Ohio State's national title hopes are rightfully fading after USC delivers reality check in shocking upset

If the Big Ten was resting their hopes on being able to put together an offense capable of contending for a national championship, then Saturday night's 30-18 loss to USC was a reality check on the current situation.

Following the unfortunate loss of starting quarterback Julian Sayin to an elbow injury during the Indiana game two weeks ago, the fate of the Buckeyes season rested on the arms of Luke Fahey and freshman Taven St. Clair.

The nervousness around Columbus has been rampant since that day in Bloomington, and rightfully so given that Ryan Day had pinned his offensive hopes around the quarterback being able to disrupt opposing defenses with the Julian Sayin to Jeremiah Smith connection.

This pair opened up so many options for an offense that essentially forced opposing teams to decide on whether double-teaming the star wide receiver was worth the risk in losing a defender in the secondary.

Even with 484 yards of total offense against USC on Saturday night, it was the offensive line that struggled to protect quarterback Luke Fahey, while also not capitalizing inside the red zone.

You might ask whether one player is worth that much attention. To that, most college football fans would just implore you to "watch the tape" on the former Heisman Trophy leader coming out of the Indiana showdown that saw the Buckeyes leave Bloomington with a very important win.

Now, a few weeks later, there are rightful questions about this Ohio State team moving forward over the next month, along with where the Big Ten stands as we await the first CFP rankings of the 2026 season.

The answer to that question centered around the fact Ohio State had not scored a touchdown against USC through three quarters, and they looked like a squad who was lost on offense for a majority of this upset loss.

OHIO STATE QB JULIAN SAYIN'S INJURY MAY COMPLETELY RESHAPE THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RACE

No, not right now after two weeks of preparation for the trip to Los Angeles.

If anything, the Buckeyes look like a team that would be on the brink of missing the playoff tonight if Indiana were to have somehow won that intense showdown.

So yes, Ohio State fans are clearly entering the panic mode of what could have been if Julian Sayin were to not have been injured.

Also, let's not forget the other unfortunate part of this problem for the Buckeyes. Entering the matchup with Indiana, Jeremiah Smith was the proverbial leader in the clubhouse for the Heisman Trophy. Now, he's going to need plenty of superman-like efforts to have his name called in New York City next month, without a quarterback capable enough to get him the ball downfield.

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Sure, we know Smith is a man of high character and is more worried about the wins and losses. But, let's not act as though the situation isnt a brutal dose of reality that his campaign might have ended in Bloomington.

Fittingly, it was Jeremiah Smith who scored Ohio State's first touchdown of t