Ohio State and USC have spent years carrying marquee-game weight, and now the matchup arrives with a new layer after USC’s move into the Big Ten. On Halloween, the setting only sharpens the spotlight.
The biggest question for Ohio State sits right under center. Luke Fahey stepped in for Julian Sayin after the injury against Indiana, but Tavien St.
Clair has the skills to potentially grab the job now. The bye week gave both quarterbacks time to work with the first team, and either one would be making his first collegiate start on the road.
That alone gives the Buckeyes a very different look on offense.
Sayin’s return to the sideline against Indiana in a sling is still the moment that frames this trip. The Buckeyes have not won a regular-season game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since then, and in 2026 they are trying to end that drought.
Ohio State has beaten USC plenty of times since that last regular-season win, including games at Ohio Stadium and in the Rose Bowl. The most recent victory in the series came in the 2017 Cotton Bowl, when the Buckeyes beat the Trojans 24-7.
There is plenty riding on the result beyond the rivalry feel. Ohio State moved up one spot to No. 2 in this week’s AP Poll, and a loss would leave the Buckeyes with two defeats on the season. That could push them outside the top 12 and hurt their chances of reaching the Big Ten Championship Game for the second straight year.
For a program where Michigan and a national title usually define the season, that creates an uncomfortable question: could this be a year when only one of those goals happens?
Jeremiah Smith is another major piece of the puzzle. He has been breaking records all season and entered the year at the top of the Heisman conversation. But the quarterback change matters here, because Smith’s connection with Sayin has been a huge part of Ohio State’s success.
Now the Buckeyes have to find out whether that chemistry carries over with Fahey or St. Clair.
Indiana offered a blueprint for slowing Smith down, so Ohio State may need to adjust how it gets him involved. Even with the change behind center, Smith will still be chasing history against USC.
On the other sideline, Lincoln Riley is staring at a defining moment of his USC tenure. Hired in 2021 to push the Trojans back to the top, he has not yet found the statement win that has been hanging over the program. Since USC joined the Big Ten in 2024, the Trojans have had a hard time being truly competitive in the conference.
If USC can beat Ohio State, the rest of the college football world would have to look at the Trojans differently. Riley has been waiting for that kind of breakthrough, and Halloween could finally deliver it.
In Other News...
Ohio State Could Revisit A Familiar Ole Miss Transfer Path
The transfer pipeline from Oxford to Columbus has already worked once for Ohio State, and it could be a path worth watching again if Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy decides his future is elsewhere. Quinshon Judkins made the jump from Ole Miss to Ohio State in 2023 and quickly became part of the Buckeyes productive backfield rotation, giving the program a clear example of how a proven SEC runner can fit into its system.
Lacys shoulder injury has only added more uncertainty around his next move, with speculation swirling about whether he could eventually enter the transfer portal or even look toward the NFL Draft. For Ohio State, the interest is obvious if he becomes available, but for now it remains just that, a possibility rather than a pursuit, with the Buckeyes and everyone else waiting to see how his situation unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Got A New Warning About USC Trip
USCs offense hit an unusual wall against Wisconsin, and that should at least sharpen Ohio States attention ahead of its trip west. In a loss that doubled as the lowest-scoring outing of the Lincoln Riley era, the Trojans were held to seven points and 241 total yards, with Wisconsin making a clear point of attacking the run game first and then getting after quarterback Jayden Maiava.
For Ohio State, the lesson is less about copying Wisconsin and more about seeing a workable blueprint. USC still has the pieces to stress a defense in a hurry, but when the running game gets bogged down and Maiava feels pressure, the whole operation can stall. That gives the Buckeyes a useful warning before they walk into the matchup, because stopping the early rhythm may matter just as much as dealing with the explosive plays everyone expects. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Heads To USC With Two Defensive Questions Lingering
Ohio States trip to USC is arriving with a familiar kind of October tension: a big road test, a short turnaround and a growing injury list after the Buckeyes win over Indiana. The latest concern on offense is Julian Sayin, whose injury appears likely to end his season, but the defensive side is carrying its own uncertainty as Ryan Day tries to sort out who will be available in Los Angeles.
Jay Timmons and Kenyatta Jackson are the names that now hang over the matchup, with Day offering only an update that leaves their status up in the air. For a Buckeyes team that is still trying to keep its focus on the next opponent, the timing matters because USC is the kind of game where every available body on defense matters, and Ohio State may not know its full plan until later in the week. [Read more 🡒]