Ohio State vs. USC prediction, pick, odds, spread: Short-handed Buckeyes look to avoid road trap

Ohio State starts its life without Julian Sayin on the road against a wounded USC team backed into a corner Oct 29, 2026 at 4:01 pm ET • 2 min read No. 2 Ohio State and USC are not strangers. They have met 24 times in their history, though a lot of those meetings have come in bowl games. In fact, they have played nearly as many games against one another in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl (7) as they have in Los Angeles at the Coliseum (8).What they have not done, however, is face each other as conference mates. Their last meeting came in the 2017 Cotton Bowl. Prior to that, they hadn't played since the 2009 season. It took until USC's third season as a Big Ten member for the two to appear on each other's schedules, but this Saturday night the wait will end.And it's a game that got a lot more intriguing in recent weeks. USC enters the game unranked for the first time all season following a 17-7 loss at Wisconsin last week. While Ohio State remains second in the AP Top 25, this will be the team's first game since losing starting quarterback Julian Sayin, who was knocked out of their 19-15 win over Indiana.Ohio State vs. USC: Need to know This will be Luke Fahey's first career start: On the surface, giving your quarterback his first career start on the road is not an ideal situation, but it's one Ohio State has had success with before. In 2001, Craig Krenzel started his first game on the road against Michigan of all teams, and Ohio State won that game 26-20. In 2013, it was Kenny Guiton winning his first start at Cal, and in 2021, CJ Stroud won his first start at Minnesota. There's a lot on the line for Jeremiah Smith: Smith is the best receiver in the country and is already Ohio State's all-time leader in career receptions, yards, and touchdowns, just to name a few stats. He's also the clear favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, but this will be his first start with Fahey as well. It's safe to assume Smith will be Fahey's preferred target, but it remains to be seen whether he can maintain the same level of production and how that may impact his Heisman chances. USC is 9-2 at home in Big Ten games since joining the league: I started with the good part. The bad news is that the Trojans are only 1-2 at home in Big Ten games against ranked opponents. They're 5-14 overall against ranked teams under Lincoln Riley, and Jayden Maiava is 1-5 as a starter against them. The lone win came last season at home against Michigan.Where to watch Ohio State vs. USC live Date: Saturday, October 31 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum -- Los Angeles, CA TV: NBC | Live stream: Fubo (try free)Ohio State vs. USC prediction, picks I have a tough time asking Ohio State to go on the road and cover a touchdown with a first-time starter at QB, so I'm avoiding the spread altogether. The smarter play is to attack the total. It's safe to assume Ohio State's offense will struggle a bit, and they'll probably lean on the run game a lot more to take pressure off Fahey. We've also seen USC's offense struggle in games against ranked opponents. Pick: Under 51.5 SportsLine's proven computer model has simulated every Week 9 college football game 10,000 times. Visit SportsLine now to see the picks, all from the model that's on a 68-59 run on top-rated CFB picks this season.