Ohio State's Offense Has Everything, So What's Standing in the Way?

The Ohio State Buckeyes offense has the talent to dominate college football this season; that’s not the issue. The biggest issue I see at Ohio State, like a lot of other college football teams, is the lack of passion for winning. 

It's hard to create an environment that makes players care deeply about the game, knowing that they'll be gone in three, or at most, four years (now, it could be longer). Even at a place like Ohio State, where there’s a lot of tradition, it can be hard to ingrain passion in players, and I think that by the end of the season for starting quarterback Julian Sayin this was a big issue. 

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (#10) changes the play at the line during the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic between the Miami Hurricanes and the Ohio State Buckeyes

In key games, such as the Michigan matchup and Big Ten Championship game against Indiana, he threw opening-drive interceptions. And in the Cotton Bowl against Miami, Sayin tossed a pick before Ohio State could get their first touchdown. 

At the end of the game, even though it was practically out of reach, Sayin threw a game-ending interception, which left him with his worst completion percentage all season at 62.9%. Bang it here if you want an in-depth breakdown comparing Julian Sayin and Arch Manning https://www.fieldandcourt.net/post/ohio-state-vs-texas-why-julian-sayin-vs-arch-manning-could-define-the-2026-season.

All that being said, we can't ignore the fact that Sayin had the best accuracy (77.0%) and highly efficient (177.5) when throwing the ball last year, and finished the year as a Heisman finalist. With all the tools around him, there is no excuse for him to not be back in the Heisman conversation again this coming year. 

The best way to take pressure off of a quarterback is having a confident run game, and Ohio State has an excellent running back. Last year the RB1 spot for the Buckeyes was fought over by a couple of running backs, but it's clear coming into this season that Bo Jackson will be the starter based on his performance last year with 179 carries for 1090 yards. 

Another key factor for both the quarterback and the running back is the offensive linemen. Ohio State has multiple veterans coming back this season including Austin Siereveld, Luke Montgomery, Carson Hinzman, and Phillp Daniels. Even still, there have been some offensive line problems for Ohio State in the past. For example, in the last two games of the 2025 season (Big Ten Championship against Indiana and Cotton Bowl against Miami), they allowed 10 sacks, which could account for why Sayin played so poorly in those games. But after everything, CBS sports (CBS-2026-ohio-state) still put them among the best offensive lines in the country. This year, with the experience this group is bringing, look for them to show what they've learned from past seasons and be elite.

The wide receiver position is both solid and questionable. Of course they have the best receiver in college football right now (debatably ever) Jeremiah Smith. It's known that Ohio State is in contention to be Wide Receiver U with numerous talents like Michael Thomas, Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jaxson Smith Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr.,and Emeka Egbuka. If you’re wondering why I'm mentioning all of those names, it's because Jeremiah Smith will beat all of their record-holding numbers if he gets 49 catches 467 yards 9 touchdowns this coming season. He’ll have the most receptions, the most yards, and the most touchdowns, and would have done it all in three seasons, not four like the rest of them. That will solidify him as the best wide receiver at the most elite wide receiver school in recent history.

But the second and third wide receiver spots are very questionable positions. The captain from last year, Brandon Inniss, is coming back for his fourth year and will most likely be the WR2. Inniss is known for his leadership abilities and very reliable clean cut route running. Among all of Ohio State players, it’s fair to say Inniss has the most grit on the team and because of this, is likely the reason he was chosen captain. 

The WR3 position is still unknown, but has come down to three options. The first, and probably the most likely, is Chris Henry Jr. Not only on the strength of his name, but also because he was ranked by ESPN and On3 as the No. 1 wide receiver out of high school. 

Interestingly, though, when Ohio State started having spring practices, Henry was not the first freshmen to lose their black stripe. Brock Boyd was the first freshmen wide receiver to lose the black stripe, and will definitely be in the conversation for WR3. The black stripe is a Buckeye tradition for all incoming freshmen, transfers, and walk-ons where they put a black strip of tape over the red stripe on their helmets and they have to earn the right to take it off. 

The third receiver who might have a chance at being WR3 is Devin McCuin, transfer from UTSA. McCuin had 65 receptions, for 726 yards, and 8 touchdowns last season.

The pieces are all there for Ohio State. The only thing left to prove is whether they hold up in the moments that actually decide championships. Oh, and beating Michigan, of course.