No. 2 Ohio State has suffered its second loss of the season.
The Buckeyes fell 30-18 to unranked USC on Saturday night, dropping a contest for the first time since losing to Texas in the early days of the 2026 season.
Ohio State was forced to go to backup quarterback Luke Fahey in this game as Julian Sayin continues to recover from an upper body injury. Fahey finished the game with 240 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
Ohio State’s defense was perhaps the bigger concern on the night. USC averaged nearly 7 yards per play and quarterback Jayden Maiava carved up the Buckeyes to the tune of over 10 yards per attempt.
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Running back King Miller was also productive, rushing for over 6 yards per carry.
Ohio State now has very little margin-for-error if it hopes to get back to the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes still have games remaining against Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan.
USC is now 7-2 on the season and has a signature win under embattled head coach Lincoln Riley. The Trojans are still something of a long-shot to make the CFP, but it remains a possibility thanks to this victory over Ohio State.
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Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
