Week 8 has turned into a Big Ten quarterback watch party, and Ohio State is right in the middle of it.
The Buckeyes are off this week, but the attention around Columbus hasn’t gone anywhere. Julian Sayin’s arm injury at Indiana last week left Ohio State searching for answers, and the job is now up for grabs between freshman Luke Fahey and sophomore Tavien St.
Clair. At the same time, Michigan is dealing with a very different kind of quarterback mess.
Bryce Underwood, the former five-star who arrived with the Wolverines’ 2025 class, has been benched, and freshman Tommy Carr is reportedly in line to start this week.
That makes Indiana at Michigan one of the most important games on the board for Buckeye fans. No.
6 Indiana comes in after Ohio State ended the Hoosiers’ 22-game winning streak last week, and the way Indiana responds could shape its Big Ten Championship Game path. Michigan, meanwhile, is trying to stabilize after beating Penn State to get to 4-2, but the offense has been stuck in a low gear all season.
The Wolverines still haven’t topped 21 points against a Power Four opponent.
There’s plenty more worth watching beyond Ann Arbor, starting with Pitt at No. 1 Miami.
The Hurricanes climbed to the top of the AP poll this week, though they needed two overtimes and some officiating help to get past unranked Florida State at home. The question now is whether that was just a strange night or a sign Miami is being ranked a little too high.
Pitt hasn’t exactly been surging either after back-to-back losses to North Carolina and Boston College.
No. 8 Texas Tech also lands on the must-watch list with a trip to Cincinnati.
BYU may sit second in the country, but the Red Raiders are right there with the Cougars in betting odds to win the Big 12, which is why the league is looking more and more like a two-bid conference unless somebody stumbles. Cincinnati has a chance to do some damage after starting 4-0, then dropping two straight road games.
Back home, the Bearcats could shake up the playoff picture with an upset.
Oregon’s visit to Illinois could carry real elimination stakes for the Ducks. Ohio State’s Week 10 opponent has had a rough season, with a nonconference loss at Oklahoma State, an injury to quarterback Dante Moore two weeks later, and another defeat at UCLA on Oct.
- Since Moore went down, the offense has struggled to find itself.
Illinois, coming off a 38-point showing at Michigan State, could make that a bigger problem.
The Big Ten race is crowded everywhere you look, and Iowa at Minnesota fits that picture. UCLA and Ohio State are the only undefeated teams in conference play, but seven teams are sitting just one game back. Iowa bounced back from its Oct. 3 loss to Ohio State with a win at Washington, while Minnesota is trying to recover from a loss at Purdue and get a ranked win after its bye.
Michigan State also gets a tough road assignment at No. 9 UCLA.
The Bruins remain the lone undefeated team across the Big Ten and SEC and have been one of the season’s biggest surprises under coach Bob Chesney in his first year. UCLA lost quarterback Nico Iamaleava for the season, yet still beat Wisconsin at home last week.
If the Bruins want to stay on the CFP track, they need to keep handling games like this one along with Nevada, Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan.
Texas A&M at No. 13 Alabama has the feel of a swing game for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama was 5-0 after blowing out Mississippi State three weeks ago, and since then it hasn’t won again. Another loss would put the playoff hopes in serious danger and only sharpen the pressure on coach Kalen DeBoer, who came into the season already under a heavy spotlight.
Texas A&M, at 4-3, has the chance to make that heat even hotter.
No. 11 Tennessee is trying to avoid becoming the SEC’s next cautionary tale after beating rival Alabama 26-10 to move to 6-1. The Vols now head to South Carolina, a team sitting in the bottom third of the league standings, with another chance to keep themselves in the CFP conversation.
Later in the day, No. 7 Ole Miss visits No.
19 Texas in a game that says plenty about where both programs are right now. Texas beat Ohio State in a historic comeback in Week 2, but since then the Longhorns have dropped back-to-back games to Florida and Oklahoma.
Arch Manning and Steve Sarkisian are staring at another disappointing season, and Ole Miss, led by quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, has a shot to pile on.
The night ends with No. 16 USC at Wisconsin, which should give Ohio State another useful look ahead.
USC looked shaky after its Sept. 26 loss to Oregon, but the Trojans have since bounced back with wins over Washington and at Penn State to get to 6-1. Wisconsin, meanwhile, has exceeded preseason expectations under Luke Fickell and could give the Trojans a real test before Ohio State sees them next.
In Other News...
Urban Meyer Just Turned Up Pressure On Ohio State's QB Decision
With Julian Sayin sidelined by injury, Ohio States quarterback picture has suddenly become a lot more complicated, and Urban Meyer is the latest voice weighing in on how the Buckeyes should sort through it. The former Buckeyes coach said Tavien St. Clair should be next in line to play, adding another layer of scrutiny to a spot that was already under the microscope as Ryan Day and his staff work through their options.
The timing matters because Ohio State is using the bye week to let St. Clair and Fahey compete for the job, with the staff trying to identify the best player to steer the offense forward. For a program built on championship expectations, the decision carries real weight, and Meyers comments only sharpen the focus on how quickly the Buckeyes need to settle on a direction. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Day Fuels A Bigger Ohio State Officiating Debate
Ryan Day made it clear after Ohio States recent game against Indiana that he was still bothered by what he saw from the officials. The Buckeyes coach pointed to multiple missed pass interference calls, including one involving Jeremiah Smith, and said the overall quality of the officiating hurt his team. For a program used to every detail being scrutinized, that kind of postgame frustration tends to linger well beyond the final whistle.
Days comments also add another layer to a familiar part of the conversation around Ohio State, where one close call can quickly become a bigger debate about consistency and standards. His criticism was not limited to a single sequence, either, but to the broader issue of how the game was handled. Whether the league responds or not, it is the sort of complaint that keeps replaying in the aftermath of a tight game. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Quarterback Battle Just Got Real For Luke Fahey
Luke Faheys first real taste of college game action did not come easily against Indiana. After stepping in for the injured starting quarterback, the Ohio State quarterback failed to complete a pass and also drew a penalty, an uneven debut that immediately underscored how steep the learning curve can be once the lights come on for real.
Even so, Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith left the door wide open for Fahey during the upcoming bye week. Both coaches emphasized his work ethic and upside, and Day said Fahey and Tavien St. Clair will get reps as the Buckeyes sort through the position, with the job going to the quarterback who gives them the best chance to win. [Read more 🡒]