USC walks into Saturday with the kind of chance teams circle on the calendar. The Trojans are staring down No. 2 Ohio State, and with two losses already on the ledger, this is the biggest opening yet for a win that would be hard for the College Football Playoff committee to shrug off.
The timing only adds to the pressure. This is the first game in USC’s final four, and the stretch ahead is brutal: home against Ohio State, then a road trip to No.
4 Indiana, before finishing the regular season with Maryland and No. 7 UCLA.
ESPN’s College Football Power Index ranks it as the second-toughest remaining schedule in the country. What happens over the next month could decide whether USC is still in the playoff conversation at the end.
That urgency is part of why the Trojans need a clean response after the loss at Wisconsin. They come home needing to steady themselves, tighten up, and show they can handle one of the country’s best teams with everything on the line. Ohio State, despite the ranking gap, is only a seven-point road favorite according to DraftKings.
One of the biggest twists in this matchup is Ohio State’s quarterback situation. Julian Sayin is out indefinitely after getting hurt against Indiana, and true freshman Luke Fahey is a possible replacement.
Sayin has put up 2,007 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions this season, while completing 68.2 percent of his throws with a 184.5 passer rating. That production is not easy to replace, especially against a USC defense trying to rebound from a messy day against Wisconsin.
Still, the headline challenge for USC is obvious: Jeremiah Smith. Ohio State’s receiver has been a nightmare for defenses all season, hauling in 52 catches for 984 yards and 12 touchdowns in seven games. He’s averaging 140.6 receiving yards per game and 18.9 yards per catch, numbers that make him the most dangerous weapon in this game by a mile.
USC does have pieces in the secondary who can make life harder. Safety Prophet Brown has 16 total tackles and two interceptions, including a 99-yard pick-six.
Kennedy Urlacher has added 23 total tackles and three sacks. If the Trojans are going to keep Ohio State’s passing game from taking over, those two figures loom large.
Bold prediction: USC holds Jeremiah Smith under 70 receiving yards.
Jayden Maiava gets his own difficult test against a defense that has been stingy through the air. Ohio State is allowing just 171.4 passing yards per game and holding quarterbacks to a 52.6 percent completion rate. That’s a tough ask for any offense, but Maiava has shown enough this season to suggest USC can still generate points through the passing game.
He has thrown for more than 2,300 yards this year, and even in the Wisconsin loss he went 31 of 50 for 258 yards and a touchdown. That came in a game where USC finished with minus-17 rushing yards, leaving the offense heavily dependent on his arm. He still nearly reached 260 passing yards anyway.
If USC is going to keep pace, Maiava likely has to top that number. Another heavy passing workload could push him past 275 yards and give the Trojans a better chance to hang around late.
Bold prediction: Jayden Maiava throws for more than 275 yards and accounts for two touchdowns.
The spread says Ohio State should win by about a touchdown, but USC has a path to making this much tighter. The Buckeyes’ quarterback uncertainty gives the Trojans a crack, and playing at home gives them something to lean on after the Wisconsin loss. If USC cleans up its mistakes and gets a strong outing from Maiava, the seven-point number is within reach.
Bold prediction: USC covers the seven-point spread, with an outright upset remaining in play.
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JuJu Watkins And USC Hoops Are Giving Trojans Fans Something Football Can't
While USC football was slogging through a loss to Wisconsin that included negative 17 rushing yards, the mood around campus got a much-needed lift from the Galen Center. The womens basketball teams exhibition win over UC Berkeley offered a sharper, brighter preview of what could be ahead, with Saniyah Hall, Jazzy Davidson and JuJu Watkins all drawing attention in front of a strong fan turnout.
For Trojans fans, it was the kind of contrast that stings and soothes at the same time. Football is still searching for answers after one of its roughest offensive nights in years, but the womens program is giving the fan base something different to believe in, and the early signs suggest this group can carry real momentum well into the season. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Suddenly Enters The Lincoln Riley Coaching Carousel Talk
Lincoln Rileys name has barely had time to settle into the USC conversation before the next round of coaching carousel chatter began, and this one reaches well beyond Los Angeles. After the Trojans recent loss and an uneven stretch that has raised questions about the direction of the program, Riley is suddenly being mentioned in connection with Big 12 openings, including Baylor and TCU, even as USC sits at 6-2 and still has plenty left in front of it.
For USC, the timing is what makes the speculation feel especially uneasy. The Trojans still have a demanding finish ahead, including a key matchup with Ohio State, and the outcomes there could shape how the season is remembered and how much noise follows Riley into the winter. Insiders have pointed to prior interest and the possibility of change depending on what happens next, which is enough to keep this story alive even before any real decision is on the table. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Just Raised The Stakes On USCs Brutal Stretch
After a rough run and a growing sense of urgency around the program, Lincoln Riley made it clear he still sees USC moving in the right direction. The Trojans have not had the kind of recent results anyone around the program wanted, and the path to the College Football Playoff has been tougher than expected, but Riley pointed to the foundation being built under his watch, from a top recruiting class to upgraded facilities.
Jen Cohens arrival as athletic director has also given Riley another important layer of support as USC tries to steady itself through a punishing stretch on the schedule. The next run of games will tell a lot about how far the Trojans have come, because it is coming against ranked Big Ten opponents and will test both the roster and the coachs belief that the progress behind the scenes is starting to show up where it matters most. [Read more 🡒]