Ohio State has looked like a juggernaut for most of the season, steamrolling opponents on both sides of the ball. Outside of a tightly contested Big Ten Championship game against Indiana, the Buckeyes have been flat-out dominant - a team with few visible cracks and a roster loaded with talent at every level.
Defensively, they’ve been historic. This group doesn’t just slow teams down - it suffocates them.
Offensively, they’ve got firepower everywhere: elite receivers, a strong run game, and a quarterback who, for most of the year, played well beyond his experience level. And leading it all is a head coach who has built a program that expects to compete for - and win - national titles every year.
But as we turn the page to the College Football Playoff, there’s one storyline that deserves a closer look: Julian Sayin.
Sayin, a redshirt freshman, has been impressive for most of the season. Taking over the reins of an offense with two alpha receivers in Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate is no easy task, but Sayin handled it with poise and precision. In nine Big Ten regular season games, he had zero turnovers in seven of them - a remarkable stat for a young QB navigating the pressure cooker of major college football.
Still, the last two games have raised a few eyebrows.
Sayin has thrown interceptions in back-to-back outings - one against Michigan, one against Indiana in the Big Ten title game. Neither pick swung the game dramatically.
Michigan only turned theirs into three points in a 27-9 Buckeye blowout. Indiana also capitalized with a field goal, but in a much closer contest, those three points proved to be the margin in the conference championship.
Now, let’s be clear - Sayin hasn’t suddenly become turnover-prone. He’s thrown six interceptions all season, which, in the grand scheme, is hardly a red flag.
But in the Playoff, everything gets magnified. One mistake can be the difference between moving on and going home.
And when you’re the quarterback on a team loaded with championship expectations, every decision - every throw - carries weight.
The question isn’t whether Sayin is capable. We’ve seen him be the guy.
Early in the season, he made winning plays, showed command of the offense, and elevated the talent around him. But as the lights get brighter and the stakes rise, the Buckeyes need him to return to that form.
Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are going to do what they do - make plays, stretch defenses, and tilt the field in Ohio State’s favor. But for this team to repeat as national champions, Sayin has to be more than just steady. He has to be a difference-maker again.
The Buckeyes have the most complete roster in the 12-team Playoff field. They’ve got the defense, the weapons, the coaching - everything you need to win it all.
But in the end, it’s going to come down to the quarterback. Can Sayin rise to the moment and lead this team to another title?
That answer may very well determine whether college football crowns a repeat champion this season.