Ohio State is headed to the Coliseum, and USC’s path to an upset comes down to three very specific demands from Lincoln Riley’s team.
No. 2 Ohio State arrives in Los Angeles still carrying national championship expectations, even with the injury to quarterback Julian Sayin.
USC, meanwhile, is trying to keep its College Football Playoffs hopes alive. For the Trojans, this one is going to be about matching up with a physical Buckeyes team and doing enough on both sides of the ball to stay in the game.
The first priority is simple: USC has to run the ball better. The Trojans were pushed around up front in Madison, and that has to change at home.
USC is averaging only 3.87 yards per carry, which is not even top-100 nationally, while Ohio State is giving up just 3.11 yards per carry, good for top-20 in FBS. If USC wants a real chance, it has to win at the line of scrimmage and stack up some hard-earned yards on the ground.
The second key falls on the defense, and it starts with making life difficult for Ohio State’s new quarterback. The Buckeyes will start a new quarterback on Saturday, and USC has to take advantage of that.
Ohio State’s offense is scoring 3.49 points per drive, which ranks No. 7 in FBS, while USC’s defense is allowing 2.51 yards per drive, good for No. 92 in the country. The median FBS defense allows about 2.2 yards per drive, so the Trojans need an above-average effort and have to keep true freshman quarterback Luke Fahey from settling in.
Then there’s the scoreboard. USC needs at least 21 points to have a shot.
Ohio State has allowed more than 20 points only once this season, when Texas scored 24 in the Buckeyes’ loss. That means the Trojans are not likely to win this one by hanging around in the teens.
If they want to beat Ohio State, they need to get to at least three touchdowns and make the Buckeyes earn every bit of it.
In Other News...
Ohio State Just Got A New Recruiting Concern After USC Upset
USCs upset of Ohio State did more than shake up the scoreboard at the Coliseum. It also gave the Trojans a jolt on the recruiting trail, with fans and 2028 running back prospect Malaki Davis joining the field rush after the game and leaving with a vivid first impression of the programs energy and atmosphere.
Davis, who spent time around the celebration and interacted with USC legend Marcus Allen, came away clearly enthused about the Trojans. The moment also arrived as Lincoln Riley tried to quiet outside noise about his future, issuing a handwritten statement to reinforce his commitment to USC, adding another layer to a night that could resonate well beyond one win. [Read more 🡒]
USC Just Got National Validation For Its Biggest Win Yet
The win over No. 2 Ohio State is still resonating well beyond Los Angeles, and now it has brought USC another round of national recognition. The Football Writers Association of America named the Trojans the Pop-Tarts Bowl Crazy Good Team of the Week after the 30-18 upset on Oct. 31, a result that pushed USC to 7-2 and back into the AP Top 25 at No. 18.
It is a notable honor for a program that has been waiting a long time for this kind of weekly spotlight. This is USCs fifth selection for the award, and its first since 2013, which says plenty about how rare this sort of validation has been even in seasons when the Trojans have had big moments. After beating one of the sports premier teams, they have at least earned a fresh national platform, with the bigger question now being how much staying power that performance will have. [Read more 🡒]
USC Just Made Its Biggest November Question A Lot More Interesting
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Ohio State still moved the ball on the ground, finishing with 204 rushing yards, but USCs defense tightened when it mattered most and held the Buckeyes to just one red-zone touchdown. For a team trying to sort out its November ceiling, that kind of response is what makes the conversation around the Trojans suddenly a lot more interesting. [Read more 🡒]