USC football hosts the Washington Huskies to start the month of October. It is only Week 5, but let's be honest: This is a must-win game for Lincoln Riley and the Trojans. Washington barely beat Utah State at home earlier this season and lost at home to Minnesota last week. The Huskies aren't good. Big-name quarterback Demond Williams has underperformed. Coach Jedd Fisch is struggling to get his team to play well. Washington has big concerns on its offensive line, which got exposed by Minnesota and has generally played poorly in the first month of the 2026 season.

If USC can't beat Washington, there are major problems in Los Angeles, far more severe than anyone appreciated. We know it's a shaky situation as it is, but Washington is not a team which ought to get in USC's way. The Huskies don't have the line play or the consistency needed to beat the Trojans. USC, if it is going to lose this game, will have to give Washington a lot of help from start to finish. If this game was on the road in Seattle, it would be easy to pick Washington, but in the Coliseum, it's hard to see how USC doesn't ultimately win this game. That does reinforce the basic point, though: USC has zero excuses here. If the Trojans lose, Lincoln Riley hot seat watch is 100-percent on. The coach and his team need to show they learned something from the loss to Oregon.

Follow along as the USC Trojans host the Washington Huskies. We will have analysis, highlights, and game (and injury) updates throughout the evening:

USC Trojans vs Washington Huskies live updates, analysis

Hit refresh for the latest updates from USC football's Week 5 game against Washington in the Los Angeles Coliseum.

New pregame injury update for USC

06:09 PM ET, October 3 2026

Starting TE Mark Bowman is doing early skill stretching but he’s wearing tennis shoes not cleats.
Pretty confident in saying he’s OUT for today against Washington @On3USCpic.twitter.com/Cdc4iy6Jwi

— Chris Treviño (@ChrisNTrevino) October 3, 2026

USC vs Washington injury report

05:33 PM ET, October 3 2026

NEWS: WR Trent Mosley and OL Hayden Treter both moved to DOUBTFUL for this weekend.
DT Jahkeem Stewart moved to PROBABLE @On3USCpic.twitter.com/jox2F6e5ND

— Chris Treviño (@ChrisNTrevino) October 3, 2026

USC vs Washington predictions, betting odds

05:31 PM ET, October 3 2026

Odds via BetMGM.

  • USC 45, Washington 28. Washington just isn't very good. The Huskies do not have the line play to match USC. The Trojans have a far better quarterback and superior receivers. They will have too much for U-Dub.
  • Spread: USC (-7.5)
  • Total O/U: 58.5
  • Moneyline: USC (-325)

USC vs Washington weather forecast

05:29 PM ET, October 3 2026

The temperature in Los Angeles at kickoff time will be close to 100 degrees under sunny skies.

How to watch USC vs Washington: TV channel, streaming info

05:28 PM ET, October 3 2026

  • USC vs Washington airs live on NBC and will be streamed on Peacock
  • Saturday, October 3
  • 8:30 p.m. Eastern, 5:30 p.m. Pacific

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC vs Washington live updates, highlights, and analysis for Week 5

Source: Yahoo Sports