No. 20 Southern California stayed in the College Football Playoff race with a 38-17 victory over Northwestern.

Jayden Maiava forced a fumble after tossing an interception, a play that inspired the Trojans to pull away from Northwestern during a 38-17 win Friday.

What did we learn from watching the Trojans take down Northwestern on Friday night? Here are five key takeaways:

The USC Trojans defeated the Northwestern Wildcats, 38-17, at the LA Memorial Coliseum on November 7, 2025 and The Sporting Tribune's Jordan Teller was there to capture the following TST Images.

Makai Lemon had a career-high 161 yards and a touchdown as No. 20 USC beat Northwestern 38-17 on Friday night. The Trojans receiver also added a score on the ground as the team racked up 482 yards of total offense.

Week 10 of the 2025 college football season featured three ranked-on-ranked matchups that could loom large in the College Football Playoff race. None was bigger than No. 18 Oklahoma's clash with No. 14 Tennessee -- a battle between SEC foes that served as a de facto elimination game as the calendar flips to November.

The No. 19 USC Trojans added another November victory in their 38-17 win to improve to 7-2 overall and 5-1 in Big Ten play. USC came off a statement road win a