Ohio State Buckeyes vs USC Trojans Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/31/2026

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, October 31, 2026

Venue:  LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA 

Where to Watch:  NBC

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  OSU -6.5, USC +6.5; Over/Under:  51.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  OSU -6.5, USC +6.5; Over/Under:  51.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  OSU -6.5, USC +6.5; Over/Under:  51.5 points

Ohio State Buckeyes:  6-1 (4-0) (2nd place, Big Ten)

USC Trojans:  6-2 (3-2) (7th place, Big Ten)

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Ohio State Buckeyes:  won their last game on the road against the Indiana Hoosiers 19-15.

USC Trojans:  lost their last game on the road against the Wisconsin Badgers 24-7.

Ohio State is entering this game with a 6-1 record overall and they have a 4-0 record in their conference games too. They are 4-0 in their home games, 2-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Indiana 19-15. Julian Sayin was the starting QB and he completed 15/29 passes for 235 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Bo Jackson led the team in rushing yards with 56. Jeremiah Smith led the receivers with 68 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. Earl Little Jr. led the defense in that game with 8 tackles while Jaylen McClain led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

USC is entering this game with a 6-2 record overall and they have a 3-2 record in their conference games too. They are 4-1 in their home games, 2-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against Wisconsin 24-7. Jayden Maiava was the starting QB and he completed 31/50 passes for 258 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Shahn Alston led the team in rushing yards with 28. Taniela Tupou led the receivers with 46 receiving yards on 6 receptions and 1 TD. Desman Stephens II led the defense in that game with 8 tackles while Luke Wafle and Braylan Shelby each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Ohio State listed as a 6.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Ohio State has looked great in their games this season with their 6-1 record overall and their 4-0 conference record which has them right near the top of the Big Ten. They have been a good road team too with their 2-1 road record this year. Meanwhile, USC has looked good in their games this season with their 6-2 record overall and their 3-2 conference record which has them in the top half of the Big Ten. They have looked good on their home field too with their 4-1 home record this season. USC has looked a lot better at home this season, but this is a team that continues to fall short in big games. Things have been opening up in the Big Ten this season and USC had a real shot to make the CFP this year, but now they are coming off a 24-7 road loss to Wisconsin and they have their toughest games of the schedule coming up in the next few weeks. Their defense hasn't looked that great this season as they still give up a lot of points and their offense hasn't looked that great lately either. Ohio State is coming off a 19-15 road win over Indiana, snapping that long winning streak going back to last season, and they are coming out of their bye week here too. Ohio State did lose their starting QB in that win over Indiana, but they have had 2 weeks to prepare their backup for this game and he should be able to jump right into this offense with the talent there surrounding him. They still have the best player in the nation and a great defense to lean on, so look for Ohio State to come out of their bye week strong and make a statement with their backup QB. The best way to place a bet here is on Ohio State to cover the spread in this game. 

Ohio State USC Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 31, 2026 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Ohio State 20 USC 10.

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Ohio State Buckeyes: 24-11 ATS against FBS division opponents. 8-2 ATS as a road favorite. 14-3 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 75%). 9-1 UNDER as a road favorite. 11-6 UNDER when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 75%).

USC Trojans: 8-15 ATS against conference opponents. 1-6 ATS vs. good passing teams averaging 250 or more passing yards/game. 4-10 ATS vs. good teams - outscoring opponents by 10+ PPG on the season. 6-3 UNDER vs. good passing defenses - allowing 5.75 or less passing yards/att. 

Ohio State Buckeyes:  J. Jackson (RB) Out - Foot. B. Jackson (RB) Questionable - Shoulder. J. Sayin (QB) Out - Arm. A. Valerio-Hudson (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. T. Rogers (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. Christian (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed.

USC Trojans:  M. Bowman (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Reddick (S) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Redeaux (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. R. Ison (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. S. Huard (QB) Questionable - Undisclosed. R. Tezeno (WR) Questionable - Foot. T. Anderson (WR) Out - Undisclosed. C. Simms (WR) Out - Knee. K. O'Connor (OG) Out - Undisclosed.

“We’ll regroup. This is bigger than one person. Obviously, you don’t want to see him get hurt. If Luke is in there, we may have to do things a little differently, but we’ve got a bye week to put our heads together and figure that out.” - Ryan Day after his team’s win against Indiana in their last game. 

“We flat out didn't play good enough on any of the three sides of the ball. We didn't coach good enough and we made critical errors on the road against a good team that you can't make. There were some moments of good, but we couldn't sustain it and grab momentum." - Lincoln Riley after his team’s loss against Wisconsin in their last game. 

WR Smith, Jeremiah

WR McCuin, Devin

WR Inniss, Brandon

TE Roberts, Nate

QB Fahey, Luke

RB Jackson, Bo

WR Hines, Tanook

WR Dixon-Wyatt, Kayden

WR Williams, Zacharyus

TE Bowman, Mark

QB Maiava, Jayden

RB Miller, King

Passing: Julian Sayin (2,007)

Rushing: Bo Jackson (516)

Receiving: Jeremiah Smith (984)

Touchdowns: Jeremiah Smith (12)

Passing: Jayden Maiava (2,302)

Rushing: King Miller (602)

Receiving: Kayden Dixon-Wyatt (442)

Touchdowns: Trent Mosley (5)

Coaches:

Ohio State Buckeyes: Ryan Day (9th season)

USC Trojans: Lincoln Riley (5th season)