Tale of the Tape: Ohio State-USC
The Collision in the Coliseum on Saturday night (ABC, 8 p.m. ET) is the kind of highfalutin' intersectional game that doesn't come along every year. When you bring together two programs with this much old-school tradition and right-now talent, it's a true heavyweight matchup. And we all know that heavyweight bouts cannot be fought until we have a tale of the tape. Read on:
| Tale of the Tape: Ohio State-USC | ||
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| All-Time Record | 800-303-53 | 755-302-54 |
| All-Time Wins (Rank) | 5th | 10th |
|
National Titles (AP or Coaches) |
5 | 7 |
| Conference Titles | 32 | 37 |
| AP Top 10 Finishes | 29 | 26 |
| Most Consecutive Years With AP Top 10 Finish | 5 (1972-76) | 6 (Current) |
| Heisman Winners | 7 | 7 |
| First-Team All-Americans | 172 | 150 |
| First-Round Draft Picks | 64 | 72 |
| Stadium Capacity | 102,329 | 92,000 |
| Rose Bowl Record | 6-7 | 23-9 |
| Head To Head | 9-11-1 | 11-9-1 |
| Best Bragging Right |
1969 Rose Bowl OSU 27, USC 16 |
1973 Rose Bowl USC 42, OSU 17 |
| Coach Since 2001 | Jim Tressel | Pete Carroll |
| Last Thing He'd Do | Swim a race against Will Ferrell | Wear a tie and a sweater vest in game |
| Record since 2001 | 75-16 | 77-14 |
| Archrival | Michigan or Michigan | UCLA or Notre Dame |
| Favorite Punching Bag | Charlie Bauman | Washington State (55-8-4) |
| Average Annual Temperature | 52 | 63 |
| Dark Period | 1988-2000, 2-10-1 vs. Michigan | 1983-95, 0-12-1 vs. Notre Dame |
| Program Patriarch | Woody Hayes (1951-78) | John McKay (1960-75) |
| Offense back in the day | Three yards and a cloud of dust | Student body right/left |
| Worst Coach | David Edwards, 1-7-1 (1887) | Don Clark, 13-16-1 (1957-59) |
| Entertainment Groupies | Rascal Flatts, Dead Schembechlers | Will Ferrell, Snoop Dogg |
| Famous White Bronco | Randy Gradishar | Driven by Al Cowlings |
| Loved Him Then | Maurice Clarett | Reggie Bush |
| Not So Much Now | Maurice Clarett | Reggie Bush |
| Practice | Open rarely | Open daily |
| Fan Salutation | "O-H" ... "I-O" | "Fight On!" |
| Best Blocker | Orlando Pace | Anthony Munoz |
| Hardest Hitter | Jack Tatum | Ronnie Lott |
| Don't Mention | Art Schlichter | O.J. Simpson |
| In-Game Music | "Hang On Sloopy" | "All Right Now" |
| Mascot | Brutus Buckeye | Traveler |
| Favorite Letter | Sousaphone-dotted i | Hand-formed V |
| Two Hated Words | Southeastern Conference | Lloyd Lake |
| You Really Lost To ... | Ron Zook | Tavita Pritchard |
| Still Have Nightmares About ... | Vince Young | Vince Young |
| Haters Call Them | THE Obnoxious State University | The University of Spoiled Children |
| Iconic Sweater | Tressel's vest | Song Girls' turtlenecks |
Pat Forde is a senior writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at ESPN4D@aol.com.
Showdown In The Coliseum
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National championships. Heisman winners. Storied histories. Ohio State and USC seem to have it all. No wonder their Saturday meeting (ABC, 8 p.m. ET) is a hot ticket. Showdown In The Coliseum
No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 1 USC
• Maisel: Rules of attraction
• Forde: Tale of the tape
• Rittenberg: OSU's athletic LB tag team
• Miller: USC's physical force
• Fowler: Bucking the trend
• I-Formation: Deep impact at USC
• Forde: Dash of excitement
• Schlabach: QBs under the microscope
Blog Network
• Trackin' the Buckeyes
• Trackin' the Trojans
Scouts' Preview 
• Which team has the edge?
• Pryor is Ohio State's X-factor
• McShay: Plenty of prospects
• Who Has The Edge At QB?
• Who Has The Edge At RB?
• Expectations for Mark Sanchez
• Which Ohio State team will show up?
• Field Pass: Beanie Wells
• ESPN Road Trip: Day 2
SportsNation
• Vote: Ohio State or USC?
