USC beat No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 on Halloween night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the biggest win of Lincoln Riley’s time as the Trojans’ coach. A 69-yard touchdown on the second play set the tone, and USC never trailed. For Ohio State, playing without injured starting quarterback Julian Sayin, it’s a second loss before November for the first time since 2011. That shakes up the College Football Playoff race just days before the first official rankings come out on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Here’s what happened, why it matters, and what comes next for both teams.
USC vs. Ohio State: Final Score and Key Numbers
USC led 14-3 after the first quarter, 20-9 at halftime and 27-9 in the third quarter before holding on, according to the AP game recap on ESPN. Thousands of students and fans stormed the rain-soaked field at the final whistle.
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 3 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 18 |
| USC | 14 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 30 |
The strange part is how lopsided the stat sheet looked in Ohio State’s favor. The Buckeyes outgained USC 464 yards to 338 and held the ball for more than 39 minutes, per the official USC game center. But they committed 11 penalties, settled for field goals on trip after trip, and didn’t score a touchdown until 2:12 remained.
The plays that decided it
- Trent Mosley’s 69-yard opener. The freshman took a screen pass straight through the middle of the defense on USC’s second snap. Ohio State hadn’t allowed a play longer than 36 yards all season. Mosley finished with five catches for 101 yards and also set up a touchdown with a 44-yard punt return.
- Mark Bowman’s hurdle. In the third quarter, the freshman tight end hurdled a defender and broke several tackles on a 70-yard catch-and-run that set up King Miller’s touchdown for a 27-9 lead. Ryan Day called it “ridiculous” after the game.
- Red-zone failures. Ohio State produced 192 yards but only three field goals on its first five drives, even after reaching the USC 1-yard line shortly before halftime.
- The onside kick. After Jeremiah Smith’s late touchdown, the Buckeyes’ two-point try failed, USC recovered the onside kick and added its third field goal with 1:46 left.
Standout performances
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava threw for 222 yards and a touchdown, and Miller and Waymond Jordan each ran for a score. For Ohio State, freshman Luke Fahey threw for 260 yards in his first career start, Bo Jackson ran for 121 yards, and Smith caught 10 passes for 83 yards. Smith’s touchdown was the 40th of his career, which broke Braylon Edwards’ Big Ten career record, according to the AP.
“That’s two of the best teams in the country on the field right there,” Riley said afterward. “It’s going to come down to who plays the situations best, and we did it tonight.”
Why This Upset Is Such a Big Deal
USC came in under heavy pressure. The Trojans were coming off a loss at Wisconsin in which Riley’s offense scored the fewest points it ever had under him, and the Los Angeles Times described a week of criticism about whether Riley’s time was running out. Thirty points was more than Ohio State’s defense had allowed in any of its previous 31 games.
The win was also USC’s first over a top-five opponent at the Coliseum since 2015, and Riley’s first win over a top-10 team as USC’s coach.
On the Ohio State side, Day pointed to the situation his young quarterback was in. “At the end of the day, as a team, we weren’t able to play well enough to support a young freshman quarterback who has his first start on the road like this,” he said.
Why Ohio State was without Julian Sayin
Sayin hurt his throwing shoulder in the fourth quarter of Ohio State’s 19-15 win at Indiana on Oct. 17, when he was sacked and fumbled. Day said at the time that Sayin would miss “several weeks,” and that Fahey would start in the meantime, according to ESPN. No return date has been announced.
What It Means for the College Football Playoff
Ohio State drops to 6-2 overall but is still 4-1 in the Big Ten. In conference play, only unbeaten UCLA (8-0, 5-0) is ahead of the Buckeyes, as Sporting News pointed out. So the Big Ten title is still within reach, but the margin for error is basically gone.
Early projections have already moved the Buckeyes down. Sports Illustrated’s bracket projection now has Ohio State as the No. 8 seed and an at-large team instead of the projected Big Ten champion, with Indiana taking that spot. Keep in mind these are media projections, not the committee’s view.
USC improves to 7-2 and 4-2 in the Big Ten. Two losses still leave the Trojans on the outside for now, but their path is simple: win out. They have a bye, then a trip to Indiana on Nov. 14, a home game against Maryland, and the regular-season finale at UCLA on Nov. 28.
When do the first CFP rankings come out?
The selection committee releases its first top 25 on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, according to NCAA.com. The remaining reveals are Nov. 10, Nov. 17, Nov. 24 and Dec. 1, with the final 12-team field announced on Sunday, Dec. 6. How the committee treats a two-loss Ohio State team playing without its starting quarterback is one of the biggest questions heading into Tuesday night.
What’s Next for Ohio State and USC
Ohio State’s remaining schedule
There’s no easing back in. According to the official Ohio State schedule:
- Nov. 7: vs. Oregon in Columbus, 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS
- Nov. 14: vs. Northwestern (time TBA)
- Nov. 21: at Nebraska (time TBA)
- Nov. 28: vs. Michigan, noon ET on FOX
USC’s remaining schedule
- Nov. 7: Bye week
- Nov. 14: at Indiana (time TBA)
- Then: vs. Maryland at the Coliseum
- Nov. 28: at UCLA
If you’re following the rest of the sports calendar, catch up on our recap of the Valkyries’ WNBA championship win, our guide to how to watch the 2026 World Series, and the 2026 Ballon d’Or winners.
FAQ
What was the final score of USC vs. Ohio State?
USC won 30-18 on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Who played quarterback for Ohio State?
Freshman Luke Fahey made his first career start in place of Julian Sayin, who is out with a throwing-shoulder injury. Fahey threw for 260 yards and a touchdown.
Is Ohio State out of the playoff?
No. The Buckeyes are 6-2 and still 4-1 in the Big Ten, and early projections still have them in the 12-team field as an at-large team. But with Oregon and Michigan still ahead, another loss would make things much harder.
When are the first College Football Playoff rankings?
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Who does Ohio State play next?
Oregon, at home in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
Featured image: USC vs. Ohio State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2008. Photo by Bobak Ha’Eri, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).
