USC stunned No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 on Saturday, handing the Buckeyes their second loss of the season and producing the upset of the college football weekend.
The USC Trojans’ win was the headline result on a wild Halloween Saturday. Ohio State arrived as the No. 2 team in the country; USC left the field with a 12-point victory and a place back in the national conversation.
A season-changing afternoon
Ohio State’s defeat was its second of the year, and it dropped the Buckeyes to 11th in the new Associated Press Top 25 poll released on Sunday, according to Bleacher Report. USC, previously unranked, catapulted back into the Top 25 at No. 18.
That swing — from unranked to ranked, and from No. 2 to No. 11 — shows how much one Saturday can change a season. USC’s players celebrated a win that will define their year, whatever happens next.
Ohio State’s path remains open
Despite the fall in the polls, Ohio State’s playoff hopes are not over. As Bleacher Report noted, the Buckeyes almost certainly have a path to the College Football Playoff as long as they win out. The margin for error, however, is now gone.
A second loss means Ohio State can no longer afford a slip. Every remaining game becomes a must-win, and the Buckeyes’ defence and offence will be examined closely after a performance that allowed USC to control the game.
What USC proved
For USC, this was proof of concept. Beating the No. 2 team in the country, by 12 points, is not a fluke. It is a performance that changes recruiting conversations, poll positions and expectations for the rest of the season.
Halloween Saturday delivered the wildest set of college football scores of the season, according to one roundup, and USC’s upset was the reason why. The Trojans are back in the Top 25, and Ohio State’s season now has a very different feel.
