It looks like the deck is stacked against Ohio State this weekend. The game is in Columbus, but nearly every analyst, even myself, thinks that USC will win this game. The Trojans have owned this series the last six games and the USC Hall-of-Famers will be in town to intimidate the home crowd. Here are a few things that Ohio State can do if they want to come out victorious.

Stack The Box And Make Matt Barkley Throw – USC is loaded in the backfield and they usually don’t fair well against teams who run the ball effectively. If they can stack the box and keep Joe McKnight and C.J. Gable from running the ball, they can force the freshman quarterback to pass the ball. If they can make USC a one-dimensional team, maybe they have a chance.

Unveil The Trick Plays – I know Ohio State isn’t known for their trick plays, but if you can pull one off early, you will get their defense guessing. The linebacking corps is young and does not have much in-game college experience. If you can get them to shoot a wrong gap or get them going in an opposite direction, maybe Boom Herron, Brandon Saine, or Jaamal Berry can get into the secondary. Pryor’s elusiveness could make a trick play turn into something special. Maybe a halfback pass to Pryor?….Okay, I’m now just speculating.

Put A Laxative In Taylor Mays’ Gatorade – The guy is a stud safety and if they want to pass over the top on USC, Mays needs to be out of the game. I don’t endorse this action, but if they want any deep passing game, he can’t be in the equation.

Put Ray Small’s Jersey On Ted Ginn Jr. – Ginn Jr. has a game on Sunday, but you’re Ohio State, you have access to airplanes! Ray Small has been a disappointment, since he was supposed to turn into a Ted Ginn clone, but that has not happened. If Small is looking a little bigger on Saturday….I’m just saying.

Damage Ohio Stadium And Demand The Game Is Played In December – I think it’s ridiculous that USC never plays a team in cold weather. When Notre Dame plays at USC, it’s one of the last games of the year, but when USC visits South Bend, IN, the game is in early October. If USC ever played in the snow, they would lose about two touchdowns off of their average point total.

Those are only a few ways that Ohio State has a legitimate shot at beating USC. I could have written a post on “How USC Can Beat Ohio State,” but unfortunately it would be very short and most likely read “Arrive In Columbus, Put On Shoes.”