Julian Sayin and the Ohio State Buckeyes solved one major issue in 2025, but they still came up short in achieving the Ohio State standard.
The Buckeyes accomplished one of their three goals. Under Ryan Day, Ohio State opens every season with three goals: beat Michigan, win the Big Ten, and win the National Championship. The standard is that simple.
In 2025, Ohio State was one for three in accomplishing their goals.
They were able to get back on the board against the Michigan Wolverines for the first time in four straight seasons. They did that after Sayin himself settled into the game in Ann Arbor and finished by throwing for 233 yards and three touchdowns. It was exactly what the Buckeyes needed as they headed to the Big Ten Championship Game as the No. 2 team in the country against the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers.
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They came up just a bit short against Indiana as Sayin struggled down the stretch and was unable to achieve their second goal of the year.
They followed that up with a very poor performance against the Miami Hurricanes in the second round of the College Football Playoff that cost them the opportunity to accomplish their third, and ultimate goal, of the season.
Under Ryan Day, Ohio State has had no trouble winning in the regular season. They beat up on teams from August to December, but have just had trouble getting it done in the postseason consistently.
Obviously, 2024 is the outlier in Day's career as the Buckeyes got into the Playoffs and were just on a different level than every single team in college football. Each year since 2021, the Buckeyes have had two losses in every single season.
They launched themselves to immortality in 2024, but the rest of the years have ended in disappointment.
For Sayin and the 2026 Buckeyes, their eyes are on one thing: the National Championship.
In an interview with On3's Chris Low, Sayin said that "We want to put another one of those banners up. That is the standard at Ohio State."
Just as it was last year, the Buckeyes will go as far as Sayin takes them. It is as simple as that.
Ohio State will have a loaded roster once again, and it will be up to Sayin to push them beyond the elite teams in college football. He will have several opportunities in 2026 to show what he is made of, and if he can get the job done, he and this team will go down as one of the best in the history of Ohio State Football.
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