USC stun No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 at the Coliseum as Trent Mosley scores on the second play; Georgia, Miami and Indiana survive a chaotic Saturday
Unranked USC beat No. 2 Ohio State 30-18, handing the Buckeyes a second loss. Georgia won 27-8, while Miami and Indiana barely escaped.
At a glance
- Unranked USC beat No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 31, 2026, with freshman Trent Mosley catching a 69-yard touchdown on the second play.
- Ohio State played without injured quarterback Julian Sayin; freshman Luke Fahey went 21 of 38 for 260 yards in his first start, and the Buckeyes fell to 6-2.
- No. 3 Georgia beat No. 17 Florida 27-8 in Atlanta after forcing four turnovers, while No. 1 Miami won 38-35 at North Carolina and No. 4 Indiana needed overtime to beat Minnesota 23-16.
- Ohio State host Oregon next Saturday; Miami go to Notre Dame in the biggest game of the coming week.
USC beat No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 in steady rain at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday night, a week after losing 24-7 at Wisconsin. The defeat is Ohio State's second of the season, and the first time since 2011 the Buckeyes have lost twice this early.
It took USC two plays to set the tone. Jayden Maiava found freshman Trent Mosley for a 69-yard touchdown, and the Trojans never trailed. Ohio State, playing without injured quarterback Julian Sayin, did not reach the end zone until 2:12 remained.
How the Buckeyes wasted 464 yards in the rain
The numbers explain how strange this game was. Ohio State outgained USC 464 yards to 338 and still lost by 12. Drive after drive ended in a field goal, including a trip to the USC 1-yard line before halftime that produced only three points. USC led 20-9 at the break.
Mosley did most of the damage in the first half. Besides the touchdown, the freshman returned a punt 44 yards and then caught an 18-yard pass that set up Waymond Jordan's 9-yard touchdown run.
The game turned for good after the break. Isaiah West lost a fumble in USC territory, Floyd Boucard recovered it, and Mark Bowman soon broke a 70-yard catch-and-run, hurdling a defender on the way. King Miller's short run made it 27-9.
Jeremiah Smith finally scored for Ohio State on a 1-yard pass from Luke Fahey, but the two-point try failed. USC recovered the onside kick and added a field goal with 1:46 left.
| Player | Team | Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Jayden Maiava | USC | 222 passing yards, 1 TD |
| Trent Mosley | USC | 5 catches, 101 yards, 1 TD; 44-yard punt return |
| Mark Bowman | USC | 70-yard reception |
| Luke Fahey | Ohio State | 21 of 38, 260 yards, 1 TD (first career start) |
| Bo Jackson | Ohio State | 121 rushing yards |
| Jeremiah Smith | Ohio State | 10 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD |
What the win does for Lincoln Riley
This is the biggest result of Riley's time in Los Angeles: his first win over a top-12 team at USC, and the program's first over a top-five opponent at the Coliseum since 2015. USC move to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten, and one projection of Sunday's poll has them re-entering the rankings around No. 20.
Ohio State drop to 6-2 and 4-1 in the conference. Sayin hurt an arm two weeks ago at Indiana, and the quarterback's return date now matters a great deal: the Buckeyes' playoff hopes are damaged rather than dead, but there is little room left.
For the fourth straight week, a team ranked in the top two lost to an unranked opponent.
Georgia roll in Atlanta while the favourites sweat
Third-ranked Georgia had the easiest afternoon among the leading contenders, beating No. 17 Florida 27-8 for a sixth straight win in the rivalry. The Bulldogs forced four turnovers, and Chris Cole returned a fumble 66 yards for a touchdown. Georgia are 7-1 and 5-1 in the SEC.
Others came much closer to joining Ohio State:
| Game | Result | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Miami at North Carolina | Miami 38-35 | Fourth-quarter rally; Mark Fletcher Jr. scored the go-ahead points |
| No. 4 Indiana vs Minnesota | Indiana 23-16 (OT) | A 60-yard field goal forced overtime |
| No. 5 Notre Dame vs Navy | Notre Dame 35-13 | Won comfortably but Drayk Bowen hurt an ankle |
| No. 6 Utah at Cincinnati | Utah 49-25 | Stayed unbeaten at 8-0 |
| No. 13 Texas Tech vs No. 22 Arizona | Texas Tech 34-26 | Moved to 7-1 |
| Iowa vs No. 25 Wisconsin | Iowa 30-0 | Shutout one week after Wisconsin beat USC |
| Syracuse vs No. 19 SMU | Syracuse 30-27 | Winning touchdown with 17 seconds left |
| Oregon vs No. 20 Northwestern | Oregon 34-26 | Northwestern drop out of the projected rankings |
| Iowa State vs No. 24 Oklahoma State | Iowa State 51-49 | Kyle Konrardy's 34-yard field goal at the buzzer |
Oregon at Ohio State and Miami at Notre Dame come next
The new AP poll is due on Sunday. SMU, Northwestern, Arizona, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin look likely to drop out, with USC, Iowa, South Carolina, New Mexico and Oregon State among the candidates to come in.
Ohio State have no time to recover: they host Oregon next Saturday. Miami face Notre Dame in South Bend the same weekend and Georgia travel to Ole Miss. USC have a bye before visiting Indiana on November 14.
