The Hoosiers are 9-1 overall, 6-1 in the Big Ten, with Washington and Purdue left in the regular season. Justin Casterline / Getty Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Reigning national champion Indiana should be defending national champion Indiana in a few weeks, thanks to another game in which the Hoosiers had offense in fits and starts, quarterback inconsistencies and clutch plays late.

No. 9 Indiana has a 98 percent chance of being in the 12-team Playoff, per The Athletic’s Austin Mock, after Saturday’s 27-13 win over No. 18 USC at IU’s Memorial Stadium. The Hoosiers are 9-1, 6-1 in the Big Ten, with Washington and Purdue left in the regular season. This triumph over the Trojans (7-3, 4-3) is Indiana’s best of the season and might stand as its lone ranked win in the end.

It also means Indiana vs. No. 4 UCLA (10-0, 7-0) is the most likely matchup in the final Big Ten Championship Game. But a loss there shouldn’t penalize the Hoosiers, given the quality of UCLA’s season and presuming a competitive game.

IU’s defense virtually guarantees that. It held down an explosive USC offense that scored 30 against Ohio State its last time out, leaving the Trojans with slim Playoff hopes. IU’s offense raises questions about Curt Cignetti’s team making another December-and-January run. But it did have its moments Saturday.

Seventh-year senior Grant Wilson started at quarterback, though Josh Hoover (arm) was available. Wilson made some spectacular throws, let USC back in the game with a pick late in the first half, put several other passes in harm’s way, but ultimately did enough to win.

His 42-yard scoring loft to Charlie Becker with 3:30 left was a fitting mic drop for the Hoosiers and left Wilson with 305 yards passing and two touchdowns.

“We’ve had a lot of close wins this year,” Cignetti said. “But we always find a way.”

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava had his own moments and got cooking in the fourth quarter, completing four passes for 81 yards on a drive that reached the Indiana 8 and threatened to tie the score. But then Maiava telegraphed an ill-advised pass, intercepted by Isaiah Jones at the 1 with 6:35 to play. He finished with three picks.

That was a familiar failure for a USC offense that came into the game 95th nationally in red zone scoring percentage (81.82 percent) and 61st in touchdown percentage (63.64 percent). Indiana’s defense came in 17th in opponent red zone scoring percentage (75 percent) and third in touchdown percentage (35 percent). The better unit prevailed when it mattered most.

“We’ve definitely come a long way as a program, but we still obviously here got a little ways to go,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said. “And closing out games like that are what you gotta do to be the best.”

Riley said he is “absolutely” the right coach to lead USC.

“I believe in what we’re doing. I believe in myself. I believe in our leadership. I believe in our administration,” he said. “I believe in everything what’s happening here. And trust me, there’s nobody that wants it as bad as all of us involved. We know how close we are as a team, and we got a good view of that tonight. So we’re gonna keep battling. We will get there.

And all this will continue to make it more sweet when that time does happen.”

It’s been a full decade since USC went on the road and beat a ranked team outside of Southern California.

You have to go all the way back to a win at No. 4 Washington in November 2016 — Clay Helton’s first season as head coach, with Sam Darnold at quarterback — for a ranked road win away from Greater Los Angeles. The Trojans only other ranked win away from The Coliseum since then was in 2022 over UCLA, which was also the first and only ranked road win of Riley’s tenure.

On the heels of a win against Ohio State (albeit without quarterback Julian Sayin), USC had a chance for back-to-back resume-boosting victories that could have changed the tenor of this season and Riley’s job security. A win would have nudged USC into the CFP discussion and a logjam for second place in the Big Ten standings.

Instead, Saturday was a familiar result, with USC getting bullied too often on the line of scrimmage, committing costly penalties and folding in high-pressure moments.

Riley and USC keep insisting this program is up to the task of competing in the Big Ten and for national championships. The results continue to suggest otherwise.

“Play for play, it was a slugfest, and it was two really good teams going at it,” Riley said. “We just had too many mistakes. We played hard, thought we played physical. I thought we were really resilient throughout the game. We gave ourselves some really tremendous opportunities in this game. I’m very disappointed not get it done.” — Justin Williams

TCU transfer and previous starter Josh Hoover, who has battled an arm injury, was active and not listed on the availability report. That presumably meant his return to the starting lineup. Cignetti did not commit to that — but Cignetti did have Hoover on his radio show this week! Then he started Wilson. The former Old Dominion and Fordham quarterback, who made huge plays late to lead an Oct.

31 comeback win over Minnesota, was all over the map.

He let USC back in the game with a brutal pick late in the first half. He made spectacular throws, including a 65-yard post to Nick Marsh that couldn’t have been placed better. He had some head-scratching decisions and misfires. USC dropped several possible interceptions. Still, Wilson ended up with the…