Ohio State Will Win the National Title If ________
Ohio State Will Win the National Title If ________  
Podcast: The Buckeye Weekly Podcast
Published On: Sun Jun 07 2026
Description: What OSU Needs to Win the National Title: O-Line, Julian Sayin, Run Game & Defense | Buckeye WeeklyOn the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr discuss results from Tony’s Twitter poll asking fans to finish, “Ohio State will win a national championship this year if ___.” The most common response was improved offensive line play (about 55–60%), driven by late-season issues like pass protection and lack of a running game. They also highlight Julian Sayin’s ability to make plays, process quickly, and add situational mobility, plus a better running game through broken tackles and incremental improvements from young backs. Defense was a smaller share of answers (about 10–15%), with the view that it only needs to remain close to last year’s historically strong standard under Matt Patricia. They also touch on Ryan Day, play-calling, and the addition of Arthur Smith to help address offensive consistency.00:00 Stormy Show Opener00:45 Championship If Question01:56 Offensive Line Top Concern04:01 Julian Sayin Mobility06:33 Running Game Breakthroughs11:21 Defense Expectations15:20 Ryan Day and Arthur Smith19:58 Wrap Up and Subscribe