There is an entirely real scenario in which Ohio State finishes this season 6-6, its potential worst campaign since 2011 (6-7), after beginning it ranked preseason No. 1 in the nation. That would be an insane collapse of epic proportions, but a lot of folks are going to be too quick to blame quarterback Julian Sayin's injury as the cause for the slide so far.
The junior starter's throwing arm was bent in an unnatural way in the fourth quarter of Ohio State's dramatic 19-15 escape over defending champions Indiana. Freshman third-stringer Luke Fahey was called on to complete the game, but he looked shell-shocked, which nearly allowed the Hoosiers to complete the comeback.
Fahey played incredibly average in the Buckeyes' 30-18 loss to USC the following week and even worse in the 41-28 drubbing by Oregon on Saturday. However, there's absolutely no plausible way the program's first consecutive regular season losses in 15 campaigns can be blamed on just him.
Ohio State's 2026 collapse falls on more shoulders than backup QB's
Even with Sayin under center, Ohio State wasn't invincible. The Buckeyes blew a 23-3 fourth quarter lead to then-No. 4 Texas back in Week 2. The defense went completely limp while the offense failed to score on just one drive in the final 15 minutes. That lifeless defense reared its ugly head the last two games and surrendered 71 points.
And that same offense, which rebounded across the next four weeks before Sayin's injury, leaned heavily on star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The once-Heisman Trophy favorite was breaking career records left and right across the first half of the campaign and now his contributions haven't meant squat across the last two games.
Smith totaled 17 receptions for 216 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Fahey's two starts. That's WR1 production, but he's not going to win games for the Buckeyes all on his own. Their rushing attack has also mostly flatlined, finding the end zone just twice since that fateful Indiana game.
If fans are going to focus just the passing attack (or lack thereof), head coach Ryan Day deserves more blame than Fahey. Day has a five-star recruit in Tavien St. Clair who was originally listed ahead of Fahey on the depth chart before the USC game. If St. Clair still isn't ready to start and Fahey is playing this poorly, that's just bad coaching and/or bad recruiting. Poor QB depth in the Big Ten should be a fireable offense.
It's more likely than not that Ohio State figures out a way to beat Northwestern and Nebraska across the next two weeks. However, if a three- (or more) loss Michigan team beats the Buckeyes and they miss the CFP for the first time ever, then Day's job could (and should) be on the line. There's just been too many excuses and not enough results.
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