Ohio State QB Julian Sayin out 'indefinitely' in blow to Buckeyes' CFP, national title hopes

OSU coach Ryan Day indicated the Buckeyes could be without their starting QB for the season

Oct 20, 2026 at 8:01 pm ET • 2 min read

Ohio State may be without star quarterback Julian Sayin for the remainder of the season in what could be a significant blow to its national championship hopes.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday that Sayin would be out "indefinitely" and that may include the remainder of the season. No. 3 Ohio State will give both Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair first-team snaps this week during the bye week ahead of its next game against No. 16 USC on Oct. 31.

"Based on the nature of the injury we are putting together a plan for him not being available for the regular season and him also not being available for the postseason," Day said. "If he's not able to return this fall, we're putting together a plan for that, as well."

2026 CFP bracket projection: How Julian Sayin's uncertain status could reshape Ohio State's playoff path

John Talty

Sayin suffered an arm injury in the fourth quarter of the Buckeyes' 19-15 win over Indiana on Saturday. If Sayin is out for the remainder of the regular season, he would miss games against No. 16 USC, Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan. Before the injury, Sayin ranked third nationally in passing yards (2,007) and touchdowns (19). 

Impact on CFP seeding

The undefeated Buckeyes are in prime position to make the College Football Playoff – they are the No. 2 seed in CBS Sports' CFP bracket projections – but the selection committee will take into account the impact of no Sayin. 

Within the CFP protocol is the consideration of "the unavailability of key players and coaches that may have affected a team's performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance."

If Ohio State's play suffers without Sayin, that can have an impact. 

If Sayin is indeed out for the season, that can have an impact. 

How long will Sayin' be out?

If Sayin's progress improves and he is able to return this season – a seemingly unlikely proposition given Day's comments on Tuesday – Ohio State would likely get the benefit of the doubt if it lost a game that Fahey or St. Clair started against USC or Oregon. Conversely, that loss would take on even greater meaning if Fahey was expected to be the starter through the remainder of the season. 

Consider it this way: It would almost be as if the selection committee was evaluating different teams. There's the Ohio State with Sayin and the Ohio State without Sayin. If the latter looks noticeably worse than the former, it could have a significant impact. 

It is a situation that bears watching if Ohio State stays the course as a top playoff contender. If the Florida State playoff situation with Jordan Travis in 2023 has taught us anything, it is that a top team can be penalized if it is missing a key part of its offense. The undefeated Seminoles famously missed the four-team playoff in 2023 after Travis suffered a season-ending injury that the committee determined impacted FSU's outlook. If Ohio State doesn't look the same without Sayin, there is a precedent already for the Buckeyes to be penalized. 

There's a lot still to like about Ohio State, from Heisman Trophy frontrunner Jeremiah Smith to one of the nation's top defenses that is holding opponents to 13.4 points per game. But how the selection committee views Ohio State without Sayin is now the most interesting College Football Playoff subplot as the calendar turns to the back half of the season.