No. 2 Ohio State (6-1 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) at USC (6-2, 3-2)
When: 4:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
TV/Radio: NBC (Ch. 4)/710 AM
Line: Ohio State by 7.5 points
NOTABLE INJURIES
USC: OUT: WR Terrell Anderson (undisclosed), WR Corey Simms (knee), S Kendarius Reddick (undisclosed), LB Taylor “Taybo” Johnson (undisclosed), LB Roman Marchetti (undisclosed), OL Kilian O’Connor (knee), OL Hayden Treter (undisclosed); QUESTIONABLE: DT Jahkeem Stewart (foot), TE Mark Bowman (undisclosed), RB Shahn Alston (undisclosed), DT Jamaal Jarrett (undisclosed).
Ohio State: OUT: S Leroy Roker III (undisclosed), QB Julian Sayin (shoulder), WR Brock Boyd (undisclosed), S Brenten “Inky” Jones (undisclosed), RB Ja’Kobi Jackson (foot), S Deshawn Stewart (undisclosed), WR Amari Valerio-Hudson (undisclosed), LB Eli Lee (undisclosed), OL Jaxon Powell (undisclosed), TE Maxence LeBlanc (undisclosed); QUESTIONABLE: WR Brandon Inniss (undisclosed), CB Jay Timmons (undisclosed).
What’s at stake? USC suffered a major blow to its College Football Playoff chances with last weekend’s loss to unranked Wisconsin. The loss also knocked them out of the AP Top 25 rankings and had many questioning if head coach Lincoln Riley is the right fit for USC. The Trojans will have to rebuild their reputation after that loss and show that it was just a one-off. Ohio State is one of two remaining teams unbeaten in Big Ten play – alongside No. 7 UCLA – and wants to preserve that zero to get closer to an automatic CFP berth.
Who’s better? Ohio State. The only loss the Buckeyes gave up this season was to No. 4 Texas, and they’ve otherwise outscored opponents by an average of nearly 26 points. USC has plenty of talent, but its core is still young and inexperienced compared to what Ohio State has going.
Matchup to watch: USC’s secondary vs. Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The Trojans’ passing defense has been relatively weak this season, allowing 8.1 yards per completion, and will face their biggest challenge of the season in the Heisman Trophy frontrunner. Watch for safety Prophet Brown to hover over Smith and combine with other players for double coverage on him.
USC wins if: The Trojans will need to learn from last week’s Wisconsin debacle and prioritize stopping the run. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has not announced who the starting quarterback will be in place of the injured Julian Sayin, but regardless of whether it’s freshman Luke Fahey from Mission Viejo High or sophomore Tavien St. Clair, it’ll be someone’s first college start. That means the Buckeyes will likely focus on establishing a strong rushing presence to make it easier on their inexperienced signal caller.
Prediction: Ohio State 35, USC 21. The Trojans will look much better than last weekend but will still be outmatched by the Buckeyes.