The undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes remain the No. 1 team in the country through seven games, having added the Wisconsin Badgers to their list of victims via a 34-0 blowout win at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison on Saturday.
NBC Sports' Nicole Auerbach agrees with Buckeye Nation that OSU is deserving of more respect than they get, but added an interesting reason why that might be: Brian Hartline's offense has been boring at times.
Even with that, Auerbach recognizes Julian Sayin as one of the best quarterbacks in the country and a rightful Heisman frontrunner -- something most are quickly catching on to.
"The No. 1 team in the country is somehow underrated," Auerbach wrote. "I’m serious. Ohio State is the best team in the country (and could be the unanimous No. 1 when the new AP poll comes out), but for some reason, it feels like the Buckeyes are not getting the respect they deserve.
"It could be because they have beaten Power 4 opponents by an average of 23.2 points this season. Maybe people are simply box score-watching! These games aren’t always the most exhilarating. But this is a team worth trusting in a season filled with parity.
"Obviously, Matt Patricia’s defense has been sensational. But what we saw on Saturday from Julian Sayin (and Carnell Tate) was downright impressive. I’ve been waiting for Ohio State to open up the offense a bit more for Sayin, and it was quite enjoyable to see him throw for 393 yards and four touchdowns. He has quietly been one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and it’s time to be a bit louder about that development."
Of course, Hartline's offense may be intentionally boring to protect Sayin, who's thriving in a system that's built around the pass but isn't a West Coast offense. So far, the lack of an explosive running game like the Buckeyes had last year with Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson has had a tendency to make many drives drag until Sayin connects with Carnell Tate or Jeremiah Smith on a downfield pass.
Ohio State fans are not sweating a boring offense. The school makes enough revenue and has enough high-spending donors to survive so-so ratings relative to the Alabama Crimson Tide's and Texas Longhorns of the world.
Come December, there could be some regret if Sayin doesn't win a potentially deserved Heisman. But come January, that could be an afterthought after back-to-back national championships.