Ohio State loses QB Julian Sayin, and Jeremiah Smith's Heisman case faces a new test

Ohio State will play the rest of its season without quarterback Julian Sayin. The receiver he has been throwing to, Jeremiah Smith, now has to keep a Heisman Trophy campaign going with someone new taking the snaps. The Buckeyes' next starter will come from a much less experienced pair, Tavian St. Clair or Luke Fahey, and the offense will lean on Smith even more.

Losing a quarterback usually hurts a receiver's award chances, since his numbers depend on somebody else getting him the ball. Joe DeLeone of AtoZ Sports makes the opposite case. He argues that if Ohio State keeps winning and still reaches the College Football Playoff, voters will give Smith more credit, not less, for carrying an offense with an unproven passer. Smith has already put up a large body of work: 52 catches for 984 yards and 15 touchdowns through seven games, as AtoZ Sports reported. DeLeone's view is that a drop-off over the final weeks would not wipe out the first half of the season. In his words, Smith has enough of a case "even if his stats flatline from here."

History gives that argument some support. In 1987, Notre Dame lost starting quarterback Terry Andrysiak to injury, and sophomore Tony Rice took over an offense he was not yet ready to run. Tim Brown's chances changed with the passer throwing to him, but he still won the Heisman because voters already saw him as the best player on a top team. AtoZ Sports calls that the model Smith is now following. It would put him on the same short list of receivers who have won the trophy.

The risk is plain. Heisman races can turn in a week, and another contender's breakout could change the conversation. Smith's case now depends partly on how fast St. Clair or Fahey can make the passing game work. That includes how often defenses can roll coverage his way without paying for it somewhere else.

What it means at USC

The first test of the new setup is a hard one. Ohio State, 6-1, travels to No. 16 USC on Saturday, Oct. 31, in a prime-time game on NBC. The Buckeyes go in having won six straight since their only loss, a 24-23 decision at No. 4 Texas. That run includes two ranked road wins, 31-14 at No. 14 Iowa and 19-15 last time out at No. 5 Indiana.

The Indiana game shows what life may look like with a young quarterback. Ohio State scored 42, 59 and 45 points against Illinois, Kent State and Maryland. In Bloomington, it won with 19 points by grinding through a close game. Ohio State's defense has held five of its seven opponents to 19 points or fewer, so it can keep games close while the offense adjusts. A trip to Los Angeles against a ranked team, in a hostile stadium, is a tough place for a new starter's first big road game.

For Smith, the USC game is a chance to show the argument AtoZ Sports laid out: that the best player in the country can make a new quarterback look good. If he does that and Ohio State gets home 7-1, the Heisman case may end up stronger than before. If the offense stalls, voters will notice that just as quickly.