No. 11 Ohio State came out of the Coliseum with another road loss and another ugly reminder that yardage alone doesn’t win games. The Buckeyes fell 30-10 to USC, and the result never really felt in doubt after the Trojans struck two plays into the game.
Ohio State had two weeks to get ready, but the break didn’t translate into a cleaner performance. The Scarlet and Gray were already in a hole early, then spent the rest of the afternoon trying to climb out of it against a USC team that had just come off its worst showing of the season at Wisconsin and dropped out of the AP and Coaches Polls.
Even so, the Buckeyes were still hanging around at halftime. They hadn’t found the end zone in the first half, but they were only down 11.
That was about as close as it got. The second half belonged to the home crowd, and Ohio State never found the answers on either side of the ball.
On offense, the final grade lands at a C, and the number that jumps off the page is 464 total yards. That kind of production should be enough to win more often than not, but the Buckeyes only turned it into 18 points and repeatedly stalled in the red zone.
Luke Fahey was thrown into the fire for his first career start after Julian Sayin’s injury against Indiana, and he wasn’t the reason Ohio State lost. The freshman completed 21 of 38 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown.
He missed some throws, including a wide-open Devin McCuin on a deep shot that would have gone for six, and he also failed to spot open receivers on other plays. There were drops around him too, which only made the job harder.
For a first start in a tough road setting, Fahey handled the game as well as he could. The bigger issue was that the Buckeyes couldn’t finish drives, couldn’t get enough stops, and couldn’t keep USC from taking control once the game settled in.
In Other News...
Ohio States CFP Ranking Just Reignited A Frustrating Committee Debate
The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2026 immediately stirred up the kind of familiar arguments that seem to arrive every November, and Ohio State fans know the drill well enough by now. Miami landed at No. 1, followed by Georgia, Utah, Indiana and Alabama, but the order raised fresh questions about how the committee is weighing head-to-head results, strength of schedule and the value of unbeaten records in a crowded field.
Hunter Yurachek tried to walk through the committees thinking, but the explanations only sharpened the debate around several placements, especially UCLA sitting behind teams with losses and Utah climbing so high with just one ranked win. For Ohio State, the broader concern is less about one specific slot than the same old uncertainty about what the rankings are really rewarding, and whether the committees logic will hold once the bracket starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Has A Legit CFP Ranking Complaint After First Bracket
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2026 season immediately stirred the usual arguments, with Alabama landing in the top five despite a mixed record against ranked opponents and Notre Dame showing up lower than it did in the AP poll. The committee also drew attention for the way it handled strength of schedule, a familiar flashpoint this time of year, and it did not take long for the Buckeyes to have a reason to feel slighted.
Hunter Yurachek said the committee did not consider Ohio States head-to-head win over Indiana when it made its first bracket. For a program that has spent the early part of the season trying to stack rsum points against quality competition, that omission stands out, especially when the rankings are already inviting scrutiny elsewhere. Ohio State may not love the opening picture, and this is the kind of detail that tends to linger until the committee explains itself a little more fully. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Explains Tense Ohio State Exchange After USC Statement Win
USCs 30-18 win over Ohio State ended with a little more edge than the scoreboard alone suggested, as Trojans coach Lincoln Riley and Buckeyes athletic director Ross Bjork had a brief verbal exchange on the field afterward. Riley was asked about it later and downplayed the moment, saying it was simply part of the emotions that spill over after a game like that and that the two moved past it quickly.
For Ohio State, the exchange was a small postgame footnote to an outcome that already stung, but it still drew attention because it happened in plain view after a high-profile nonconference matchup. Riley did not get into what started it, leaving the specifics out of reach even as he tried to brush off any bigger meaning from the scene. [Read more 🡒]