Sayin Injury Puts Ohio State’s Playoff Route at Risk

Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin injured his right shoulder in the fourth quarter of the Buckeyes’ 19-15 win over Indiana on Oct. 17. Head coach Ryan Day said Sayin will likely miss “several weeks.” True freshman Luke Fahey is set to take over before Ohio State’s road game against No. 16 USC, leaving the No. 3-ranked Buckeyes to prepare for a major playoff-race matchup with a new quarterback.

A new quarterback before USC

Indiana defensive lineman Mario Landino sacked Sayin and forced a fumble. Sayin hurt his shoulder when he hit the ground, favored his right arm, went to the locker room, then returned a few minutes later with his arm in a sling. Day said he didn’t have further details about the injury.

“We’ll regroup. We’ve got a good team,” Day said. “When Luke’s in there, we just may need to do things just a little bit differently, but the bye week gives us a chance to regroup on that and put our heads together.”

Fahey replaced Sayin against Indiana and went 0-for-2 passing, though he drew a penalty that extended a Buckeyes drive. The bye-week practice reps will give him more time with the offense. He’s still a true freshman with limited college experience.

Ohio State’s victory ended Indiana’s 22-game winning streak in Bloomington. With about a minute remaining, Indiana appeared to tie the game when Josh Hoover passed to Nick Marsh in the end zone, but Marsh’s foot landed out of bounds. Ohio State held on, leaving Indiana ranked No. 5 and the Buckeyes No. 3 in that week’s AP Top 25 Poll.

Playoff stakes shift

The 12-team College Football Playoff means neither team would typically be eliminated from contention by the result. But Sayin’s uncertain absence could change the immediate route for both Ohio State and USC. The Buckeyes would be sizable favorites over USC if Sayin were available, while the Trojans, ranked No. 16, sit on the playoff bubble.

USC could move into the top 10 by beating Wisconsin and Ohio State with Fahey playing. The Trojans have a suffocating defense, but they’ve struggled to win big games under Lincoln Riley, the article said. USC is seeking its first College Football Playoff appearance in Riley’s tenure. The article described the Trojans’ prospective home crowd at the LA Coliseum as sold-out and hostile.

If Sayin can’t return after the USC game, Ohio State would host Oregon. The matchup no longer looked like the preseason battle of top-five teams, but Oregon has an extremely talented defense and pulled out an impressive win over a very good Nebraska team even with backup quarterbacks. Ranked Northwestern would then visit Columbus before Ohio State travels to Lincoln to play Nebraska and hosts Michigan for “The Game.”

A wider race remains open

The extent of Sayin’s absence remains unclear without further injury details. A home loss to Oregon could leave Ohio State outside the top 12. USC wins over Wisconsin and Ohio State could give the Trojans a path into the top 10. Those results could open places for more SEC or Big 12 teams, or Iowa, whose closing schedule was described as relatively favorable compared with other leading programs in those conferences.

Other Week 7 results also altered the rankings picture. BYU beat Notre Dame amid a controversial last-second game-clock issue; Auburn beat heavily favored Georgia in Athens; Florida upset Texas in Austin after another disappointing performance from Arch Manning; Tennessee beat Alabama at home, holding the Crimson Tide offense to 10 points; and Miami beat Florida State amid questionable officiating. Miami moved to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 Poll.

Nearly half the season’s games remain. Ohio State could still beat USC on the road with a backup quarterback, and Sayin could return by the first week of November, keeping the Buckeyes on course for the Big Ten Championship Game. For now, Ohio State enters the USC and Oregon games with a true freshman quarterback, while the playoff picture remains unsettled.