The second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) will face the USC Trojans (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) on Saturday night at the Los Angeles Coliseum, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. Ohio State enters on a five-game winning streak after a 19-15 victory at Indiana on Oct. 17, while USC lost 24-7 at Wisconsin in Week 8.
The Buckeyes are 6.5-point favorites with an over/under of 50.5 points, down from an opening total of 55.5. Ohio State is 5-2 against the spread this season, while USC is 2-6. The SportsLine Projection Model, which entered Week 9 on a 68-59 run on top-rated college football picks, projects the game to go over the total after simulating the matchup 10,000 times.
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 for over 235 yards and one touchdown, with a combined 51 points expected. The model also indicates one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations.
