The second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will aim to remain unbeaten in Big Ten play when they face the USC Trojans on Saturday night at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Ohio State (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) enters on a five-game winning streak after a 19-15 victory at Indiana on Oct. 17. The Buckeyes are 2-1 on the road this season. USC (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) dropped a 24-7 decision at Wisconsin in Week 8 and sits seventh in the conference standings, though the Trojans are 4-1 at home in 2026.
Series History
USC leads the all-time series 13-10-1, but Ohio State won the most recent meeting 24-7 at the 2017 Cotton Bowl.
Betting Odds
Ohio State is a 6.5-point favorite with an over/under of 50.5 points, down from an opening total of 55.5. The Buckeyes are 5-2 against the spread this season, while USC is 2-6.
Model Projections
The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates each FBS game 10,000 times, projects the game to go over the 50.5-point total. The over has hit in three of Ohio State's last five games and five of USC's last nine. Ohio State leads the conference in scoring at 39.3 points per game; USC averages 32.8 points per game, seventh in the Big Ten.
The model forecasts Ohio State quarterback Luke Fahey, a true freshman starting in place of the injured Julian Sayin, to throw for 270 yards and two touchdowns. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava is projected to pass for over 235 yards and one touchdown. The simulation yields 51 combined points, with the over hitting in 51% of simulations. The model also indicates one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations, with that pick available via SportsLine.
The model entered Week 9 on a 68-59 run on top-rated college football picks, returning nearly $400 for $100 players.
