Ohio State's national title hopes are rightfully fading after USC delivers reality check in shocking upset
If the Big Ten was resting their hopes on Ohio State being able to put together an offense capable of contending for a national championship, then Saturday night's 30-18 loss to USC was a reality check on the current situation.
Following the unfortunate loss of starting quarterback Julian Sayin to an elbow injury during the Indiana game two weeks ago, the fate of the Buckeyes season rested on the arms of Luke Fahey and freshman Taven St. Clair.
The nervousness around Columbus has been rampant since that day in Bloomington, and rightfully so given that Ryan Day had pinned his offensive hopes around the quarterback being able to disrupt opposing defenses with the Julian Sayin to Jeremiah Smith connection.
This pair opened up so many options for an offense that essentially forced opposing teams to decide on whether double-teaming the star wide receiver was worth the risk in losing a defender in the secondary.
Even with 484 yards of total offense against USC on Saturday night, it was the offensive line that struggled to protect quarterback Luke Fahey, while also not capitalizing inside the red zone.
You might ask whether one player is worth that much attention. To that, most college football fans would just implore you to "watch the tape" on the former Heisman Trophy leader coming out of the Indiana showdown that saw the Buckeyes leave Bloomington with a very important win.
Now, a few weeks later, there are rightful questions about this Ohio State team moving forward over the next month, along with where the Big Ten stands as we await the first CFP rankings of the 2026 season.
The answer to that question centered around the fact Ohio State had not scored a touchdown against USC through three quarters, and they looked like a squad who was lost on offense for a majority of this upset loss.
OHIO STATE QB JULIAN SAYIN'S INJURY MAY COMPLETELY RESHAPE THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RACE
No, not right now after two weeks of preparation for the trip to Los Angeles.
If anything, the Buckeyes look like a team that would be on the brink of missing the playoff tonight if Indiana were to have somehow won that intense showdown.
So yes, Ohio State fans are clearly entering the panic mode of what could have been if Julian Sayin were to not have been injured.
Also, let's not forget the other unfortunate part of this problem for the Buckeyes. Entering the matchup with Indiana, Jeremiah Smith was the proverbial leader in the clubhouse for the Heisman Trophy. Now, he's going to need plenty of superman-like efforts to have his name called in New York City next month, without a quarterback capable enough to get him the ball downfield.
Sure, we know Smith is a man of high character and is more worried about the wins and losses. But, let's not act as though the situation isn’t a brutal dose of reality that his campaign might have ended in Bloomington.
Fittingly, it was Jeremiah Smith who scored Ohio State's first touchdown of the night with 2:12 remaining in the game on a five-yard out in the end zone.
As for Ohio State moving forward, there is nothing about their performance against USC that should give the CFP committee enough evidence to put them in the top-12 on Tuesday night.
We all remember when Florida State was left out of the national championship game after Jordan Travis went down with a knee injury, right?
No, we aren’t at that point just yet, but we're getting there. Over the next five weeks, Ohio State will face Northwestern, Oregon, Nebraska and Michigan.
Are we going to act as though this Buckeyes offense is good enough to avoid another loss? Sure, you can make that argument, but Oregon and Northwestern are talented enough to beat them in Columbus, and Nebraska is so awkward that it could have a lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Buckeyes defense isn’t strong enough to carry them through the month of November, especially if this is what they are going to get from the offensive side of the ball.
And unfortunately, Jeremiah Smith and running back Bo Jackson can't do it all without a viable quarterback that oozes confidence.
Give credit where it's due with this USC football team.
Coming off a loss to Wisconsin this week, with reasonable conversations surrounding his job status with the Trojans, the talk of Riley coaching somewhere else next season started picking up enough that he could not avoid the questions over the past five days.
Now, there is at least a path to the postseason, though it won't be an easy one.
After a week off, USC will play Indiana on the road, followed by a game against Maryland, before ending the season with a crosstown showdown with UCLA.
Can they run the table? Sure, if this is the type of performance we get over the next month.
But, even with the win over Ohio State, it's still hard to trust the Trojans. They’re going to have to prove it.