Ohio State's QB decision comes down to Luke Fahey, Tavien St. Clair

On Saturday, No. 4 Ohio State went up against No. 5 Indiana and won 19-15. However, the Buckeyes lost their starting quarterback, Julian Sayin, in the process. Right now, it appears Sayin will be out for the next couple of weeks, leaving the Buckeyes with the tough choice for the starting spot: true freshman Luke Fahey or sophomore Tavien St. Clair.

When Fahey was being recruited in high school, he was praised for his quick release, tight ball placement and speed through progressions. For the most part, he's also accurate on just about every level and has the ability to throw on the run. So far in the season, he's thrown 11 passes, completing nine of those throws, for 203 yards and two touchdowns.

He also plays with some toughness, using his feet to gain extra yards. He most likely gained some of that toughness through his experience playing lacrosse in high school. He ran for 73 yards on three carries back in the spring game. All of these strengths matter because an on-time passer will get the ball to Jeremiah Smith quickly, which we've seen clearly works no matter who is guarding him.

His arm power and how deep he can get the ball down the field is one of the biggest questions around his play. Though he can throw on the run, Fahey is much more comfortable and accurate throwing the ball when his feet are set. He went 0-for-2 with an intentional grounding penalty and had little presence in the pocket. He also was unable to get a single first down on the two drives he played for Ohio State.

He has two interceptions in the season, both coming off of forced throws. This shows he gets nervous in the pocket and will make a bad throw that could result in a turnover. We also haven't seen much from him when it comes to play-action or RPO plays, meaning the offensive play calling could be limited.

St. Clair has much better arm talent. He has smooth mechanics and throws a tight spiral. He is also able to throw accurately while off-balance. He's creative as a scrambler and fairly accurate on the move. In the spring game, he went 3-of-5 on deep passes, one being a 40-yard touchdown to Chris Henry Jr. His size is another big factor; he stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 235 pounds. Being that big with the ability to run gives the offense more ways to expand plays against pressure.

By far his biggest area for concern is his processing time as the play develops. He struggles to make the right throw, which could be a major issue against a top team. This season he's currently 5-of-7, and in the spring game he went 9-of-21. There could be a conversation about whether consistency on his throws is an issue or not.

The Buckeyes luckily have a bye week coming up this week before they play against No. 19 USC. It certainly seems like Fahey would be the safer option due to him being more predictable, but St. Clair could bring a higher ceiling. The best decision for the Buckeyes would see who performs better throughout the bye week and make a choice on who starts off of that.

No matter who starts in two weeks, Ohio State still has the best receiver in the nation, Jeremiah Smith, so realistically you need someone who will just throw to either Smith or the open man on each play.