Ohio State’s march toward the College Football Playoff took a hit Tuesday, and it came in the form of a quarterback injury that could ripple all the way through the Buckeyes’ postseason picture.
Ryan Day said Julian Sayin is out “indefinitely,” and that timeline could stretch through the rest of the season. With No.
3 Ohio State heading into a bye week before its Oct. 31 matchup with No. 16 USC, the Buckeyes are set to split first-team reps between Luke Fahey and Tavien St.
Clair this week.
“Based on the nature of the injury we are putting together a plan for him not being available for the regular season and him also not being available for the postseason,” Day said. “If he's not able to return this fall, we're putting together a plan for that, as well.”
Sayin was injured in the fourth quarter of Ohio State’s 19-15 win over Indiana on Saturday. If he does not return before the regular season ends, the Buckeyes would be without him against USC, Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan. Before going down, Sayin ranked third nationally in passing yards with 2,007 and in touchdowns with 19.
The loss doesn’t just change Ohio State’s offense. It could also shape how the selection committee sizes up the Buckeyes when it comes time to set the playoff field. Ohio State is undefeated and sitting in a strong position, currently the No. 2 seed in CBS Sports’ CFP bracket projections, but the committee’s protocol includes considering “the unavailability of key players and coaches that may have affected a team's performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance.”
That’s the wrinkle now. If Ohio State’s production dips without Sayin, it can matter. If he’s out for good, it can matter even more.
There is still a path for Sayin to return, though Day’s comments made that feel like a long shot. And if he does come back, Ohio State would likely get some leeway if it were to drop a game with Fahey or St.
Clair at the controls, whether that’s against USC or Oregon. But if one of those quarterbacks is viewed as the starter for the rest of the way, a loss takes on a different weight.
In practical terms, the committee could end up evaluating two versions of Ohio State: the version with Sayin and the version without him. If the team looks significantly different, that difference could carry real consequences.
There’s already a recent example of a top team getting dinged when a key offensive piece was lost. Florida State’s 2023 playoff snub, after Jordan Travis suffered a season-ending injury, serves as the cautionary tale. If Ohio State’s offense doesn’t look the same without Sayin, the Buckeyes could be vulnerable to the same kind of treatment.
Even with the uncertainty at quarterback, Ohio State still has plenty going for it. Jeremiah Smith is in the Heisman Trophy conversation, and the defense has been one of the nation’s best, giving up just 13.4 points per game. But as the season moves into its second half, the biggest CFP question around the Buckeyes may no longer be how high they can climb.
It may be how the committee judges them if Sayin isn’t there.
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