The College Football Playoff Selection Committee will have to grapple with that question as it assesses not only whether to include Ohio State in the field but where to seed the Buckeyes. Sayin, a Heisman Trophy finalist a season ago, suffered an injury in the fourth quarter of Ohio State's win over Indiana. Sayin left the game and returned to the sideline wearing a sling.
Days after the injury, speculation is rampant and details are scarce on the injury specifics and expected recovery time. On Monday night, Ohio State coach Ryan Day reiterated that Sayin would be out "at least several weeks" but said the star quarterback was still going through testing. What does that mean precisely?
The dictionary defines several as "an indefinite number more than two and fewer than many." Several weeks could mean returning in time for November games against Northwestern and Nebraska. Several weeks could also mean missing the remainder of the regular season. When a player as significant as Sayin is injured, it forces the selection committee to consider a few factors.
Within the CFP protocol is the consideration of "the unavailability of key players and coaches that may have affected a team's performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance." If Ohio State's play suffers without Sayin, that can have an impact. If Sayin is out for the season, that can have an impact. If Ohio State loses a game without Sayin but the committee knows he has/will return, that can have an impact.
If Sayin is definitely coming back this season, Ohio State would likely get the benefit of the doubt if it lost a game starting backup quarterback Luke Fahey against USC or Oregon. Conversely, that loss would take on even greater meaning if Fahey was expected to be the starter through the remainder of the season. The Sayin injury has a significant impact far beyond playoff seeding, obviously.
Ohio State is a legitimate national championship contender, and losing Sayin for any amount of games is a tremendous blow. He's a talented player who has helped power teammate Jeremiah Smith to his status as the current Heisman Trophy frontrunner. Through seven games, Sayin is third nationally in passing yards (2,007) and touchdowns (19).
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