When you keep the main thing the main thing, you are bound to have a good time. The vibes are high in Columbus for Julian Sayin and the rest of the Ohio State Buckeyes. They are one of four teams who have made both 12-team College Football Playoffs, winning the first one two years ago. Ohio State is on a shortlist of teams who could realistically win it all, in part because of Sayin's play at quarterback.
However, ESPN's Greg McElroy clearly prefers Oregon's Dante Moore over him for this weird reason...
"I think Dante Moore might outplay Julian Sayin this year. I still don't know if he'll have enough to win the Heisman Trophy. Because I look at Moore's numbers, he might throw up 3,400 yards and put up 35 touchdowns on an offense that averages 40 points a game. He could be the most dynamic quarterback in college football by October."
Moore may put up numbers, but why should we trust Drew Mehringer to be as great as Will Stein was?
"I think Dante Moore might outplay Julian Sayin this year."@GregMcElroy sees potential for a BIG year for the @oregonfootball QB, who comes in as the No. 2 QB in CFB 🦆#GoDucks pic.twitter.com/CR8bLN3uHR
— Always College Football (@AlwaysCFB) April 29, 2026
It should be noted that Sayin was a Heisman finalist a year ago, the only one returning to college, too.
Julian Sayin has proven more at the college level than Dante Moore has
This is the latest rendition of silly season in college football. With the NFL Draft over with and done, as is spring practice for the most part, this is when pundits like McElroy start firing off their bold takes. Moore is a fine quarterback for the Ducks, but he is going to be asked to do more for Oregon than Sayin will at Ohio State. That may help him win the Heisman Trophy, or it could potentially crush him...
Whether you prefer Moore, Sayin, Texas' Arch Manning, or some other high-end quarterback entirely, Sayin has three things working for him that other contenders simply do not. He plays for a national championship-winning head coach in Ryan Day. Sayin gets to throw the football to the best wide receiver in college in Jeremiah Smith. Plus, he has already been on the Heisman voters' radar before.
While we should expect Moore and Manning to lead their juggernaut teams to the playoff next season too, Sayin is the one who may be more cool, calm, and collected in the big moments. Moore shrinks in the key spots. Manning is too frenetic in a collapsing pocket to be trusted to run the playoff gauntlet for the time being. And that leaves us with Sayin, the one who may be built to do everything he wants.
McElroy may prefer Moore over Sayin, but what have we seen out of the Ducks star to ever trust him?
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