College football’s weekly chaos machine was in full effect in Week 9, and the biggest jolt came at the Coliseum, where USC took down No. 2 Ohio State, 30-18.
That wasn’t just a marquee win - it was the kind Lincoln Riley had been chasing since he arrived. After five seasons, he finally got his signature moment at USC.
Riley had spent the year insisting the Trojans had the kind of roster that could go toe-to-toe with the sport’s best. On Saturday, they backed it up.
USC came out with an early offensive burst and paired it with an aggressive defensive front, turning one of the season’s biggest stages into a statement win. Ohio State’s defense didn’t help matters, and the Buckeyes were also starting backup quarterback Luke Fahey in his first career start.
Still, this was the sort of result USC needed if it wants to make a College Football Playoff push - and the sort of win Riley needed after a stretch in which the biggest games had slipped away.
Indiana, meanwhile, keeps living on the edge and somehow keeps surviving. For the second straight week, the Hoosiers needed overtime to put away an overmatched opponent, this time against Minnesota after doing the same against Michigan.
The offense has been stuck in neutral, and that has been a theme beyond just those two games. Nebraska and Ohio State also saw the Hoosiers struggle to get much going.
When healthy, Josh Hoover was nowhere near the quarterback that Fernando Mendoza was. When hurt, it was even worse.
That helped explain why Curt Cignetti turned to backup quarterback Grant Wilson in the second half on Saturday.
The defense continues to give Indiana a floor, and that alone keeps the Hoosiers in every game. But the offense looks far less comfortable than it did a year ago.
Even so, the results keep coming. Winning is a skill, and Cignetti keeps proving he has it.
Georgia’s defense also looked every bit like Georgia’s defense. Florida coughed up four turnovers and managed just 1.9 yards per carry, which lines up nicely with the fact that this is the SEC’s No. 1 scoring defense.
And yes, the kickers had a day. College football’s specialists delivered one of those weekends that makes the #collegekickers crowd feel very seen.
Minnesota’s Luke Drzewiecki drilled a career-long 60-yarder at the end of regulation in Bloomington, and Indiana’s Paddy McAteer answered with a 60-yarder of his own to force overtime. USC added a 54-yard field goal, and Missouri chipped in a 53-yarder.
Not bad for a sport that usually treats long kicks like a coin flip.
The bigger picture in the Big Ten is just as messy. Iowa lost to Minnesota a week ago, then turned around and blanked Wisconsin, which had blown out USC the week before.
USC then went and stunned Ohio State. Northwestern, one of the season’s surprise teams, looked like it had a path to the CFP before blowing a 14-point lead in Eugene and losing to a reeling Oregon team.
Indiana has been shaky in almost every outing, while Michigan and Penn State are slogging through disappointing seasons under new head coaches. Right now, the conference feels wide open - and hard to trust.
In Other News...
Ohio States Bigger Problem In Los Angeles Was Never The Freshman QB
Ohio States trip to Los Angeles quickly became less about a true freshman quarterback making his first real imprint and more about a team that kept tripping over its own mistakes. Luke Fahey did enough to keep the offense moving in the first half, completing 8 of 15 passes for 86 yards, and the coaching staff clearly trusted him to handle the job despite his inexperience. But by halftime, USC had built a 20-6 lead, and the bigger issues were showing up everywhere else.
Missed tackles, penalties, special teams problems and defensive miscommunications all helped put Ohio State in a hole before the game could settle in. Fahey was not the reason the Buckeyes were chasing the scoreboard, and the way the first half unfolded made that plain. The more pressing concern for Ohio State was how many different areas were breaking down at once, leaving the freshman quarterback to absorb blame he never really owned. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Bigger Problem Than One Road Loss
A road loss in Los Angeles already had Ohio State dealing with the usual fallout from a stumble away from home, but the bigger issue was how USC controlled the game from start to finish. The Trojans held the No. 2 Buckeyes to one touchdown, and Ohio State never found much rhythm with backup quarterback Luke Fahey under constant pressure from a USC defense that stacked up tackles for loss and sacks.
The Buckeyes also had no answer for the explosive play that tilted the night, with Mark Bowman ripping off a 70-yard catch-and-run that helped put USC in position to finish the job. It was a statement win for Lincoln Riley, his first top-five victory with the Trojans, and for Ohio State it leaves a lot more to sort through than just the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Added More Fuel To Ohio States Ugly Night
USCs 30-18 win over Ohio State was already the kind of result that left a mark, but Lincoln Riley added another layer to the night in the aftermath. In his postgame press conference, the Trojans coach leaned into the idea that the satisfaction came from inside the building, not from outside approval, a fitting tone after a victory that sent Ohio State back to Columbus with plenty to sort through.
The scene around the tunnel at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was less polished. Riley and his family ran into a bottleneck on the way out, and the moment escalated into a verbal exchange in which Riley reportedly directed profanity at Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork and other staff members. Former Buckeye Maurice Clarett stepped in to try to calm things down, a reminder that even after the final whistle, the emotions from a game like this can linger well beyond the field. [Read more 🡒]