The New York Post's Michael Leboff dished a bleak prediction for the Ohio State Buckeyes' chance of repeating as College Football Playoff National Champions.
Leboff sees OSU's turnover at both coordinator roles, the quarterback position, and across their roster in a more general sense, as bellwethers for there being no championship parade following the 2025/2026 season.
"It may seem unfair to question Ohio State’s status as the team to beat after Ryan Day’s Buckeyes won the College Football Playoff by beating Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame, but there are some big questions to answer in Columbus," Leboff wrote.
"Not only do the Buckeyes rank 101st overall in returning production, but they’ll be breaking in a new quarterback in 2025.
"Either Julian Sayin or Lincoln Kienholz will get tapped to lead the way, and whoever does earn the gig will be working with Heisman candidate Jeremiah Smith, but there will be heaps of pressure on Sayin or Kienholz, and they’ll be given a baptism by fire against Texas in Week 1.
"The Buckeyes will also have a new look on the sidelines with two new coordinators, Brian Hartline on offense and Matt Patricia on defense, which could lead to some growing pains."
The Buckeyes' QB battle still is ongoing as fall camp begins, so despite Jeremiah Smith's presence in the WR room, Leboff is justified in being worried. New offensive coordinator Brian Hartline has been growing close to Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz, but losing Chip Kelly will be felt -- just as it was for the UCLA Bruins, who tumbled to No. 126 in overall offense in 2024 after his exit.
Truthfully, though, the biggest issue will be on the defensive side of the ball. Jim Knowles, who went to the Penn State Nittany Lions and could become a top head coaching candidate if he can lead another defense to the promised land, has been replaced by Matt Patricia. OSU fans are not happy about it, and Ryan Day may have to answer for the puzzling decision if there's a significant step back, as has often been predicted this offseason.
With both coordinators already facing pressure to perform, there might be a toxic mix of unfair expectations and a dearth of winning experience in Columbus.
We'll see how Leboff's suggestion not to take an OSU futures ages.