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 61 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.

#1 Ohio State Buckeyes

Big Ten · no games yet

TBDET

OSU -7.5 · total 54.5 DraftKings

Ratings differential OSU by 6.2

#14 USC Trojans

Big Ten · 1-0

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 #1 (AP Top 25 · 2026-08-17). USC is ranked #14 (AP Top 25 · 2026-08-17).

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: +19.5#4

Efficiency margin

USC: +10.9#15

Ohio State: 32.0

Offense (pts/100)

USC: 34.6

Ohio State: 12.5

Defense (pts/100)

USC: 23.6

Ohio State: 65.5

Pace (plays/g)

USC: 2076.0

Ohio State: no data

Yards / play

USC: 6.64

Ohio State: no data

Yards / play allowed

USC: 6.00

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: no data

Points / game

USC: 42.0

Ohio State: no data

Points allowed

USC: 26.0

Ohio State: no data

Yards / game

USC: 505

Ohio State: no data

Yards allowed

USC: no data

Ohio State: no data

Pass yds allowed

USC: no data

Ohio State: no data

Rush yds allowed

USC: no data

Ohio State: no data

Turnovers / game

USC: 1.00

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

Ohio State form

No completed games on record.

USC form

W 42-26vs SJSU

2026 season

Ohio State this season

No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.

USC this season

Straight up1-0 · 100% (1 games)

Against the spread0-1 · 0% (1 games)

Over / under1-0 · 100% (1 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 Wk 6 · scheduled 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 Wk 4 · scheduled 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 2025 regular season

Passing	Julian Sayin QB #10	279/356, 3323 YDS, 31 TD, 6 INT
	Lincoln Kienholz QB #3	11/14, 139 YDS, 1 TD
Rushing	Bo Jackson RB #25	168 CAR, 1035 YDS, 5 TD
	James Peoples RB #1	61 CAR, 344 YDS, 3 TD
	CJ Donaldson RB #12	89 CAR, 330 YDS, 10 TD
Receiving	Jeremiah Smith WR #4	80 REC, 1086 YDS, 11 TD
	Carnell Tate WR #17	48 REC, 838 YDS, 9 TD
	Max Klare TE #86	43 REC, 448 YDS, 2 TD
	Brandon Inniss WR #1	32 REC, 237 YDS, 3 TD

Defense

Tackles	Sonny Styles LB #0	81
	Arvell Reese LB #8	62
	Caden Curry EDGE #92	60
Sacks	Caden Curry EDGE #92	11
	Arvell Reese LB #8	6.5
	Kenyatta Jackson Jr. DE #2	6.5
Interceptions	Davison Igbinosun CB #1	2
	Caleb Downs S #2	2
	Jermaine Mathews Jr. CB #7	2

full roster and per-player history

USC leaders 2025 regular season

Passing	Jayden Maiava QB #14	247/373, 3431 YDS, 23 TD, 8 INT
	Husan Longstreet QB #6	13/15, 103 YDS, 1 TD
Rushing	King Miller RB #8	131 CAR, 873 YDS, 7 TD
	Waymond Jordan RB #2	88 CAR, 576 YDS, 5 TD
	Eli Sanders RB #1	47 CAR, 264 YDS, 2 TD
Receiving	Makai Lemon WR #6	79 REC, 1156 YDS, 11 TD
	Ja'Kobi Lane WR #8	49 REC, 745 YDS, 4 TD
	Lake McRee TE #87	30 REC, 450 YDS, 4 TD
	Tanook Hines WR #16	28 REC, 398 YDS, 2 TD

Defense

Tackles	Desman Stephens II LB #8	83
	Eric Gentry LB #18	76
	Christian Pierce S #6	58
Sacks	Braylan Shelby DE #10	4.5
	Kameryn Crawford DE #1	3.5
	Jide Abasiri DT #97	3.5
Interceptions	Bishop Fitzgerald S #19	5
	Jamaal Jarrett DT #99	1
	Braylan Shelby DE #10	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.