USC Holds Narrow All-Time Lead Over Ohio State Heading into the 25th Meeting

The Ohio State Buckeyes head into Saturday night's matchup with the USC Trojans, looking to take a small step towards evening out the all-time series against the Trojans.

These are two of the most historic brands in all of college football, and anytime they link up, it is a must-watch. Saturday night will be no different.

The Buckeyes trail the all-time series against USC 10-13-1, and the most recent matchup between the two schools came almost 10 years ago in the 2017 Cotton Bowl. That game featured Sam Darnold as the USC quarterback and JT Barrett for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State wide receivers with catches in this game were KJ Hill, Parris Campbell, and Terry McLaurin. JK Dobbins and Mike Weber were the Buckeyes' lead backs on the day.

Ohio State rolled over the Trojans by a final score of 24-7. 

Prior to that game, it had been seven straight matchups, and 43 years since the Buckeyes beat the Trojans. The last time that Ohio State took down USC prior to 2017 was in 1973 in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State rolled in that game by a final score of 42-21.

The first matchup between these two programs came all the way back in 1937. USC escaped that game, played in California, by a final score of 13-12. The following year was a trip to Columbus when USC got another close victory over Ohio State, this time 14-7. 

The rivalry paused for 4 seasons until 1941, when the Buckeyes went out west and took it to the Trojans. Their first victory was a 33-0 win, and they were in the fight. It was the beginning of five wins in the next seven matchups for Ohio State as they took control of the series.

The lone tie came in 1949 and it was a 13-13 match in at USC's place. 

This "rivalry," if you will, is just a combination of two of the biggest brands in the entire sport. When you think of college football, these are two of the teams that come to mind, and it is for good reason. 

This weekend marks the 25th meeting, and it will be just as fascinating as many of the other matchups. The intrigue is the Buckeyes star power, behind a first-time starter, against the vaunted USC Trojans, who have skill but are inconsistent at best. 

The winner of this one is going to be feeling really good about where they are at in this season and will be the next iteration in a historic matchup.