Bulletpoints: Indiana

• Here's how I ended my thoughts on Julian Sayin last week after his struggles against Maryland:

I believe Ohio State can win a national title with Sayin as their QB. I just don't think he'll be the driving force of it, if that makes sense.

• Sayin was brutal against Indiana - point blank. His two interceptions were egregious, he missed several other throws, and two of the three sacks he took were a result of him not getting rid of the ball when he should have. Sayin has yet to take his game up to a higher level in the five contests I'd classify as 'big-time' games against contenders (Both Texas/Indiana games, plus Miami in the playoff). There are clear limitations to his game, even when he's had some of the nation's best playmakers to throw to. That said, his floor is still high enough that he's a top-ten QB in college football right now, at minimum. You can win a title win Sayin - especially when you look around the landscape of the sport and see how beatable every other top team looks. Ohio State's best chance of winning a national title is by having Sayin back for the playoff. If he can't go? It's hard to imagine Ohio State making a deep run.
• I'll take a road win over a top-five team that snaps their 22-game win streak any day. Did Ohio State get lucky at the end that Josh Hoover threw a duck and Nick Marsh didn't know where the sideline was? Absolutely! Still, they made fewer mistakes than Indiana did. As we've witnessed plenty of times in the Day era, the team who plays cleaner in these high-stakes games usually wins. It's crazy what can happen when you make your two field goals under 30 yards in a close game.
• So, Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair? Fahey clearly has the staff's trust over St. Clair, which makes him the logical option. Fahey earned the No. 2 spot because of his ability to operate the offense efficiently, which is exactly what they'll need as long as Sayin is out. I understand people looking at St. Clair's traits and believing that alone gives them a better chance to win. Relying on a freshman QB's "traits" with a back half schedule of USC, Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska, and Michigan would be a death sentence for the offense, in my opinion. All but one of those defenses (USC's) is top-30 caliber. Even USC at least has high-caliber athletes that are a massive step up from anything either Fahey or St. Clair has seen in live action. Ohio State's going to have a hard enough time getting through this as it is, let alone by throwing someone in there who can't be efficient. This is a scenario where I'm taking the higher floor over the higher ceiling. Roll with Fahey, and shift to St. Clair if things are ugly.