Ohio State will be the 18th power conference team to lean on a backup QB: Inside the epidemic that isn’t easy, but can work

A breakdown of the other teams and backups that have dealt with the same thing as the Buckeyes.

Ohio State will have to try to win with a backup QB. Plenty of other major college football teams have been forced into the same position this season. (Photo by Doug Lesmerises)

COLUMBUS — Concerned about Ohio State’s backup quarterback situation, with true freshman Luke Fahey and second-year player Tavien St. Clair competing this week to replace the injured Julian Sayin and start against USC on on Oct. 31?

Welcome to college football this season. Backup quarterbacks have been playing all over the place, and it often has been an adventure.

How many backup quarterbacks have been forced to start for power conference teams in 2026? How have they fared? What were their pedigrees as No. 2 QBs? And … exactly how many have been true freshmen?

As Ohio State prepares to place its fate in the hands of a quarterback who has never started a college game, here’s an extensive breakdown of how many backups have played this season and how much they’ve won.