USC faces Ohio State on Halloween and Indiana in November. The Trojans will therefore spend their weekend off watching the Buckeyes and Hoosiers lock horns in Bloomington on Fox Big Noon Saturday.
Ohio State and Indiana met in the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game. Both teams were unbeaten at the time. There was a distinct worry that the two teams would meet again in the College Football Playoff since they had both locked up playoff berths before they took the field against each other. The game was for seeding, not playoff selection or elimination. Indiana won 13-10, establishing a defense-first identity against its foremost Big Ten competitor. Will this year's game be fundamentally similar or different in its style and texture?
The likely answer:
It will be more of the same. The defenses should be ahead of the offenses in this game. Ohio State's defense will challenge Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover, who has struggled so far this season and will have his work cut out for him against the Buckeyes. On the other side of the ball, Indiana has a strong defensive line but not an elite secondary. Ohio State's receivers against Indiana's corners is a matchup the Buckeyes can exploit, but they need their pass protection to hold up in order for their receivers to control the game.
USC will be taking copious notes on these two teams, since the Trojans will have to beat at least one of them to have any chance of making the College Football Playoff. If USC loses to both Ohio State and Indiana, it will lose at least three games and therefore won't be part of the playoff field.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC coaches will fill notebooks on Ohio State and Indiana in Week 7
