first play of extra time. Hoover wasn’t listed at all on this week’s initial availability report after appearing there last week.

Who earns the start?

Are you confident Indiana’s defense can hold USC under 19 points?

Indiana has been averaging just about 19 points per game the past several weeks as the Hoosier offense has struggled mightily on the ground and through the air.

The defense has kept Indiana in all of these games while the offense figures out the path to victory, even if it means sudden overtime success. Indiana’s defense, led by reigning Broyles Award winner Bryant Haines, is arguably the top unit in the country.

Can it hold a Lincoln Riley offense under the Hoosiers’ scoring average?

Do you believe the run game will improve to keep Indiana’s offense on the field?

Indiana’s going to need to be productive on the ground against the Trojans regardless of who ends up starting at quarterback.

The Hoosiers’ running game struggled mightily against Nebraska and Ohio State after looking like a potential strength in the first few games of the season. They found ways to be productive against Michigan and Minnesota and they could use that, more even, against USC. They’ll have to do it without Turbo Richard, who was listed as out in Indiana’s initial availability report on Wednesday night.

Can the running game show improvement coming out of the bye?

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Source: Yahoo Sports