Ohio State’s Oct. 31 trip to USC is getting the primetime treatment.
The Big Ten announced Monday that the Buckeyes-Trojans matchup will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET and air on NBC. That means Luke Fahey’s first start will come under the lights, even if it won’t count as a true night game in Los Angeles - the opening whistle will come at 4:30 p.m. local time.
The Halloween slate is set
- Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 19, 2026
It will be Ohio State’s first appearance on NBC this season, while USC is slated to be on the network for the fifth straight week.
The setup also adds a layer of intrigue around the matchup. Fahey, a true freshman from Southern California, is in line to make his first career start against his hometown team after Julian Sayin went down with an injury against Indiana.
The Buckeyes’ visit to USC could be their fourth game against a ranked opponent this season, depending on whether the Trojans beat Wisconsin this week. USC is currently No. 16 in the AP Top 25.
Ohio State will be heading to the L.A. Coliseum for the first time since 2008, when it lost 35-3 to USC.
The teams also haven’t met since the Trojans joined the Big Ten. Their most recent meeting came in the 2017 Cotton Bowl, a 27-21 Ohio State win.
The Buckeyes are on a bye this weekend, their only regular-season off week, before making the trip west.
In Other News...
Ohio State Just Entered A Quarterback Debate Nobody Wanted
Ohio State was already navigating the usual late-season pressure when Julian Sayin went down against Indiana, and now the Buckeyes have an unexpected quarterback conversation on their hands. The injury to the starting quarterback adds a jolt of uncertainty at a position Ohio State had hoped to keep settled, with coach Ryan Day needing to sort through a depth chart that suddenly looks a lot thinner than it did a week ago.
Luke Fahey stepped in after Sayin exited the game, but his performance left enough questions to keep the job open. Tavien St. Clair is waiting in the wings as one of the most highly regarded young quarterbacks on the roster, and the Buckeyes may now have to lean on a pair of freshmen sooner than anyone expected while Sayin works his way back. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Recruiting Pipeline Looks Even Stronger Than Fans Realize
Ohio States recruiting machine is already rolling well beyond the usual horizon, with the Buckeyes sitting on 20 verbal commitments in the 2027 class alone. That group includes six national top 100 prospects and the countrys No. 1 overall player, DJ Jacobs, a sign that the programs future roster construction is moving at a pace most schools cannot match.
The pipeline does not stop there, either. The 2028 class already features five commitments, four of them nationally ranked and headlined by quarterback Christopher Vargas, while the 2029 class has a commitment in wide receiver Austin Miller, who is ranked No. 50 nationally. For a staff trying to keep the Buckeyes stocked across multiple cycles, the early breadth is impressive enough, but the next question is how long this momentum can keep building. [Read more 🡒]
Indianas Playoff Picture Just Got More Complicated After AP Chaos
A wild upset weekend around college football has turned the playoff race into a moving target, and Ohio State is right in the middle of the ripple effects. Several top-ranked teams fell, including No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Notre Dame, creating a fresh scramble near the top of the AP rankings even though USC was idle and did not have to spend the weekend on the field.
The Trojans still picked up a little from the chaos, climbing to No. 17 in the AP Top 25, but the bigger question is whether they can turn that position into a real playoff push. Oddsmakers still view USC as a long shot at +425 to make the College Football Playoff, and the road ahead runs straight through opponents like Ohio State and Indiana, the kind of games that could either validate the buzz or leave the picture just as murky. [Read more 🡒]