Ohio State visits USC in first-ever Big Ten clash between the storied rivals
The No. 2 Buckeyes and the Trojans meet at the LA Coliseum on Halloween in their first conference game ever — here's everything you need to know to watch.
Ohio State and USC have played each other 24 times over nearly 90 years — in Rose Bowls, regular-season showdowns, and everything in between — but when the two programs kick off at the LA Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, Oct. 31, it will be the first time they have ever met as conference opponents.
The two sides arrive heading in opposite directions. Ohio State (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) is ranked No. 2 in the country after a road win over defending national champion Indiana. USC (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) has fallen out of the top 25 following a loss at Wisconsin, and the future of the Trojans' program is considered to be on the line in this matchup.
For the Buckeyes, there is an additional historical footnote at stake: Ohio State has not won a road game at USC since 1946.
Kickoff at United Airlines Field at the LA Memorial Coliseum is set for 4:30 p.m. PT (7:30 p.m. ET). The game airs nationally on NBC, with live streaming on Peacock. It can also be streamed at NBC.com/live with a valid TV provider login. Mobile viewers can use the Peacock or NBC apps on Apple or Android devices.
On radio, ESPN LA 710 AM carries the game in Los Angeles, with coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. PT — including a two-hour pregame show broadcast live from The Peristyle. The broadcast team features Pete Arbogast, Shaun Cody, Su'a Cravens, Nelson Agholor, Marqise Lee, Jordan Moore, Keely Eure and Jason Schwartz. The game can also be heard on SiriusXM (channels 197, 198, or 397, or app channels 959 and 960), streamed on USCTrojans.com/Listen, the ESPN LA App, the USC Gameday App, and the Varsity App.
A Spanish-language radio broadcast is also available on the ESPN LA App, USCTrojans.com/Listen, or the USC Trojans Gameday App, beginning 30 minutes before kickoff, with Harry Ruiz on play-by-play and Alex Naveja as color analyst.
On the NBC television broadcast, Noah Eagle will handle play-by-play, Todd Blackledge serves as analyst, and Kathryn Tappen reports from the sideline.
Tickets through the USC Ticket Office are sold out, according to USC Athletics, but verified resale tickets remain available through SeatGeek, USC's official fan-to-fan ticket marketplace. Pregame TV coverage on NBC begins at 4 p.m. PT.
The two programs have met only once since 2009, but with USC now a member of the Big Ten, matchups between the Buckeyes and Trojans will become a regular feature of the conference schedule going forward.
Why it matters — A rivalry that has played out in Rose Bowls for decades enters a new phase as a recurring Big Ten conference game, with USC's program credibility and Ohio State's national title hopes both on the line on the same Halloween afternoon.
⚠ Not yet confirmed
- attribution to Eleven Warriors for the 1946 road-win drought
Reported by yahoo.com, elevenwarriors.com, directv.com, nbclosangeles.com, usctrojans.com
