Once upon a time, Ohio State versus USC was one of college football’s premier matchups. The Buckeyes and the Trojans were two of the best teams in college football, consistently competing at the top of their respective conferences and for national championships.
Now that both teams are in the Big Ten, Ohio State and USC meet on Saturday for the first time as conference opponents.
The Scarlet and Gray remain among the country’s best programs. Two years ago, they won the national championship and were in the College Football Playoff again last year. This year, Ohio State is 6-1 overall, 4-0 in Big Ten play, and the No. 2 team in the country. The lone Buckeye loss came by one point at Texas, and the Scarlet and Gray have two ranked wins.
Things have not gone as well for USC.
The Trojans have had just five 10-win seasons in the past 15 years and only one under current head coach Lincoln Riley. Despite the resources, USC has yet to make the Playoff and has had just one New Year’s Six bowl under Riley.
So far this season, the Trojans are 6-2 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten play. After a 4-0 start, USC has gone 2-2 over its last four games, with losses at home to Oregon and at Wisconsin, and wins over Washington at home and Penn State on the road. Following the loss to the Badgers, the Trojans fell out of the AP Poll rankings for the first time this season.
Despite being on the road without its starting quarterback, Ohio State is favored by the oddsmakers on Saturday. Heading into the weekend, the Buckeyes are 6.5-point favorites over USC.
As we do every week, we ask Bucknuts readers whether they’re betting on the Buckeyes to cover the spread.
What you need to know
Despite having plenty of talent, offensive coordinator Luke Huard has struggled to elevate the Trojan offense to an elite level. The Men of Troy rank No. 35 nationally in total offense (434.5 yards per game) and No. 44 in scoring offense (32.8 points per game).
USC’s offense is led by fifth-year quarterback Jayden Maiava, who has completed 66.8 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,302 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. Joining Maiava in the backfield is often junior running back King Miller, who has 125 carries for 602 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Maiava’s top target this year is freshman Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. The wide receiver has caught 32 passes for 443 yards and four touchdowns. Right behind Dixon-Wyatt is freshman Trent Mosley, who has 27 receptions for 411 yards and five touchdowns.
This offseason, the Trojans hired Gary Patterson to help fix the defense. It has not happened quickly, as USC ranks No. 46 in total defense (331.3 yards allowed per game) and No. 77 in scoring defense (allowing 25 points per game).
Senior safety Christian Pierce and senior linebacker Deven Bryant lead the defense with 44 total tackles each. Freshman defensive end Luke Wafle has a team-best 7.5 tackles for loss and is tied with junior safety Kennedy Urlacher for the team lead in sacks with three. Fifth-year safety Prophet Brown has the most passes defended (3) and interceptions (2) on the Trojan defense.
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Now that you know more about USC, are you picking the Buckeyes or the Trojans in this matchup?
Ohio State and USC will kick off just after 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.