Beyond the Box Score: The one concern for Ohio State going into the College Football Playoff

Aside from the Big Ten Championship against Indiana, the Buckeyes have been dominant all season. On both sides of the ball, they have beaten their opponents into submission.

When you watch Ohio State play, it’s hard to find a weakness on the team. They’re historically great defensively, they have weapons all over the field on offense, and they have the best head coach in college football.

However, there is one concern that I have going into the Playoff, and it’s a legitimate one.

Julian Sayin has thrown interceptions in back-to-back games. The pick he threw against Michigan didn’t amount to anything more than a measly three points in a game the Buckeyes dominated 27-9. Sayin’s pick against Indiana also amounted to three points, but that was the difference in the Big Ten Championship.

Sayin has not only been a really good quarterback for most of this season, but he’s also been mistake-free. In nine Big Ten games during the regular season, Sayin had zero turnovers in seven of them. For a redshirt-freshman taking over as the starting quarterback with two alpha dogs at wide receiver, Sayin has more than lived up to expectations. 

But my worry is that his interceptions in the Buckeyes’ last two games are noteworthy enough to become an issue in the Playoff. The stages Sayin is playing on are only getting bigger, and the mistakes, if they occur, will be magnified.

This Ohio State team can absolutely repeat as national champions. They should, arguably, repeat as national champions. The talent on this team is the best of any of the 12 teams in the College Football Playoff.

It all comes down to the quarterback, though, and Sayin has thrown six interceptions this season. That’s not that many to panic about his overall performance, but at the end of the day, having a difference-maker at quarterback is what’s going to lift one of these Playoff teams to a national championship.

We have seen Sayin be that difference maker at times this season, but he hasn’t been that since early November.

Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are going to show up — that much is certain. They’ll impact games. Can Sayin elevate them even higher, while also elevating the entire Ohio State team?

That’s a question that may determine whether or not there will be a repeat national champion in college football this season.