Date: Sept. 13
Time: 8:00pm ET ABC

Why to tune in:
This will be the first time Nebraska travels to Southern California in 36 years. USC, which has won 33 consecutive regular-season games, has not played since opening its season with a 50-14 rout at Arkansas on September 2. The Cornhuskers are 2-0 after defeating Louisiana Tech and Nicholls State, respectively.

When Nebraska has the ball:
Head coach Bill Callahan has Nebraska heading in the right direction with its run game. Callahan and the Cornhuskers have generated back-to-back 200 yard rushing games, but how much of a test did Louisiana Tech and Nicholls State really prove to be? Through three quarters against Arkansas, USC let up 90 yards on the ground on defense and 130 overall in the contest. If that just wasn’t lack of cohesion on the part of USC’s defense, Callahan can run his duo of backs Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn to try to keep the game close. Quarterback Zac Taylor has looked good in two games this season, throwing for 489 yards and seven touchdowns, but Callahan doesn’t want to get into a high scoring affair with the Trojans.

When USC has the ball:
Pete Carroll would love to open the run game early against Nebraska and might have a lot of success doing it. Carroll loves to throw on second down to put his offense in a manageable third and short, which would give the Trojans a better chance against the Cornhuskers underrated secondary. However, quarterback John David Booty did attempt 35 passes against the Razorbacks in week one and Carroll isn’t opposed to throwing to set up the run either. As evidence by Booty’s three touchdowns in the red zone against Arkansas, Carroll will throw near the goal line.

Prediction:
People have mentioned marked improvement for the Cornhuskers this season nobody can argue that with the way Nebraska won its first two games. But USC isn’t Nicholls State and they have no resemblance to Louisiana Tech either. If Nebraska can’t get its run game going early, the Trojans are going to tighten up in pass coverage and force Taylor to beat them through the air. As mentioned before, Callahan doesn’t want to get into a high scoring affair with USC, because he’ll undoubtedly lose that battle.

Nebraska hasn’t beaten a top 10 team on the road since 1997 and don’t expect its luck to change in Southern Cali either: USC 38, Nebraska 17.