How USC Stacks Up in the Big Ten: The Four Factors Explained

The Big Ten is loaded with talent this season, but when you strip away records, highlight plays, and preseason narratives, there’s only one way to evaluate who’s really built to win: the Four Factors.

These four metrics — effective field goal percentage, turnover percentage, offensive rebounding percentage, and free-throw attempt rate — are the same analytics used by college coaching staffs, WNBA scouts, and NBA front offices. They’re not opinions, and they’re not biased by media hype. They measure how a team wins, not just if they win.

When you look at the Four Factors across all 18 Big Ten teams, a clear picture forms. Some teams are statistically elite, some are inflated by soft schedules, and others — like USC — are significantly better than what their raw numbers say because of the competition they’ve faced. USC has already played five nationally ranked teams, including South Carolina, UConn, Notre Dame, NC State, and Washington. Most Big Ten programs haven’t played a single Top-10 opponent yet. That matters. A lot.

The analytics highlight USC’s identity: elite defensively, disciplined with the ball, and battle-tested beyond anything the Big Ten has seen so far. Their weaknesses — rebounding and shooting efficiency — show up on paper, but they’re also shaped by facing elite size and elite defenses every single night.

So the question becomes: Are the analytics underrating USC?
My full video breaks down every Four Factor in detail, ranks every Big Ten team, and explains exactly where USC stands — and why their upside is still higher than the numbers show.

Watch the full breakdown below.