Ohio State Falls to 6-2 After USC Upset — SkimNews
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- Ohio State fell from No. 2 to 6-2 with a 30-18 loss to USC, one of the worst performances of the Ryan Day era; it was the Buckeyes’ first two losses before November since 2011 and Day’s second unranked defeat after 2024 Michigan.
- Julian Sayin was injured in the second half of Ohio State’s win over No. 5 Indiana in a way described as likely season-ending, leaving the Buckeyes to start true freshman Luke Fahey against USC.
- Luke Fahey was chosen over national top-five recruit Tavien St. Clair but did not clear 150 passing yards until deep into the fourth quarter against USC; St. Clair was still adjusting to the offense after coming from a smaller school in Bellefontaine.
- Trent Mosley opened USC’s scoring with a 69-yard touchdown on the second play, and Mark Bowman added a 70-yard catch-and-run as Ohio State allowed 30 points and multiple passing-game breakdowns one week after holding USC to seven.
- Jeremiah Smith caught 10 passes for 83 yards and a late touchdown against USC, but his yards-per-reception average fell from about 19.0 to 8.3 with Fahey at quarterback.
- CBS Sports projects Ohio State as the College Football Playoff’s 7-seed at 11-2 with a loss in the Big Ten title game against undefeated UCLA; wins over No. 14 Iowa and No. 5 Indiana and winnable Oregon and No. 20 Northwestern matchups leave the Buckeyes in the mix but firmly on the bubble.
- Ryan Day is two years removed from the Ohio State team that answered an unranked Michigan loss by winning the national championship; the current Buckeyes sit No. 5 in the 247Sports Talent Composite—their lowest mark since the metric began—and no player besides Smith is in the NFL Draft Prospect Rankings’ top 50.
Why it matters: Luke Fahey’s limited passing cut Jeremiah Smith from about 19.0 to 8.3 yards per catch, weakening the receiver’s Heisman case. Ohio State remains in the College Football Playoff mix behind wins over No. 14 Iowa and No. 5 Indiana, but USC’s win left the 6-2 Buckeyes firmly on the bubble.
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