USC Trojans vs. Purdue Boilermakers Prediction and Picks - September 13, 2025
The 2-0 USC Trojans will travel to play the 2-0 Purdue Boilermakers in each team's conference opener for the 2025 college football season, and we'll preview the lines and odds in our USC vs. Purdue prediction. The Trojans are coming off wins against Missouri State and Georgia Southern in their first two weeks of action, while the Boilermakers opened the season with wins over Ball State and Southern Illinois. Kickoff for this game is set for 3:30 PM ET on Saturday, September 13.
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Can Trojans Cover Another 20-point Spread?
After opening the season with huge wins over Missouri State (73-13) and Georgia Southern (59-20), the USC Trojans enter their Big Ten schedule as overwhelming favorites in their first matchup with Purdue (-20.5). The Trojans' offense leads college football in per-game yards (676.0) and points (66.0) through two weeks, coming in at third in passing yards per game (405.0) and 10th in rushing yards (271.0). They finished their win over the Georgia Southern Eagles with 755 total yards despite losing 93 yards on eight penalties.
Jayden Maiava, in his third season of college football and second as the Trojans' quarterback, is completing 73.8 percent of his passes for 16.8 yards per attempt. He's thrown for six touchdowns and run for another, without throwing an interception or taking a sack. Waymond Jordan has run for 209 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries; King Miller has run for 135 yards and another two touchdowns on seven carries. Makai Lemon leads a receiving corps with three players already over 100 yards, having caught 11 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns on his own. Defensively, the team is capitalizing on playing with a lead – their nine sacks through two games rank them fourth in college football behind Auburn, Louisville, and UTEP.
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How Will Purdue Perform in Conference?
The Purdue Boilermakers ran a dismal football operation in 2024, winning their opening game against Indiana State 49-0 before losing to each of their next 11 opponents. Two of those games went to overtime, but only one other ended with Purdue losing by fewer than three scores. Three of their final six games ended in hideous shutouts: 0-35 against Oregon, 0-45 at Ohio State, and 0-66 at rival Indiana to close the season. Things have already improved with the Boilermakers at 2-0 through two weeks, but how much of that success will translate when they revisit their Big Ten opponents?
Purdue leaned heavily on senior back Devin Mockobee – a fourth-year player at Purdue – in their 34-17 win over Southern Illinois last week. Mockobee finished the game with 32 carries for 126 yards and two touchdowns. He wasn't explosive – his longest run of the day went 12 yards, both of his touchdowns went from the 1-yard line, and he averaged only 3.9 yards per carry – but he helped the Boilermakers convert 29 first downs, go 9-of-14 on third down, and win on time of possession. Through two weeks, Mockobee has nearly as many carries (46) as starting quarterback Ryan Browne has pass attempts (49). A sophomore and third-year player at Purdue, Browne looked more impressive against Ball State in Week 1 – when he completed 18 of 26 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns – than he did against SIU.
USC vs Purdue Pick
Spread Pick for USC vs Purdue
- USC -20.5 (-110) (4 Units)
Purdue should be a greater challenge for USC than their first two opponents, but the Boilermakers' offense moved like they were playing in a swamp against an FCS opponent last week. The Trojans have offensive firepower, and early returns suggest they might have a defense that can swarm the quarterback and capitalize on playing with a lead. The Boilermakers haven't yet fielded the type of offense they'd need to keep up; I'd expect this game to only get uglier for them as time progresses and USC pulls further ahead.
Over/Under Pick for Top Team vs Bottom Team
- Over 59.0 (-110) (5 Units)
USC has fielded the most explosive offense in college football through two weeks, and they're looking at a total line here of 59 points. The Trojans hit 59 total points on their own in each of their first two games. If Purdue contributes anything, this game hits the over; if they don't, USC can take the extra time of possession and overflow the scoreboard. I wouldn't take the under here either way.
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