Wk 9 · 2026

Ohio State Buckeyes at USC Trojans — Sat, Oct 31

Sat, Oct 31 · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA

Weather

No forecast yet. This one is 19 days away and has no kickoff time yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.

#5 Ohio State Buckeyes

Big Ten · 5-1

TBDET

OSU -7.5 · total 54.5 DraftKings

Ratings differential OSU by 12.3

#19 USC Trojans

Big Ten · 6-1

What is at stake

A Big Ten game — it counts in the standings that decide that league's championship game. Run the race. Ohio State is ranked #5 (AP Top 25 · 2026-10-04). USC is ranked #19 (AP Top 25 · 2026-10-04).

What the ratings imply

The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers: The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus 2.4 points of home field. It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026 games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have changed.

Efficiency · 2026 ratings

Ohio State: +26.7#3

Efficiency margin

USC: +12.0#24

Ohio State: 44.4

Offense (pts/100)

USC: 38.9

Ohio State: 8.6

Defense (pts/100)

USC: 17.9

Ohio State: 68.7

Pace (plays/g)

USC: 69.3

Ohio State: 7.33

Yards / play

USC: 6.67

Ohio State: 4.00

Yards / play allowed

USC: 5.95

Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.

Team stats · 2026 per game

Ohio State: 42.7

Points / game

USC: 36.4

Ohio State: 13.2

Points allowed

USC: 25.1

Ohio State: 504

Yards / game

USC: 462

Ohio State: 247

Yards allowed

USC: 350

Ohio State: 151

Pass yds allowed

USC: 239

Ohio State: 96

Rush yds allowed

USC: 111

Ohio State: 1.00

Turnovers / game

USC: 0.86

From completed 2026 box scores; defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.

Ohio State form

W 45-16vs MDW 31-14at IOWAW 42-19vs ILLW 59-3vs KENTL 23-24at TEX

2026 season

USC form

W 31-23at PSUW 25-21vs WASHL 27-41vs OREW 42-35at RUTGW 49-30vs UL

2026 season

Ohio State this season

Straight up5-1 · 83% (6 games)

Against the spread4-2 · 67% (6 games)

Over / under4-2 · 67% (6 games)

USC this season

Straight up6-1 · 86% (7 games)

Against the spread2-5 · 29% (7 games)

Over / under4-3 · 57% (7 games)

Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.

Common opponents · 3

Opponent	Ohio State	USC
Maryland Big Ten	vs W 45-16 preview	vs Wk 12 · scheduled preview
Indiana Big Ten	at Wk 7 · scheduled preview	at Wk 11 · scheduled preview
Oregon Big Ten	vs Wk 10 · scheduled preview	vs L 27-41 preview

Open these two in the comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.

Series history · 2006–2026

Since 2006, USC leads 2–1 · Ohio State won the last one

3 meetings in 2006–2026 · average margin 6.0 points toward USC

Yr	Date	Result	Site	Won
2017	2017-12-29	USC 7 — 24 Ohio State	neutral	Ohio State bowl/CFP
2009	2009-09-12	USC 18 — 15 Ohio State	at OSU	USC
2008	2008-09-13	Ohio State 3 — 35 USC	at USC	USC

Ohio State leaders 2026 regular season

Passing	Julian Sayin QB #10	103/142, 1530 YDS, 13 TD, 1 INT
	Luke Fahey QB #13	9/11, 203 YDS, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing	Bo Jackson RB #25	66 CAR, 353 YDS, 2 TD
	Ja'Kobi Jackson RB #24	45 CAR, 278 YDS, 6 TD
	Isaiah West RB #32	22 CAR, 80 YDS, 1 TD
Receiving	Jeremiah Smith WR #4	44 REC, 823 YDS, 9 TD
	Devin McCuin WR #3	17 REC, 245 YDS, 2 TD
	Brandon Inniss WR #1	10 REC, 147 YDS, 1 TD
	Brock Boyd WR #11	6 REC, 110 YDS

Defense

Tackles	Earl Little Jr. S #1	26
	Payton Pierce LB #26	26
	Jaylen McClain S #8	20
Sacks	Kenyatta Jackson Jr. DE #2	3
	Riley Pettijohn LB #5	2
	Qua Russaw DE #4	1
Interceptions	Jaylen McClain S #8	2
	Tarvos Alford LB #17	1
	Riley Pettijohn LB #5	1

full roster and per-player history

USC leaders 2026 regular season

Passing	Jayden Maiava QB #14	131/191, 1744 YDS, 15 TD, 3 INT
	Jonas Williams QB #15	12/14, 126 YDS, 1 INT
Rushing	King Miller RB #8	95 CAR, 493 YDS, 3 TD
	Waymond Jordan RB #2	57 CAR, 265 YDS, 2 TD
	Shahn Alston RB #22	17 CAR, 92 YDS, 1 TD
Receiving	Kayden Dixon-Wyatt WR #17	25 REC, 372 YDS, 3 TD
	Zacharyus Williams WR #0	14 REC, 258 YDS, 1 TD
	Trent Mosley WR #4	13 REC, 255 YDS, 4 TD
	Mark Bowman TE #19	21 REC, 204 YDS, 2 TD

Defense

Tackles	Christian Pierce S #6	35
	Deven Bryant LB #17	33
	Luke Wafle DE #94	22
Sacks	Kennedy Urlacher S #9	2
	Alex Graham CB #7	2
	Jadyn Ramos DE #95	2
Interceptions	Prophet Brown CB #16	2
	Christian Pierce S #6	1

full roster and per-player history

These are regular-season totals for the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year, taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still appears against the year he earned it; the roster pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is. A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.