Ohio State suffered one of the worst possible injuries on Saturday during a 19-15 win over Indiana in Bloomington: quarterback Julian Sayin injured his throwing shoulder.
Sayin is expected to be out for several weeks, according to Coach Ryan Day. The Buckeyes have a bye in Week 8 but travel to LA to take on USC on Halloween night before returning home to take on Oregon the first week of November.
Is Ohio State going to be okay under center in his absence?
After all, these next few games could determine the program's CFP fate.
Luke Fahey looked overmatched against Indiana's defensive front
Backup quarterback Luke Fahey got his first action against Power 4 competition this season during the win over the Hoosiers. Fahey looked overmatched by Indiana's fearsome defensive front.
To be fair, the Hoosiers' defense might be even better than the 2026 season stats indicate. Legendary Notre Dame offensive lineman Aaron Taylor told me before the season that the group would be better than last year. They looked the part in Week 7.
Still, Fahey wasn't anywhere close to a positive play during the snaps he got. The backup is supposed to be fully prepared to keep the offense on schedule. Fahey's play put the ball in Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover's hands with the chance to win the game.
Is Fahey the definitive option at backup simply because of how poorly Tavien St. Clair played in fall camp?
After Saturday, he cannot be the default option.
Tavien St. Clair has the chance to turn his OSU career around
There's never been a better opportunity for St. Clair in his two years in Columbus thus far. His previous struggles in practice mean nothing in the context of the season.
St. Clair has a more prototypical build for Power 4 college football than Fahey and came in as a higher-rated recruit. Obviously, those ratings mean nothing, but Fahey's game reps certainly mean that St. Clair deserves a shot.
Former NFL linebacker Seth Joyner took shots at Fahey and Day for the state of Ohio State's backup quarterback spot. Joyner mocked Fahey for his physical stature after seeing him go 0-for-2 passing and have negative rushing yards.
Someone explain to me, how does a big time school like @OhioStateFB have a 5'5" freshman backup QB, next man up???? You have got to be kidding me!
— Seth Joyner (@sethjoyner) October 17, 2026
At five-foot-11, Fahey isn't that undersized. Still, St. Clair's six-foot-four build should give him a much better chance of seeing over massive Big Ten defensive lines.
Former OSU receiver great Chris Carter likened St. Clair to one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL: Patrick Mahomes.
"Really good athlete. Can be a dual threat; is more of a pocket passer. Had a great spring. Good-looking prospect," Carter said.
When you have a quarterback of that caliber, you need to see what he can do. With the season hanging in the balance and another two losses potentially meaning the end of a CFP bid, Day cannot afford to stubbornly stick to his preseason judgments.
We'll see how the coaching staff handles the single most pressing issue for the rest of the most important stretch of the 2026 slate.
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