After losing to Michigan three times in a row, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day stacked his squad to reclaim the top spot in the Big Ten, but even a roster worth $20 million cannot survive many offensive line injuries that end a season. Josh Simmons, the Buckeyes’ starting left tackle, was sidelined for the season due to a knee injury in Ohio State’s only loss of the season. They also lost another starter before of their Saturday game against Indiana in Columbus.
Seth McLaughlin, the starting center, reportedly tore his Achilles during Tuesday’s practice. McLaughlin was the Buckeyes’ top forward and was playing at an All-American level after transferring from Alabama to Ohio State this offseason. After Simmons was sidelined, Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly had to rearrange the line. Zen Michalski filled in at left tackle until he also suffered an injury that forced backup center Carson Hinzman to switch to left guard and All-American left guard Donovan Jackson to kick out to left tackle.
Due to McLaughlin’s injury, the Buckeyes will now need to make more line adjustments. Either Hinzman will stay at left guard and Josh Padilla will start at center, or Hinzman will kick back to center with Austin Siereveld filling in at left guard. In any case, the No. 2 team in the nation will suffer a significant downgrade as it gets ready to play No. 5 Indiana, with a trip to the Big Ten championship game on the line.
With the upcoming 12-team College Football Playoff, the injuries to Simmons and McLaughlin may be too significant to overcome. However, transfer quarterback Will Howard has proven to be an upgrade over last year’s starter, Kyle McCord (now at Syracuse). Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins has brought an added dimension to the backfield alongside TreVeyon Henderson, and true freshman Jeremiah Smith has seamlessly stepped into Marvin Harrison Jr.’s role at wide receiver.
Ohio State is a 10.5-point favorite at home this Saturday and remains the favorite to win the national title with +320 odds, ahead of Oregon at +440 and Georgia at +480, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The game will be the first chance to see how McLaughlin’s injury impacts Howard and the offense.
Maintaining depth across all positions has become increasingly challenging due to the transfer portal, and the top teams have especially struggled at quarterback and offensive line. It’s hard to envision Ohio State managing a top-five matchup against Indiana, a rivalry game with Michigan, a potential Big Ten Championship rematch with Oregon, and at least three rounds in the College Football Playoff without McLaughlin. In previous years, they might have had the depth to navigate such a situation.
