College Football Showdown: No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes Visit No. 1 USC Trojans

The most anticipated college football game of the season has finally arrived.  The recent play of Ohio State has diminished the game a little.  However, it will prove to be a very good game between two programs that have some of college football's best fans and traditions.

The two teams are very evenly matched on paper.  The game could be decided by a number of factors.  Here are some factors that may provide one of these teams with a victory.

 Ohio State QBs vs. USC Secondary

Todd Boeckman and Terrelle Pryor will have their hands full throwing the ball.  USC's secondary is very talented. Cary Harris, Shareece Wright, Taylor Mays, and Kevin Ellison will make it very difficult for the Buckeyes to get in a rhythm passing the ball.

Boeckman tends to struggle in these situations.  The QBs must be very prepared in this game in a hostile atmosphere.

Advantage: USC Secondary

Ohio State Defensive Line vs. USC Offensive Line

The Buckeye defensive line is led by LE Lawrence Wilson, fresh off of his broken leg last season.  Cameron Heyward looks good as well.  The DT position features a strong rotation of Dexter Larimore, Todd Denlinger, Nader Abdallah, and Doug Worthington.  They should be able to penetrate the USC line.

However, once they get their hands on Sanchez, they must tackle him.  Although not a typical dual-threat QB, Sanchez can roll out and make things happen with his legs.  Ohio State penetrated well against Ohio but failed to make tackles.

Advantage: Ohio State Defensive Line

Ohio State LBs vs. USC TEs

The Ohio State LB position is loaded.  Ross Homan, James Laurinaitis, and Marcus Freeman make up possibly the best LB trio in college football.  Only a few other teams can argue with that, including USC. 

Behind these three are multiple other players capable of making an impact.  They should be able to contain the USC TE's when they go out for a pass and should be able to get through them in a run block.

Advantage: Ohio State LB's

Ohio State Secondary vs. Mark Sanchez

The Ohio State secondary, led by All-American Malcolm Jenkins, is a good group of players.  They will work hard against talented USC receivers all day and try to prevent Mark Sanchez from making big plays. 

As long as the Buckeye defense can penetrate and disrupt Sanchez in the pocket, the secondary will have a chance to make a play on some balls.

Donald Washington needs to catch up quickly after coming back from his suspension as well as back-up safety Jamario O'Neal.

Sanchez will make some big plays with his receivers, but Ohio State needs to keep them to a minimum.

Advantage: Ohio State Secondary

Home Field Advantage

USC gets the advantage of playing this mammoth of a game at home in L.A.  The Buckeyes are used to playing in front of large crowds.  However, it isn't often they play such a huge non-conference game away from the Horseshoe.

Terrelle Pryor and other young players who contribute will be nervous.  The Buckeyes need to get the crowd out of the game early and often to have a chance.

Advantage: USC

Momentum

Ohio State is coming off a terrible performance against Ohio at home last week.  They were without Heisman candidate Chris "Beanie" Wells due to a foot injury.  Also, CB Donald Washington and S Jamario O'Neal did not play because of suspensions. 

These factors, however didn't play much of a role in the game.  Ohio State played bad as a team. 

USC, on the other hand, is coming off a bye week after dismantling Virginia.  USC has had more time to prepare but also hasn't played in two weeks.

They need to make sure there isn't any rust, while Ohio State needs to prove they've prepared for them all season, resulting in a poor performance against Ohio.

Advantage: USC

Injuries & Suspensions

Both teams have dealt with injuries.  Mark Sanchez for the Trojans injured his knee in spring training.  However he came back with only about a week of practice to have an excellent game against Virginia.  He has had two weeks to let it heal even more. 

Chris Wells for Ohio State has been cleared to play Saturday, but who knows what percent he will be.  Also, Ohio State has to deal with a couple of suspensions.  Donald Washington and Jamario O'Neal have just returned and need to play catch up if they want to contribute against USC.

Advantage: USC

X Factors

LB Trios

USC and Ohio State probably have the two best LB trios in the nation.  Both have experience and a tremendous amount of talent.  Whichever trio makes the most plays and least amount of mistakes could propel their team to a close victory. 

Turnovers

A high-profile game such as this one often comes down to turnovers.  When teams are so close in talent, they can make a big difference.  Ohio State is known for having one of the best defenses year after year, but do not produce many turnovers.  The team with the most turnovers in this game will most likely lose.

Terrelle Pryor

The highly touted freshman QB Terrelle Pryor may only see limited action on Saturday.  Ohio State coach Jim Tressel barely played him against Ohio, especially in pressure situations.  Pryor will be nervous in his first game in a hostile environment.

He'll have to do more than just run in this game as the USC LB's are good enough to stop him to a minimal gain.  If he can get loose and shake a few tackles, he could be a factor in this game.  He must be prepared because Youngstown State and Ohio's defenses combined aren't as talented as USC's.

Overall Advantage: USC slightly