Ohio State plans for rest of season, postseason without injured QB Julian Sayin

Ohio State is preparing to finish its season without Julian Sayin. Coach Ryan Day said Tuesday that his starting quarterback is out indefinitely with an injury to his throwing arm. Day would not give a timeline, but ESPN reported that the Buckeyes are planning to go forward without him for the rest of the year, postseason included.

Sayin got hurt late in Saturday's 19-15 win at Indiana and missed the final series. He came back to the sideline with his arm in a sling. True freshman Luke Fahey replaced him and went 0-for-2 on that series, according to Buckeyes Wire. Fahey has been the backup all season, but Day said sophomore Tavien St. Clair will also get first-team snaps during this week's bye. "We're going to play the guy that gives us the best chance to win," Day told ESPN. He added that Fahey had been ahead of St. Clair in recent weeks.

The Buckeyes are losing a lot. CBS Sports noted that Sayin ranked third nationally in both passing yards (2,007) and touchdown passes (19) when he was hurt. Buckeyes Wire put his completion rate at 68.2 percent, with four interceptions, two of them at Indiana. CBS also pointed to the College Football Playoff committee's protocol, which lets it weigh the absence of key players when it evaluates a team. That means how Ohio State plays without Sayin could matter for seeding as much as its won-loss record.

What it means for USC on Oct. 31

Ohio State is 6-1 and has won five straight since its 24-23 loss at Texas. Through seven games it has scored 275 points, about 39.3 per game, and allowed 94, about 13.4. The Indiana win was the offense's lowest output of the season, and it came against a top-five team on the road. That suggests the defense, which has held six of seven opponents under 20 points, may have to carry more of the load while a new quarterback settles in.

The bye gives Day two weeks to pick a starter and build a game plan around him before Ohio State visits No. 16 USC on Saturday, Oct. 31, on NBC. Day told Buckeyes Wire the offense may need to do some things differently with Fahey at quarterback. Oregon is also still ahead on the schedule, so the new starter will face two ranked opponents in a short stretch.

The Buckeyes' last opponent is also back in action this weekend. Indiana (6-1) plays at Michigan on Saturday, and the Hoosiers are favored on this site's board. Novig lists Indiana at -264 on the moneyline and Michigan at +245. The best Michigan price among the 12 venues is +250 at Hard Rock Bet. Novig has Indiana at -7.5 on the spread, while bet365 offers Indiana -6.5 at -128. The total is 41.5. Sportsbook hold on the moneyline runs from 3.8 to 5.8 percent across venues, so the prices sit close together. Whether the Hoosiers win in Ann Arbor will affect the Big Ten race that Ohio State now has to chase without its quarterback.