No. 2 Ohio State visits a USC team that fell out of the rankings after losing to Wisconsin, and ESPN analyst Pamela Maldonado argues the matchup shouldn't be dismissed. The Trojans are 6-2, while Ohio State is 6-1 and already lost at Texas in Week 2. With Julian Sayin out, the Buckeyes turn to freshman QB Luke Fahey, who has just 13 attempts and must make his first road start at USC. Maldonado doubts Ohio State can keep its offense efficient, noting that RB Bo Jackson averages 5.9 yards per carry at home but 3.8 away this season.
USC has the better setting, according to Maldonado. Trojans QB Jayden Maiava completes almost 70% of his passes at home, averaging 9.2 yards per attempt with 13 touchdowns against three interceptions. His numbers drop to 62.6% and 7.3 yards per attempt on the road. Maiava's strength on intermediate throws, with seven touchdowns and one interception on passes traveling 10-19 yards, gives USC a way to attack without relying on long shots.
Maldonado's prediction is USC +7, with the Trojans able to win outright. Ohio State's defense allows successful plays on just 32% of opponent passes, which makes her lean toward the under of 51.5 points. She expects USC to work for its points and stay within a full touchdown.
The risk is that Ohio State has gone 58-1 against unranked opponents under Ryan Day, with the lone loss coming to Michigan in 2024. Still, Maldonado sees a competitive fourth quarter, noting Ohio State has averaged just 6.3 and 4.3 fourth-quarter points on the road over the last two seasons.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing