Ohio State has been focused on getting a new starting quarterback ready for the rest of the season. With Julian Sayin injured, it will likely be Luke Fahey the rest of the way. The first game for the Buckeyes with the new starter will be against USC on Saturday.
The Trojans just lost to Wisconsin to drop out of the top 25. However, the Oregon Ducks also lost, falling to Illinois. Ohio State hosts the Ducks in a couple of weeks. Ahead of that matchup, the Ducks have made a major change to their coaching staff.
Oregon fires offensive coordinator two weeks ahead of Ohio State clash
Just a couple of weeks ahead of taking on the Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon has fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer. This comes on the heels of only scoring 10 points against the Illini. Dan Lanning is clearly looking for some kind of spark from his team with just a few games left on the year.
With the loss to Illinois, Oregon is out of the running to make the College Football Playoff. They are going to be limping into Columbus when they get here in a couple of weeks. The loss of Dante Moore has severely hurt the ceiling of what the offense can do, but Lanning clearly thinks Mehringer deserves blame as well.
It's good news for the Buckeyes that teams are making changes to the coaching staff ahead of matchups with them. Ohio State is going to take any help it can get moving forward with the backup quarterback. Helping Luke Fahey in any possible way is good news for this team.
Of course, Ryan Day's squad is not focused on what the Ducks are doing just yet. They still ahve to beat the Trojans first. USC will come in angry after losing to Wisconsin, which also ends any hope they have of making the CFP. Lincoln Riley could also be coaching for his job.
Ohio State's stability with the coaching staff should help them navigate uncertainty
Despite the change at quarterback, the Buckeyes have continuity elsewhere. The coaching staff has been together for the last few years. That continuity should help Ohio State in an uncertain quarterback situation. Day has had his guys preparing for this scenario all week.
After having two full weeks to prepare for his first game as a starter, Fahey should be ready to go. Whether or not he's good enough to actually help Ohio State's offense score enough points to win is another matter. Of course, having Jeremiah Smith on his team should help.
Arthur Smith will be in charge of scheming up plays to help Fahey become comfortable in the offense. Not just that, but he might have to change how the offense is run with a new signal-caller behind center.
Meanwhile, Oregon looks to be in shambles offensively. That's good news for Ohio State, but it would be even better news if they can beat USC before the Ducks come to town.
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