{"id":1506,"section":"sports","section_label":"Sports","url":"https://www.brokenews.co/sports/1506","headline":"Ohio State heads to USC without Sayin under center","dek":"The No. 2 Buckeyes, fresh off a bye week, face a Trojans team led by quarterback Jayden Maiava, who has thrown for 2,302 yards and 19 touchdowns this season.","body":"Ohio State arrives in Los Angeles with a new look. The No. 2 Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0) are beginning life without quarterback Julian Sayin as they take on USC (6-2, 3-2) following a bye week.\n\nThe Trojans counter with Jayden Maiava, who has emerged as arguably the toughest quarterback Ohio State has faced this season. Through eight games, Maiava has thrown for 2,302 yards, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions, adding two rushing touchdowns of his own. USC's receiving corps features a player who once committed to Ohio State before landing with the Trojans instead.\n\nThe matchup has drawn attention as a potential trap game for Ohio State, with USC described as a wounded team fighting with its back against the wall. Some analysts see the setup as ripe for an upset, pointing to Ohio State's shorthanded quarterback situation and USC's motivation to salvage its season.\n\nThe game is being framed as a Halloween test for the Buckeyes, who will need to prove they can win on the road against a determined opponent even with their starting quarterback situation in flux.","published_at":"2026-10-29T22:47:52.137548+00:00","source_count":3,"written_from":[{"outlet":"CBS Sports","publisher":"CBS Sports","title":"Ohio State vs. USC prediction, pick, odds, spread: Short-handed Buckeyes look to avoid road trap","url":"https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/ohio-state-usc-prediction-picks-odds-spread-where-to-watch-live/"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"5 things to know about USC","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/5-things-know-usc-160100351.html"},{"outlet":"ESPN","publisher":"ESPN","title":"Is an upset brewing in Los Angeles? Breaking down the keys to Ohio State-USC","url":"https://www.espn.com/espn/betting/story/_/id/50300744/college-football-betting-odds-week-9-ohio-state-usc-upset"}],"more_coverage":[{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Off-Script Ohio: USC preview, offensive expectations and Week 9 predictions","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/off-script-ohio-usc-preview-103100300.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Ohio State’s Record Could Drop Even If They Win All Five","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ohio-state-record-could-drop-143622641.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Ohio State's next man up? Ryan Day has two young quarterbacks and one huge decision","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/article/ohio-states-next-man-up-ryan-day-has-two-young-quarterbacks-and-one-huge-decision-161930604.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Ohio State vs USC Prediction: Will the Buckeye Quarterback Situation Matter?","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ohio-state-vs-usc-prediction-170253062.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"USC just scored seven points at Wisconsin. Here’s why that matters for Ohio State","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/usc-just-scored-seven-points-193100981.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"How can Ohio State football beat USC? 3 keys for West Coast trip","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ohio-state-football-beat-usc-090322456.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"ESPN predicts winner of Ohio State football vs. USC Saturday night","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/espn-predicts-winner-ohio-state-120510082.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"No excuses for Lincoln Riley and USC versus Ohio State | Opinion","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/no-excuses-lincoln-riley-usc-144609143.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"ESPN’s computer model reveals bold prediction for Ohio State-USC game","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/espn-computer-model-reveals-bold-213753196.html"}],"image":null,"embed":null,"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","attribution":"Analysis data is licensed CC BY 4.0. Credit brokenews and link to the story page you took it from. Source headlines, story titles taken from a source headline, and quoted passages remain the property of their publishers and are quoted for comparison, not licensed onward.","terms":"https://www.brokenews.co/about#reuse"}