The Ohio State Buckeyes have wrapped up their bye week, and all focus now shifts to USC in Week 9 of the college football season. Ohio State is coming off a win over Indiana and should be feeling great. However, uneasiness exists because the Buckeyes are moving on without quarterback Julian Sayin as their starter.

All signs point to true freshman Luke Fahey getting the start against USC following Sayin’s iniury, and it’s a return home to California for him. As long as Fahey held off Tavien St. Clair in practice this week, he will be Ohio State’s starter.

Ohio State turns to a true freshman at quarterback

The Buckeyes are 6-1 and No. 2 in the country heading into a road game against an unranked USC team that is coming off a loss to Wisconsin in Week 8. Outside of Sayin’s injury, Ohio State will play the next few games without Ja’kobi Jackson, who is out until the Michigan game at least. 

With the bye week in the rearview, here’s my prediction for each game left on the regular-season schedule.

Week 9 at USC

This is a primetime game for Ohio State, and USC badly needs a win after an embarrassing loss to Wisconsin. With how bad the Trojans’ defense looked, I don’t think it’s going to take a ton offensively for the Buckeyes to go on the road and pick up the win. Ohio State’s defense should also have success against Lincoln Riley’s offense.

Prediction: Ohio State wins, and Buckeye Nation feels pretty good coming out of the bye week.

Week 10 vs. Oregon

Ohio State returns home Nov. 7 to face Oregon, one of the biggest disappointments in college football this season. The Ducks have three losses and just four wins, and they’re unranked after a loss to Illinois. Oregon has been without quarterback Dante Moore for several weeks since a nasty concussion against USC. Moore could be back for this game, along with Oregon’s starting wide receivers.

Oregon will be in a must-win situation going into Ohio Stadium, and Dan Lanning could be coaching for his job by that point if things keep going this badly. Ohio State coach Ryan Day doesn’t have a loss to an unranked opponent since taking over in Columbus. However, you can’t rule anything out in a spot like this, and Ohio State still has one loss it can give up.

Prediction: Oregon pulls off the upset, and fans will be worried coming out of Week 10.

Week 11 vs. Northwestern

The Buckeyes will see a familiar face when Northwestern comes to town. Former Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly is now the play caller for the Wildcats, and Northwestern has an enticing quarterback in Aidan Chiles. The Wildcats are 6-1, and this is another game where Ohio State is going to have to show up.

Prediction: The Buckeyes take care of business at home and bounce back from the Oregon loss.

Week 12 at Nebraska

Nebraska is another two-loss opponent at this point in the season. The Cornhuskers took Indiana to the end before losing by three points, and they’ve competed with everyone they’ve played. Nebraska sits just outside of the rankings. Quarterback Anthony Colandrea is one of the better quarterbacks in the Big Ten, and his ability as both a passer and a runner will be tough for the Buckeyes to defend.

Prediction: Ohio State wins and heads into the Michigan game at 9-2 in a must-win situation.

Regular-season finale vs. Michigan

Ohio State and Michigan is always a tough game no matter how many losses the Wolverines have. Michigan is a three-loss team, and it should have four when you factor in a questionable win over Western Michigan to start the season. The Wolverines are going to try to run the ball and play tough defense to win it. That likely makes this a low-scoring, defensive game unless Ohio State’s offense can still strike at a good level with Fahey at quarterback.

Prediction: Ohio State gets the job done over Michigan for a second straight year, which would be the first time that has happened under Day as head coach. The Buckeyes would then get into the College Football Playoff with a 10-2 record.

A lot can change over the final five games, and much of it rides on how quickly Fahey settles in under center. The trip to USC will be the first real look at what this offense is with a true freshman running it.