Ohio State vs. USC has always been a marquee matchup no matter what time of the year they played. Now that USC is in the BIG Ten it becomes an even bigger matchup.
Here are five key storylines for this weekends spooky matchup on Halloween:
1. Ohio State's Quarterback Situation
Luke Fahey was the quarterback who replaced Julian Sayin after his injury against Indiana, but Tavien St. Clair has the. skills to potentially now take that spot. They had a bye week heading into this matchup so both quarterbacks had time to run with the first team.
No matter which one of them starts; it will be a very different look for the Ohio State offense as both of them would be making their first collegiate start on the road.
This is the one big storyline everyone has been watching since Sayin returned to the sideline against Indiana in a sling
2. Ohio State has not won at USC in decades
Oct. 5 1946.
That was the last time the Buckeyes won at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the regular season. Still in 2026 the Buckeyes are looking to break the curse and end the drought.
The Buckeyes have defeated the Trojans in that time period. Many times at Ohio Stadium during the regualr season and even in the Rose Bowl. The most recent of those victories came in the 2017 Cotton Bowl when the Buckeyes knocked off the Trojans 24-7.
3. The Buckeyes Playoff Hopes
The Buckeyes jumped up one spot in this week's AP Poll to number two in the country. What does a loss do to their playoff hopes?
It leaves the Buckeyes with two losses on the season and could potentially knock them outside of the top 12 in the rankings. It also could hurt their chances of making it to the BIG Ten Championship game for the second straight year.
Every year Buckeye fans are looking to beat Michigan and contend for a National Championship. Could this be a year where only one of those happens?
4. Jeremiah Smith's Heisman Odds
Jeremiah Smith has been setting records left and right this season. He also has been at the top of the Heisman race since the preseason. What does the quarterback change do to him chasing history?
Smith and Sayin had such a good connection and that is what led to so much success for this Ohio State offense. Does that chemistry translate to either Fahey or St. Clair?
Indiana showed a formula to shut down Smith and take him out of the picture and now there could be a shift in the gameplan for the Buckeyes. Smith will look to continue to chase history, can he do so against the Trojans?
5. USC Making a Statement Win
Lincoln Riley was hired in 2021 to try and guide the Trojans back to the mountain top. This feels like the biggest season of his tenure with USC.
Since joining the BIG Ten in 2024, the Trojans have struggled to be competitive in the conference. If they can beat the Buckeyes; the college football world could look at them differently.
Riley has been looking for a statement since becoming the head coach at USC. On Halloween, he could pick up that statement win that has been eluding him for years.
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