Julian Sayin now Heisman favorite, as No. 1 Ohio State rolls - ESPN

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State hasn't had a Heisman Trophy winner since quarterback Troy Smith captured the award in 2006.

But heading into the final month of the regular season, the Buckeyes now boast the Heisman front-runner.

Julian Sayin delivered another scintillating performance Saturday in a 38-14 win over Penn State. The sophomore quarterback completed 20 of 23 passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns.

With this latest outing, Sayin jumped Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson and Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza to become the Heisman favorite (+175), according to ESPN BET.

«If Julian continues to play the way that he's playing, he deserves to be in the [Heisman] conversation, at the very least,» Ohio State coach Ryan Day said.

Sayin now has four games this season completing 85% of his passes for more than 300 yards and at least three passing touchdowns; no other quarterback in the country has more than one such game, according to ESPN Research.

«He's playing at an elite level,» said safety Caleb Downs, who transferred to Ohio State along with Sayin early in the 2024 offseason after Alabama coach Nick Saban retired. «I'm just excited for my guy.»

The top-ranked Buckeyes (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) are trying to win back-to-back national titles for the first time in program history. Sayin, who backed up Will Howard during last year's championship run, is putting up gaudy numbers in his first season as the starter. He has thrown for 2,224 yards with 24 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

Sayin came into the weekend ranked fifth nationally with a QBR of 87.9. He also leads the country by a significant margin completing almost 81% of his passes; no other quarterback has a completion rate topping 75%.

«The receivers do a great