This season, many in the media believe that Ohio State is the favorite to win the Big Ten. The offense is a big reason for that. Specifically, the pairing of Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith is the ones who give the media that confidence in the Buckeyes.
Smith has a chance to break every Ohio State receiving record this year. Sayin is trying to prove to the NFL that he deserves to be a first-round pick. Before the 2026 season begins, both players have been honored by the Big Ten Conference during Big Ten Media Day.
Ohio State players Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith get honored by the Big Ten
While the Big Ten doesn't officially release a preseason team, the conference gave both Sayin and Smith Big Ten honors. Quite honestly, it's a strange mishmash of players. It mixes both offensive and defensive players, so there is no defined structure to it. Yet, both Smith and Sayin are on the list.
With Sayin being a Heisman finalist last year, the Buckeyes are expecting him to be even better this year in his second season. Clearly, the rest of the Big Ten media agree. He should be one of the top quarterbacks in the country, along with Oregon quarterback Dante Moore.
Smith comes into the 2026 season as the best player in the country once again. His ability to separate from defenders has allowed him to be the supreme receiver in the country. He is one of the best weapons for any team, and he will continue to be that this year.
Notably, no defensive players from the Buckeyes were honored. That makes sense with the amount of talent they lost in the NFL Draft in April. Three first-round picks are now playing at the next level, and there is unproven talent behind those guys.
The media has big expectations for the Ohio State football program yet again
It's no surprise that the Buckeyes have a lot of expectations. The sustained success that the program has had over the last few decades leads to these expectations. Quite frankly, anything less than a conference title from Ohio State would be considered a failure.
The Buckeyes have plenty of good players on defense, but they just aren't as established as the guys that they lost. Ohio State is expecting Matt Patricia to keep that unit at the same elite level they were a year ago. Last year, they were the best statistical defense in the country.
It would be surprising if Sayin and Smith didn't finish with All-Big Ten honors again at the end of the season. Smith is almost certainly going to get First-Team honors. If Sayin plays to that level, that means there is a good chance that the Buckeyes are going to win the national championship.
Of course, it takes more than two players to win games in the Big Ten. Smith and Sayin will need their teammates to pull their weight and make sure that they win their individual matchups, too.
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