On Saturday afternoon in Bloomington, the Ohio State Buckeyes were able to get the revenge they so desperately wanted. They took down Indiana 19-15 after losing to the Hoosiers last year in the Big Ten Championship. It was a dramatic win on the road that helped them get the buffer they needed for the rest of the year.
However, it also came at the expense of Julian Sayin. Sayin was knocked out in the fourth quarter after Phillip Daniels whiffed on a block. Sayin will miss a significant amount of time. Yet, Ohio State beat an undefeated defending national champion and only moved up one spot in the polls.
Ohio State is disrespected with small jump in the AP Poll
In the new AP Poll, Ohio State is ranked third, moving up just one spot. Miami leaped to first, and BYU took a massive jump after beating Notre Dame. However, that game was at home, and it took the final play for them to actually claim the victory. Ohio State won on the road and snapped the nation's longest winning streak.
Why doesn't Ohio State deserve that second spot? They have played a much tougher schedule than BYU to this point, even if they have a loss. That loss was on the road by one point at night. Meanwhile, BYU has only played one ranked team, and that was the Notre Dame team they beat.
Quite frankly, the resumes don't line up. The coaches agreed, as they voted the Buckeyes second in that poll over the Cougars. BYU is a good team, but they have only been tested once. This game against the Fighting Irish was at home and at night, giving them the most advantageous environment possible.
There is a good chance that the voters didn't think Ohio State deserved that second spot because of the injury to Sayin. With him out, it's unclear how well the Buckeyes will be able to play. Luke Fahey has a lot of pressure on his shoulders for the next few weeks while Sayin recovers.
Ohio State could have trouble without Julian Sayin
Sayin was a Heisman Trophy Finalist a year ago and looked very good until Saturday. He had by far his worst game of the season against the Hoosiers before he was knocked out of the game. Yet, the Buckeyes could be in big trouble without him. He's by far the best option they have.
Fahey is likely the guy moving forward, with Tavien St. Clair backing him up. Fahey is a true freshman who was a three-star recruit. St. Clair is a former five-star recruit, but he hasn't been able to beat out Fahey for the backup job. It's a disappointing development for the future of Ohio State.
If Ohio State is going to keep winning games and make the College Football Playoff, they need Fahey to avoid making mistakes. He needs to find Jeremiah Smith as much as possible when he does throw the football. It'll be up to Arthur Smith and Ryan Day to find a way to make him successful.
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