By PETE THAMEL (The New York Times) —
LOS ANGELES — As college football scripts go, this potential blockbuster never would have made it to the big screen.
With No. 1 Southern California meeting No. 5 Ohio State for the marquee event of college football’s regular season, the much-hyped matchup turned into a big-time bust.

In U.S.C.’s 35-3 mauling of the Buckeyes before 93,607 at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the characters were too familiar, the results too predictable and lack of drama too obvious.

Coupled with Georgia’s hard-won victory over South Carolina on Saturday, the Trojans established themselves as the best team in the country and the favorite to win the national title. After losses to Stanford and Oregon kept them from the national title game last season, the stars have realigned in Troy.

The impish performance by Ohio State marks the third consecutive time they have imploded on college football’s biggest stage; twice in the past two national title games, the Buckeyes have self-destructed. This performance will give them the hook from the national title race, much to the joy of the college football fans outside Big Ten country who have built up a resounding resentment toward the Buckeyes because of their big-game foibles.

U.S.C. used the stage to showcase the latest in their long line of superstars. The junior quarterback Mark Sanchez completed 17 of 28 passes for 172 yards and four touchdowns. The sophomore tailback Joe McKnight carried over from his dazzling Rose Bowl performance by rushing for 106 yards on only 12 carries.

Ohio State played without their injured star tailback, Chris (Beanie) Wells, but their biggest problem ended up being that they could not get out of their own way.

Todd Boeckman’s second-quarter interception that resulted in Rey Maualuga’s 48-yard return for a touchdown epitomized a self-destructive day for Ohio State. The score gave U.S.C. a 21-3 lead and rendered the rest of the game a formality.

It also offered a definitive image of Boeckman’s long night, because he had a perfect angle to push Maualuga out of bounds. Instead, he got tentative, looked uninterested in making the tackle and ended up planted in the turf by two Trojans. Boeckman finished 14 of 21 for 84 yards and two interceptions.

Much like Louisiana State did in the national title game in January, U.S.C.’s pash rush exposed Boeckman’s lack of mobility. Once he needs to move around, Boeckman transforms from solid college quarterback to major liability.

And if his poor performance wasn’t enough, Boeckman will most likely find himself mired in a quarterback controversy when he returns to Columbus. The true freshman Terrelle Pryor, the nation’s top quarterback recruit last season, moved the ball much more effectively than Boeckman when he was intermittently mixed in for more than a dozen snaps. Along with just how far the Buckeyes will drop in the polls, the other question hovering around them will be when Tressel will supplant Boeckman with Pryor, who finished 7 of 9 for 52 yards.

After leading, 21-3, at halftime, the Trojans poured it on in the third quarter. They outgained the Buckeyes, 135 yards to 2, and Sanchez lofted two pretty touchdown passes to Damian Williams for 24 and 17 yards. Williams was so open in the end zone on the second touchdown he could have done a cartwheel while the ball was in the air and still caught it.

The game had all the familiar trappings of a U.S.C. home game, right down to the lopsided final score. The game-time temperature was 74 degrees. From the four-jet flyover before kickoff to the parking lots jammed five hours before kickoff, the game had a red-carpet feel.

Ohio State actually led, 3-0, early on and moved the ball efficiently in the first half, mixing Pryor and Boeckman on their scoring drive.

But the Trojans took the lead for good, 7-3, thanks to a dazzling play from an old-school position. The fullback Stanley Havili caught a fingertip 35-yard pass, making Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel look like a prophet.

“Their fullback is one of the best receivers you’ll ever see,” Tressel said on Tuesday in his news conference.

Tressel saw plenty more superlative plays on Saturday. Much like Ohio State’s title game flops against Florida and Louisiana State, their early leads in those games became nothing but curious footnotes.

And much like in those games, Ohio State repeatedly shot itself in the foot on Saturday night. Two false-start penalties stymied their opening drive. On U.S.C.’s second touchdown drive, a dazzling 24-yard run by McKnight and an 11-yard pass to Havili carried them deep into Buckeye territory. But they were aided by a roughing-the-passer penalty on the Buckeyes’ Lawrence Wilson, which gave them first-and-goal from the 7. Sanchez closed out that drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Blake Ayles.

Ohio State’s signature penalty came when a holding penalty by Ben Person nullified a Boeckman touchdown pass to Brian Robiskie. Earlier in the drive, Ohio State appeared to have a first-and-goal from the 3-yard line until that play got nullified by a holding penalty on Dane Sanzenbacher. A touchdown would have cut the lead to 14-10. Instead, Ryan Pretorius missed a 46-yard field goal.

That was the last time things were competitive. As the old plot lines quickly re-emerged, U.S.C. is again the unquestioned best team in the country. And Ohio State melted down on college football’s biggest stage.

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