Luke Fahey is expected to make his first start for No. 2 Ohio State at USC

Ohio State is expected to start true freshman Luke Fahey at quarterback when the No. 2 Buckeyes visit USC at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, according to On3's Pete Nakos and the Columbus Dispatch. Ryan Day spent the week refusing to name a starter between Fahey and sophomore Tavien St. Clair, so the first official word will come at kickoff on NBC.

Fahey replaces Julian Sayin, who hurt his throwing arm in the 19-15 win at Indiana on Oct. 17. The Mission Viejo native has thrown 13 college passes, completing nine for 203 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, per ESPN. He beat out St. Clair for the backup job in training camp, the Associated Press reported.

Tale of the tape

All figures are season averages from ESPN's game page.

• Record: Ohio State 6-1 (4-0 Big Ten). USC 6-2 (3-2).
• Scoring: Ohio State 39.3 points a game, USC 32.8.
• Points allowed: Ohio State 13.4, USC 25.0.
• Total defense: Ohio State allows 264.3 yards, sixth in the country per the AP. USC allows 331.3.
• Passing offense: Ohio State 323.1 yards a game, USC 303.5.
• Starting QB production: Sayin threw 19 touchdowns and four interceptions before his injury. USC's Jayden Maiava has 2,302 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions.
• Top receiver: Jeremiah Smith has 52 catches for 984 yards and 12 touchdowns. USC's Kayden Dixon-Wyatt has 443 yards and four scores.
• Top rusher: Bo Jackson has 516 yards for Ohio State. King Miller has 602 for USC.

The edge that matters most tonight sits on Ohio State's side. No defense in the country allows fewer than the Buckeyes' 5.2 yards per pass attempt, according to the AP, and USC just scored seven points at Wisconsin, the fewest ever by a Lincoln Riley team. Neither offense runs it well. Ohio State averages 4.0 yards a carry and USC 3.9, so the game probably comes down to which quarterback makes fewer mistakes.

The venue

This is Ohio State's first trip to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since 2008, and the first meeting of the two programs since the Buckeyes' 24-7 Cotton Bowl win in 2017. The Coliseum is sold out. Ohio State is USC's highest-ranked home opponent since No. 1 Notre Dame in 2012, and the Trojans have lost four straight home games against top-five teams. Maiava has been at his best there, completing nearly 70% of his passes at home with 13 touchdowns, though he has thrown an interception in each of USC's last three games.

DraftKings has Ohio State favored by 6.5 with a total of 50.5.

What to watch: Whether Day lets Fahey throw on early downs or leans on the defense and Smith. A loss would put a dent in Ohio State's playoff seeding. A USC win would be the biggest of Riley's five seasons.