USC vs Illinois Prediction, Picks & Odds | 27 Sep 2025

By Peter Taylor, NCAAF Analyst | Published: 5 hours ago | 4 min read

Southern California Trojans (USC)

American Football NCAAF Memorial Stadium Sat 27 Sep 12:00

Illinois Fighting Illini

Prediction
Bet Builder
Odds
Player Props
Stats
Standings

College Football Betting Preview: USC vs Illinois

USC square off against Illinois in this NCAAF Week 5 matchup at Memorial Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 12:00 on Saturday 27 September. Our betting preview features expert predictions, picks, the latest betting odds and H2H stats.

Will Illini Stay in Reach of the Favorites?

The market might have underrated Illinois and -110 makes appeal considering they are +6.5 on the spread. Bet on them to cover the line against Illinois.

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USC Landed Victory in Last Game

USC Trojans have won their previous four games. The latest was a 45-31 home triumph at LA Memorial Coliseum against Michigan State Spartans.

Illinois Fighting Illini have secured back-to-back home victories. Their last game was on the road and a 63-10 loss occurred against Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium.

Quarterbacks

Jayden Maiava

Luke Altmyer

USC vs Illinois Prediction & Picks

Prepare for USC vs Illinois with our expert betting guide featuring a trusted match prediction, likely scoreline, key player props and a well-crafted bet builder.

Game Prediction

The underdogs look a great play at +6.5 on the spread. Illinois could beat their opponents and the -110 about this college football pick makes lots of appeal.

The CFB handicappers at Sportsgambler.com start by analyzing recent form and staying on top of injury news before making any picks. From there, we interpret the story the stats are telling to help shape our predictions.

Key USC vs Illinois stats:

The +6.5 line has been covered by Illinois in 4 consecutive games at home.
The +6.5 line has been covered by Illinois in 9 of their last 10 games at home.
The +6.5 line has been covered by Illinois in 16 of their last 20 games.
The -6.5 line hasn’t been covered by USC in 4 of their last 5 games on the road.
The -6.5 line hasn’t been covered by USC in 8 of their last 10 games on the road.

Illini +6.5 Probability

The top betting apps make it a 52.4% chance that our pick is settled as a winner. However, our cappers have this figure closer to 60% based on their in-depth research. That means we are regarding it as a value wager.

Looking for Bigger Odds?

If you’re looking for a bigger potential return on your stake, there is often the option to move the line. Consider the prices and whether each line can be covered.

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Best Bet

Illinois +6.5 @ -110 Bet Now

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Published 18:26, 25 September 2025

Player Prop Picks

Top Pick: Kaden Feagin Anytime TD -135

Kaden Feagin (Illini) can be backed at -135 to score in the red zone. We think this is the pick of the player props, with generous odds available when it comes to backing him to score a touchdown at any time.

Latest Kaden Feagin Player Prop Odds

Touchdown

Rushing Yards

Luke Altmyer Over 232.5 Passing Yards -114

The odds for Luke Altmyer (Illini) to surpass 232.5 passing yards are -114. We're confident in him covering the QB Passing Yards line and hitting our Over bet.

Latest Luke Altmyer Player Prop Odds

Touchdown

Passing Yards

Same Game Parlay Picks

Spread Illinois +6.5

Totals Under 60.5

Anytime Touchdown Kaden Feagin

We’ve got a same game parlay with three options: Illinois +6.5, Under 60.5 points and Kaden Feagin (Illinois) to record a touchdown.

There are many options when you place a same game parlay. You can go through the football lines and identify your favorite outcomes before combining the odds on the bet slip. Personalised betting doesn’t come any better.

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Correct Score Prediction

USC

27 - 28 Illinois logo

Illinois

There’s every chance that this is going to be a close matchup and we’ll have a play on the Illini achieving a 28-27 winning scoreline. Hopefully this can go close.

USC vs Illinois Odds

The odds and lines are updated on a frequent basis. You might therefore find that they are different to the ones listed for the betting predictions and bet builder tips.

Books Giving USC Plenty of Respect

With a 71% chance of securing victory, USC are favorites for this college game and the sportsbooks have them at betting odds of -244. For those wanting to back Illinois, you will find +198 about the underdogs.

The spread is currently 6.5, with the total points line at 60.5. There is no denying the popularity of wagering on the Totals. Those that want to back Under 60.5 can find odds of -105 available.

College football fans are spoilt for choice thanks to the wide range of game lines and team props which are available for every clash on the coupon. Head to the top betting sites and find the best value picks.

Moneyline

Point Spread

Total Points

Waymond Jordan Favorite to Be First TD Scorer

Waymond Jordan is priced at +490 when it comes to First TD Scorer. He’s the favorite and also available at odds of -189 to score a touchdown at anytime.

Touchdown

Waymond Jordan (USC)

Makai Lemon (USC)

Kaden Feagin (Illini)

Eli Sanders (USC)

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Receiving Yards

Makai Lemon (USC)

Hank Beatty (Illini)

Collin Dixon (Illini)

Lake McRee (USC)

View More View Less

Rushing Yards

Waymond Jordan (USC)

Kaden Feagin (Illini)

Jayden Maiava (USC)

Passing Yards

Jayden Maiava (USC)

Luke Altmyer (Illini)

Best Betting Offers

Memorial Stadium

Illini Rock Solid at Home

Illinois have rattled off three straight wins at Memorial Stadium. They are 8-2 in their last 10 home games, putting up 35.70 points on average and giving up 17.10.

USC are 4-6 in their last 10 games away from home, scoring 26.60 points per contest and conceding 28.90.

Last 10 Games		W-L	P	PF	PA	O60.5	U60.5
Illinois Home Stats		8-2	52.80	35.70	17.10	2	8
USC Away Stats		4-6	55.50	26.60	28.90	3	7

W-L = Wins-Losses
P = Avg. Points
PF = Avg. Points For
PA = Avg. Points Against
O60.5 = Games Over 60.5 Points
U60.5 = Games Under 60.5 Points

Last 5 & H2H

All
Home
Away

Last 5 Games

USC

NCAAF: 21/09 Michigan State31 USC 45
NCAAF: 13/09 USC33 Purdue 17
NCAAF: 07/09 Georgia Southern20 USC 59
NCAAF: 31/08 Missouri State13 USC 73
NCAAF Bowls: 28/12 Texas A&M31 USC 35

Illinois

NCAAF: 21/09 Illinois10 Indiana 63
NCAAF: 14/09 Western Michigan0 Illinois 38
NCAAF: 06/09 Illinois45 Duke 19
NCAAF: 30/08 Western Illinois3 Illinois 52
NCAAF Bowls: 31/12 South Carolina17 Illinois 21

Team Stats

Latest regular season and playoff games stats.

USC Stats

Illinois Fighting Illini Stats

Moneyline

8 wins and 2 defeats in the last 10 games
4 wins and 6 defeats in the last 10 games on the road

Moneyline

7 wins and 3 defeats in the last 10 games
9 wins and 1 defeat in the last 10 home games

Point Spread

-6.5 Betting Line: Have covered the spread in 6 of the last 10 games
-6.5 Betting Line on the Road: Have covered the spread in 2 of the last 10 games on the road

Point Spread

+6.5 Betting Line: Have covered the spread in 7 of the last 10 games
+6.5 Betting Line at Home: Have covered the spread in 9 of the last 10 home games

Total Points

Game Totals: An average of 63.00 pts in the previous 10 games
Game Totals on the Road: An average of 55.50 pts in the previous 10 games on the road
Over 60.5: Covered in 6 of the previous 10 games
Over 60.5 on the Road: Covered in 3 of the previous 10 games on the road
Team Totals: Have scored an average of 39.00 pts and allowed 24.00 pts in the last 10 games
Team Totals on the Road: Have scored an average of 26.60 pts and allowed 28.90 pts in the last 10 games on the road

Total Points

Game Totals: An average of 54.60 pts in the previous 10 games
Game Totals at Home: An average of 47.80 pts in the previous 10 home games
Over 60.5: Covered in 4 of the previous 10 games
Over 60.5 at Home: Covered in 1 of the previous 10 home games
Team Totals: Have scored an average of 30.60 pts and allowed 24.00 pts in the last 10 games
Team Totals at Home: Have scored an average of 33.50 pts and allowed 14.30 pts in the last 10 home games

NCAAF Standings Select Season

Big Ten	W	L	PF	PA	N. Pts	Home	Away	Strk
Indiana	4	0	219	33	186	4-0	0-0	4W
Maryland	4	0	130	43	87	3-0	1-0	4W
Ohio State	3	0	121	16	105	3-0	0-0	3W
Oregon	4	0	203	37	166	3-0	1-0	4W
Penn State	3	0	132	17	115	3-0	0-0	3W
USC	4	0	210	81	129	3-0	1-0	4W
Washington	3	0	167	55	112	2-0	1-0	3W
Rutgers	3	1	167	96	71	3-1	0-0	1L
Nebraska	3	1	174	54	120	2-1	1-0	1L
Michigan State	3	1	137	115	22	3-0	0-1	1L
Michigan	3	1	140	71	69	2-0	1-1	2W
Iowa	3	1	132	58	74	2-0	1-1	2W
Illinois	3	1	145	85	60	2-0	1-1	1L
Minnesota	2	1	103	37	66	2-0	0-1	1L
Purdue	2	2	112	106	6	2-1	0-1	2L
Wisconsin	2	2	83	75	8	2-1	0-1	2L
Northwestern	1	2	59	64	-5	1-1	0-1	1L
UCLA	0	3	43	108	-65	0-2	0-1	3L