If you’re a college football fan and you woke up this morning eager for the season to start, you probably have your eye on plenty of possible starting quarterbacks. The Ohio State starter is doubtless one of them, especially since that job has almost become a de facto ticket to becoming a high draft pick and an eventual NFL star.
The OSU QB situation is always fascinating, and this year is no exception. The transfer portal has complicated everything to the point where there’s now an annual quarterback shuttle as prospects try to juggle college success, NIL money, and their NFL future. So what’s on the table in Columbus this year?
The Buckeyes’ failure to beat Michigan sparks changes
Ohio State’s offense was a powerful force of nature during the season. The Buckeyes ran the table and ripped through the Big Ten with Kyle McCord at the helm…and then they met Michigan.
It wasn’t awful, but the ending was painful. McCord threw for 271 yards against the Wolverines and had two TD passes, but a pair of interceptions doomed the Buckeyes to a 30-24 loss. That last one came with Ohio State in Michigan territory, and it basically sent McCord into the transfer portal, which sent him to Syracuse. The Cotton Bowl was awkward and anticlimactic, as the OSU offense struggled mightily in a 14-3 loss to Missouri.
Meet the new Ohio State QB
His name is Will Howard, and he, too, is a transfer portal guy. He played for Kansas State and posted big numbers, with 5,786 passing yards and 48 TDs. At 6’4” 235, Howard also fits the classic result profile for OSU starters, and Ryan Day will doubtless use his athleticism to make plays, especially in the red zone.
Howard will have plenty of weapons, but the one guy he won’t get to throw to is Marvin Harrison Jr. The star wideout is moving on to Arizona as the #3 pick in the draft, but that likely won’t hurt Howard’s numbers, especially during the season.
Howard will be backed up by Alabama transfer Justin Sayin, who wound up as the last man standing in the portal game of musical chairs. Expect Sayin to be silently hoping that Howard struggles to make the shift to Big Ten competition, but that transition looks very different now than it would have a year ago.
The schedule factor: this isn’t your father or your grandfather’s Big Ten
On to the really juicy stuff: The Big Ten isn’t the Big Ten anymore. It’s now a coast-to-coast super-conference that includes new geography “rivalries” in which Rutgers will play both UCLA and USC.
Howard will get a smooth landing early on as the Buckeyes feast on the likes of Akron, Western Michigan, and Marshall, with Akron being led to slaughter first in the home opener. After that, he gets an interesting test against #25 Iowa, which is followed by a fun battle in Eugene against the run-and-gun folks from #3 Oregon.
That offensive test is followed by the usual home tilts against #8 Penn State and #9 Michigan. The early season schedule gives Ryan Day time to work out the kinks and make sure Howard is really “the guy,” but this interesting spin on the usual schedule should come with some intriguing twists and turns. It always does.