I give Sam Khan and Antonio Morales a ton of credit for putting together a complete ranking of the projected starters around the country. I know that took a ton of work, so props to them.<\/p>\n
Sayin is ranked No. 32, in the fourth tier, which includes a variety of young, unproven starters. He hasn\u2019t played a snap yet, so it\u2019s hard to say exactly what he\u2019d need to do to reach the \u201cgreat\u201d level you ask about. I think we have to be careful comparing what Sayin needs to do this year versus what other quarterbacks have had to do historically for Ohio State.<\/p>\n
Will Howard won a national championship while throwing for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns in a program-record 16 games. He finished 23rd in the FBS in passing yards per game and third in pass efficiency, but he\u2019s not on the Mount Rushmore of Ryan Day quarterbacks in terms of talent. He did do a terrific job of doing everything Day asked of him.<\/p>\n
So does Sayin need to be a top-10 quarterback for Ohio State to have a great year? I don\u2019t think so. If he becomes that, then there\u2019s little doubt Ohio State will be a contender, but I think the Buckeyes can achieve that even without Sayin reaching that mark in his first season starting.<\/p>\n
Day and new play caller Brian Hartline aren\u2019t going to tell Sayin to throw the ball 35 times a game and live and die by his arm talent; they\u2019ll scheme things that work for him and the talent around him. He doesn\u2019t have to be an out-of-this-world quarterback to get the ball in the hands of Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss and Max Klare, either.<\/p>\n
What he does have to do is take care of the ball.<\/p>\n
Only one Day-coached quarterback has thrown double-digit interceptions in a year \u2014 that was Howard, who threw 10 in an expanded season \u2014 so that trend will need to continue.<\/p>\n
If Sayin can limit turnovers, Ohio State will be in a good position. Let\u2019s just keep expectations for a redshirt freshman in check, even if he was a five-star recruit.<\/p>\n
What do you consider a successful season this year? Beating the team up north? Making the natty? Big Ten championship? A combination? \u2014 Matt T.<\/p>\n
Speaking of expectations, I think it\u2019s a combination.<\/p>\n
The standard at Ohio State is always 10 wins in the regular season, at minimum. But I\u2019d say the No. 1 priority right now is beating Michigan after four losses in a row in the rivalry<\/a>. From there, I think whether Ohio State wins the Big Ten title or not doesn\u2019t matter a ton as long as it makes at least a Playoff quarterfinal appearance again. That\u2019s the baseline for a successful season, to me, with so much turnover on the roster.<\/p>\n Then you take that experience and make a run for another national title in 2026.<\/p>\n How fast before OSU overtakes Penn State in the rankings? I\u2019ve never seen a team so overhyped. Drew Allar folds under pressure in every big game. Would you rather your team had Allar this year or Sayin? This year only. \u2014 G.R.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a given that Penn State will be ranked ahead of Ohio State in the preseason AP and coaches polls, though our Stewart Mandel did have the Nittany Lions No. 2, two spots ahead of the Buckeyes, in his post-spring Top 25<\/a>, so we\u2019ll see in a few weeks.<\/p>\n Regardless, if Ohio State beats Texas to open the year, it\u2019ll be the No. 1 team in the country going into the Grambling State game. Penn State doesn\u2019t play anyone of note until Oregon on Sept. 27.<\/p>\n
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