Ohio State officially claimed the top spot in the Big Ten Power Rankings this week, but don’t let that 19-15 win over Indiana fool you: quarterback Julian Sayin injured his throwing arm and could miss the rest of the season. This isn’t just a bump in the road; it’s a brutal gut punch for a team that was finally looking like a clear frontrunner in a wild college football year.
The Buckeye Backfield’s Big Problem
That win at Indiana was hard-fought, and frankly, a bit of a nail-biter, surviving by only a foot out of bounds. It should have been a clear path to the Big Ten title game and the College Football Playoff for the Buckeyes. Instead, we’re talking about a season-ending injury to their starting quarterback. Sayin’s loss is absolutely devastating for their title hopes, and let’s not forget how it crushes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith’s Heisman hopes too. They turned to freshman Luke Fahey against Indiana, and he threw a couple of incompletions. Now, Tavien St. Clair is also getting first-team reps as Ohio State uses their bye week to figure out who’s going to be under center. Talk about high stakes. When they hit the field on Halloween against USC, we’ll see if this offense can even remain a title-contending unit without Sayin. For now, the Buckeyes are leaning hard on their run game and a defense that’s been absolutely fantastic. Having a star like Smith to target will definitely help whoever gets the nod, but man, this is a tough break.
Big Ten’s Brutal QB Curse Is Real
It’s not just Ohio State suffering, either. Quarterback injuries have become a sickeningly common theme at the top of the Big Ten this season. Sayin joins UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava as another starter on a contender to suffer a potentially season-ending injury. And let’s not forget Oregon, who’s been without Dante Moore since he took a concussion against USC earlier this year. It’s a real gauntlet for these teams right now, and finding depth at the most important position on the field is proving nearly impossible. UCLA, for their part, handled Wisconsin last week, but even that game showed their offense struggling to get the rushing attack going, putting a ton of pressure on Ty Dieffenbach. He performed well, which has gotta raise confidence in Westwood, but the trend of losing starting QBs is just insane this year.
This whole situation makes Ohio State’s hold on that #1 spot feel incredibly tenuous. We’re all going to be glued to our screens on Halloween when Ohio State faces USC to see if they can navigate this absolute nightmare at quarterback. Can they stay at the top? Or will this injury derail everything? It’s going to be wild.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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