The USC Trojans face a make or break game Saturday night when they host the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. The Trojans are coming off a disappointing 24-7 home loss to Wisconsin, and Lincoln Reilly's team is going to have to come up with a much better effort against one of the nation's powerhouse teams.
Ohio State is playing its first game without starting quarterback Julian Sayin. He suffered an arm injury in Ohio State's 19-15 victory at Indiana earlier in October.
Head coach Ryan Day did not name a starter until late Friday when it was revealed that Luke Fahey would be under center instead of Tavien St. Clair. While the Buckeyes have Heisman Trophy favorite Jeremiah Smith at wide receiver and a slew of talented pass catchers, it doesn't seem likely that they will ask Fahey to win the game for them. However, it is clear that the 6.5-point road favorites are asking him not to lose the game.
Former USC star Drake London, currently the Atlanta Falcons' top receiver, believes the Trojans have a great chance to come up with the upset.
“This is a huge game for USC, and Ohio State has to come all the way across the country and play in SoCal,” London told Stephen A. Smith. “My expectation is a W. We are going to play our style of ball. Obviously, Ohio State is Ohio State and they have some dudes, but they don't have a quarterback right now and it's hard to get the ball to No. 4 (Jeremiah Smith) if they don't have a quarterback.”