Ohio State could be without star quarterback Julian Sayin for the remainder of the season, which could be a major blow to its national championship hopes.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday that Sayin will be out “indefinitely” and that could include the remainder of the season. No. 3 Ohio State will give Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair first-team snaps this week during the bye week before its next game against No. 16 USC on Oct. 31.
“Depending on the nature of the injury, we come up with a plan for him not to be available for the regular season and also not to be available for the playoffs,” Day said. “If he is not able to return this fall, we are developing a plan for that as well.”
2026 CFP bracket projection: How Julian Sayin’s uncertain status could reshape Ohio State’s playoff path
John Talty
Sayin injured his arm in the fourth quarter of the Buckeyes’ 19-15 win over Indiana on Saturday. If Sayin is out for the rest of the regular season, he would miss games against No. 16 USC, Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan. Before the injury, Sayin ranked third nationally in passing yards (2,007) and touchdowns (19).
Impact on PCP seedlings
The undefeated Buckeyes are in a prime position to make the College Football Playoff – they are the No. 2 seed in the standings. CBS Sports CFP Bracket Projections – but the selection committee will take into account the impact of no Sayin.
The CFP protocol takes into account “the unavailability of key players and coaches who may have affected a team’s performance during the season or will likely affect its performance in the playoffs.”
If Ohio State’s game suffers without Sayin, that could have an impact.
If Sayin is indeed out for the season, that could have an impact.
How long will Sayin’ be gone?
If Sayin’s progress improves and he is able to return this season — a seemingly unlikely proposition given Day’s comments Tuesday — Ohio State would likely be given the benefit of the doubt if it lost a game that Fahey or St. Clair started against USC or Oregon. Conversely, this defeat would take on even more meaning if Fahey were to start for the rest of the season.
Think of it this way: it would almost be like the selection committee was evaluating different teams. There’s Ohio State with Sayin and Ohio State without Sayin. If the latter situation seems significantly worse than the former, it could have a significant impact.
This is a situation worth monitoring if Ohio State stays the course as a leading playoff contender. If Florida State’s playoff situation with Jordan Travis in 2023 has taught us anything, it’s that a top team can be penalized if it’s missing a key piece of its offense. The undefeated Seminoles missed the four-team playoff in 2023 after Travis suffered a season-ending injury that the committee said impacted FSU’s prospects. If Ohio State doesn’t look the same without Sayin, there’s already precedent for the Buckeyes to be penalized.
There’s still a lot to like about Ohio State, from Heisman Trophy favorite Jeremiah Smith to one of the best defenses in the country that holds opponents to 13.4 points per game. But how the selection committee views Ohio State without Sayin is now the most interesting subplot of the College Football Playoff as the calendar turns to the second half of the season.
Gn sports
