Just two weeks before USC is set to welcome Ohio State to the Coliseum on Halloween weekend, the Trojans’ showdown with the Buckeyes has taken on a different look. Ohio State will likely be without starting quarterback Julian Sayin after he was injured late in Saturday’s top-five matchup against No. 5 Indiana.
Sayin went down on a fourth-quarter sack and did not return. Indiana’s Mario Landino brought him down in the decisive period, and Sayin was taken back to the Buckeyes’ locker room by the training staff with his right throwing arm dangling at his side. He later came back to the sideline wearing an arm sling on his right shoulder.
Freshman Luke Fahey took over from there and finished the game, but he only attempted two passes and both were incomplete.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day later said Sayin will miss multiple weeks because of the injury to his right throwing shoulder, which puts Fahey in line to make his first career start against USC.
Fahey, a former four-star recruit from Mission Viejo, Calif., has already seen limited action in mop-up duty this season. Against Ball State and Kent State, he completed a little over 80 percent of his passes and threw two touchdowns and two interceptions. With those Golden State ties, it’s likely that a number of his friends and family will be in the building when he faces the Trojans.
Ohio State gets a bye week after its 19-15 win over Indiana, and that extra time should give Day a chance to get Fahey ready before the trip to Los Angeles. It will be the Buckeyes’ first game in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since 2008.
USC still has to clear one hurdle first, though. The Trojans head to Wisconsin next week before coming home for Ohio State, and a road win in Madison would only sharpen the momentum they carry into Halloween.
The quarterback change also gives USC defensive coordinator Gary Patterson a new wrinkle to attack. If the Trojans can get pressure on Fahey, that could also help keep Ohio State star receiver Jeremiah Smith from taking over the game. And if Day leans on the Buckeyes’ strong running game, USC will need to hold up there too.
That all sets up a major test for the Trojans, who have the toughest opponent left on their schedule. Sayin’s injury changes the conversation, but the question remains: can USC upset an AP Top five team at home? The Trojans have never done that under Riley, and Halloween offers them a chance to change it.
A win over Ohio State could also reshape the bigger picture for USC and push the Trojans into the College Football Playoff conversation.
In Other News...
USCs Midseason TV Numbers Say A Lot About This Team
USCs first half of the season has played out under an unusually bright national spotlight, and the Nielsen numbers help explain why. The Trojans have already been part of a handful of heavily watched games, including a Pac-12 rivalry matchup on NBC that drew the biggest audience of the group. Along the way, the TV ratings have mirrored the bigger storyline around this team: when USC is involved, people tend to tune in, whether it is for the brand, the stakes, or the chance to see how the Trojans handle a big-stage opponent.
The midseason viewership snapshot also offers a reminder of how often USC has been in games that carried real national interest, with key performances and defining moments helping drive those audiences. It is the kind of exposure that comes with being one of college footballs most recognizable programs, and it will only matter more as the schedule moves deeper into the year. The broader ratings picture is still taking shape, with more games ahead and other programs, including Wisconsin, showing their own audience draws in the same tracking. [Read more 🡒]
USC Just Sent A Clear Message About Lincoln Rileys Future
USC president Beong-Soo Kim made it clear the school is looking at the football program through the lens of the season in front of it, not the price tag attached to Lincoln Rileys contract. With Wisconsin next on the schedule and a difficult stretch still ahead, the message from the top is to shut out the outside chatter and stay focused on the only thing that can change the conversation: winning.
It is an understandable stance for a team still trying to steady itself in a season with plenty of noise around it. The Trojans have ranked opponents looming and the usual championship and playoff talk hanging over the program, but Kims comments suggest USC is not interested in letting speculation about Rileys future drive the story right now. Instead, the coming weeks will be about performance, not panic, and whether the Trojans can play their way into a better place. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Bye Week Could Still Bring A Rankings Boost
USCs week 7 bye comes at a good time, even after the Trojans already grabbed a major win over Penn State. At No. 19, they are still sitting in the part of the rankings where every result around them matters, and this weekend offers a chance for movement without USC having to take the field. The ripple effects could start quickly, with several teams above and near the Trojans carrying uncertainty into the next round of games.
Texas, Florida, UCLA, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Missouri all have situations worth watching, and a few quarterback injuries could end up shaping the bracket of the poll more than anyone expected. If some of those teams stumble, USC could climb simply by holding steady during the bye, which makes this one of those quiet weeks that could still matter a lot in November-style ranking math. [Read more 🡒]