COLUMBUS — When Ohio State takes the field against USC on Saturday evening, it will mark the Buckeyes' first appearance at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 18 years. The two programs have a history stretching back nearly nine decades, but this meeting will be different from the previous 24.
For the first time, Ohio State and USC will face one another as members of the Big Ten Conference, following the Trojans' move from the Pac-12 in 2024. What was once an occasional meeting between two of college football's most successful programs is now a conference matchup with implications for the Big Ten championship race.
The last time Ohio State visited the Coliseum was September 13, 2008, when the fifth-ranked Buckeyes suffered a 35-3 defeat against No. 1 USC. Pete Carroll's Trojans, led by quarterback Mark Sanchez, controlled the game and handed Jim Tressel's Buckeyes one of their most lopsided losses of that era.
The programs met again the following season, this time in Columbus. Ohio State held a 15-10 lead late in the fourth quarter before freshman quarterback Matt Barkley directed a 14-play, 86-yard touchdown drive that gave USC an 18-15 victory. Stafon Johnson scored the winning touchdown on a two-yard run with 1:05 remaining.
Ohio State finally ended its seven-game losing streak against the Trojans in the 2017 Cotton Bowl, winning 24-7 behind an outstanding defensive performance. The Buckeyes forced four turnovers, including a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown by Damon Webb, and recorded eight sacks against USC quarterback Sam Darnold.
Quarterback J.T. Barrett added two rushing touchdowns in what became his final collegiate appearance, helping Ohio State finish the season with a 12-2 record. The victory also marked the Buckeyes' first win over USC since the 1974 Rose Bowl.
USC holds a 13-10-1 advantage in the all-time series, which began in 1937. Seven of the previous 24 meetings have been decided by seven points or fewer, although the rivalry has also featured several decisive victories by both programs.
Saturday's meeting brings two nationally prominent programs together under circumstances neither could have imagined during their last regular-season matchup. USC is now part of the Big Ten, meaning trips between Columbus and Los Angeles can become part of conference competition rather than occasional nonconference events.
The Buckeyes enter Saturday ranked second nationally with a 6-1 record, while USC is 6-2. Ohio State is also adjusting to the absence of injured starting quarterback Julian Sayin, adding another element to an already important road trip.
For Ryan Day, it will be his first game against USC as Ohio State's head coach. He has compiled a 30-4 record in true road games since taking over the program in 2019, and Saturday offers another chance to add to that impressive mark.
The Buckeyes will also be seeking their first regular-season victory over USC since 1964, when Ohio State defeated the Trojans 17-0 in Columbus. The programs met seven times in Rose Bowls between 1955 and 1985, providing some of the most memorable chapters in the rivalry.
The surroundings will be familiar to anyone who remembers the great Ohio State-USC matchups of previous generations. The uniforms, the Coliseum, and the national attention remain much the same, but the stakes now include a conference championship race shared by two programs that spent decades competing from opposing conferences.
Saturday's game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
