Ohio State rules Julian Sayin out for USC as Buckeyes turn to a backup quarterback

Ohio State will play at USC on Saturday without its starting quarterback. Julian Sayin is listed as out on the Big Ten's first availability report of the week, which came out Wednesday night. It is the first formal word on his status since he got hurt in the 19-15 win at Indiana on Oct. 17.

Nobody expected him to play. Heavy reported that Sayin did not finish the game in Bloomington and left with his right arm in a sling, and Ryan Day has since called him out "indefinitely." Ohio State had a bye last week, so Wednesday's report was the program's first injury listing since then. Heavy also noted that wide receiver Brandon Inniss is questionable, which could thin the passing game further.

Day had not named a starter as of Tuesday. He said he needed another day or two to decide. Heavy reports there are two options. Luke Fahey, a three-star recruit from California, replaced Sayin at Indiana and mostly handed off and managed the clock to the finish. Tavien St. Clair, a five-star recruit from Bellefontaine, Ohio, is in his second season on campus but sat behind Fahey on the depth chart for the Indiana game. Fahey is the steadier choice and St. Clair has the higher ceiling. Neither has started a game of this size.

What it means for Saturday at USC

The Buckeyes are 6-1. Their only loss came by one point, 24-23 at Texas. They have scored 39.3 points per game and allowed 13.4, and no opponent has topped 24 points against them. The defense has kept them in games when the offense stalled. It held No. 5 Indiana to 15 points in the last game, a night when the offense managed only 19 and lost its quarterback partway through. That defense probably has to carry more of the load with a new passer.

USC is 6-2 and comes in off a 24-7 loss at Wisconsin, its lowest output of the season. The Trojans averaged 32.8 points over their first eight games. Their wins include a 31-23 result at Penn State. They gave up 41 points in a home loss to Oregon and have allowed 25 per game overall.

The market still has Ohio State in front. On this site's Ohio State at USC board, which tracks 11 venues, the Buckeyes are favored at -228 on Novig's moneyline. USC is +208 on Novig, and the best price anywhere is +220 at theScore Bet. On Novig, Ohio State is favored by 6.5 points at -111 and USC takes +6.5 at +108. theScore Bet has the Trojans at +7.5, priced at -130. The total is 51.5 on Novig, and BetRivers has the low number at 51. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.3% to 5.9% on the moneyline and 3.4% to 6.7% on the spread. Venues differ by about a point on the spread, which suggests the market has largely settled on how much Sayin's absence is worth.

Kickoff is Saturday on NBC. If Day sticks to his timeline, the starter's name should come before then. Whoever it is will make his first start against a USC team trying to get past its loss in Madison.