Over the past few days, ESPN has decided to choose violence when it comes to hot takes on Ohio State football. First there was Dan Orlovsky just being angry that the Buckeyes have a good team, and now it's the network's betting analyst Pamela Maldonado, who has an interesting thought on Julian Sayin.
As Maldonado would explain, Sayin is basically too boring to win the Trophy and, because Ohio State is so good, he needs to do something to "grab" voters.
ESPN's Pamela Maldonado on Julian Sayin's Heisman case:
— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) November 14, 2025
"The gist is that Ohio State winning alone is not enough. Voters need to feel something and right now he has zero emotional imprint on the season. He's efficient, clean, and technically superior, but where's the drama?" pic.twitter.com/mlE9cVOPBo
Sayin is too busy winning to offer up moments
When I read that passage, I think that Sayin would agree with Maldonado because he is not trying to be exciting or grip voters on an emotional level. He has made it pretty clear that the Heisman Trophy or any individual award isn't the ultimate goal for him or the Buckeyes this season.
And in the process of being a dominant team, there aren't many "Heisman" moments. If Maldonado or someone else wants to say that Fernando Mendoza had his "Heisman" moment last week against Penn State, that's fine and that's good for him. At that moment, Indiana needed him to be great to continue their undefeated season.
Sayin has been great all season and in nearly every minute of each game. His "Heisman" moment isn't one drive, it's one month when he completed well over 80 percent of his passes with a 13-0 TD-to-INT ratio. If those numbers don't grip Heisman voters, that's not Sayin's fault.
The blowback from ES(EC)PN should be expected
This has to be tough for the ESPN decision makers to take. They know the Buckeyes are the best team in the country, but they have to continue to push that SEC narrative. "Buckeyes win too much? They must be overrated." "Sure, Julian is very good, but he's not FUN!"
The thought of broadcasting another Ohio State championship trophy celebration on their network has to keep those ESPN people up late at night. But the good news is the Buckeyes are not worried about the outside noise or a network that's publicly rooting against them. For them, it's simply the cost of being the boss.