Ohio State’s Week 9 trip against USC is notable for one simple reason: it will be the program’s first game without Julian Sayin. In a season where quarterback injuries have already reshaped rosters across college football, that kind of absence is never just a lineup note. It changes how a team is judged, how it attacks, and how much uncertainty hangs over the rest of the schedule.
What happened to Julian Sayin is not fully spelled out here, but the important detail is clear enough for Ohio State: he will miss this game, and he may return later this season. That leaves the Buckeyes entering a major matchup with a different quarterback picture than the one they had been building around, and it comes in a year when injuries have already forced at least 40 of 138 FBS programs to start multiple quarterbacks.
A wider quarterback problem
Sayin’s absence fits into a much bigger story. This season has become defined in part by quarterback attrition, with at least 40 of the 138 FBS programs already using multiple starters because of injuries. That number matters because it shows Ohio State is not dealing with an isolated issue. It is part of a broader reality in which quarterback depth has become as important as quarterback talent.
The recent timeline across the sport makes that point even more obvious. On Oct. 2, Mason Heintschel suffered a torn ACL in the second half of Pitt’s dramatic win over Virginia Tech. Last week, Steve Angeli returned to Syracuse’s starting lineup after missing three weeks following a platelet-rich plasma injection. Also last week, Holden Geriner threw for 268 yards and a touchdown against Miami, while Corey Dailey went 3-for-3 for 66 yards and a score against Miami. In other words, quarterback availability has been moving the sport all season long.
What Ohio State has to manage now
For Ohio State, the practical issue is not only that Sayin is out for USC. It is that the Buckeyes now have to operate without the continuity that comes from having one quarterback shape the offense week after week. Even if Sayin does come back later this season, the immediate challenge is forcing the offense to stay efficient in a game that already carries real weight.
That is why this moment matters beyond the injury report. A team can survive one missing starter. What often decides the next step is whether it can preserve rhythm, reduce mistakes and keep the rest of the offense functioning normally. Ohio State now has to answer those questions against USC, with the added uncertainty of not knowing exactly how long Sayin will be out.
So the headline is not just that Ohio State is playing its first game without Julian Sayin. It is that one of the season’s most closely watched quarterback situations has moved from theory to reality, and the next phase of the Buckeyes’ season will have to account for it.
