I remember when Jim Knowles left Ohio State after the Buckeyes won the National Championship last season. Usually I'm not mad or upset when coaches leave after something like that. It's the nature of college football and the coaching carousel these days.

But when Penn State managed to give Knowles his bag and steal him from us, that one irked me and made me genuinely mad. Penn State knows they aren't on Ohio State's level. So the best trick they can pull, is stealing our coaches and coordinators.

"Can't beat 'em? Steal 'em!"

But when Knowles decided to jump ship, the first words out of my mouth were and I quote, "You traitor. Oh, it's on now!" And I had this one circled on the calendar for months. It was supposed to be a game that played a huge part in deciding the eventual Big Ten Champion, and one that had the potential to send shockwaves throughout the College Football Playoff landscape. It was supposed to be BIG.

But who saw Penn State ending up where they currently are? I know I didn't. After this one, they're currently 3-5 and winless in the Big Ten after finally pulling the plug on the James Franklin experiment. It'll be Unhappy Valley over in State College, Pennsylvania until further notice.

But the most important part of things, is that top-ranked Ohio State still took Penn State seriously, played like it, and won going away in the 'Shoe to get to 8-0! How'd they get the job done? Let's take a look at the Keys to Victory!

Julian Sayin: Field General

It's always great to have athletes on the team. But when it comes to the signal caller under center, championship contenders have someone who not only makes the right throws and good decisions with the football, but they have someone who can direct the offense and get it firing on all eight cylinders like a well-oiled machine.

Even though he's still young, Julian Sayin looked like that man today for Ohio State. In fact, he had more touchdowns (4) than incompletions (3) on the day. he went 20-23 for 316 yards and four passing touchdowns.

He didn't force any throws or make bad decisions. And when he had a chance to take deep shots, he was usually right on the money, and carved up Jim Knowles's defense like a Thanksgiving turkey!

Not only that, but Sayin has had a record-worthy stretch lately. After today's game, Sayin joins Geno Smith as the only quarterbacks in the last 40 years to have three games in a season with at least 300 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, no interceptions and a completion percentage of at least 85%.

And thanks to his career day two weeks ago at Wisconsin where he threw for 393 yards and four touchdowns, and today, Sayin's Heisman odds have jumped. According to the Columbus

Dispatch, updated odds came in right after today's win over Penn State from BetMGM Sportsbook.

They now have the Ohio State gunslinger as the current favorite to win the Heisman Trophy at +200, ahead of Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (+325) and Alabama's Ty Simpson (+400).

There still is a lot of football left to be played. But if Sayin continues playing like he has and things hold up, he would be the first Ohio State player to win the Heisman Trophy in nearly 20 years. The last time a Buckeye was named the best player in America, was when Troy Smith won the award in December 2006 by a wide margin.

Personally, I'm iffy about any Ohio State player winning the Heisman. It would be cool to see Sayin win it, but I've still got nightmares about what happened to Troy Smith after he won it. The Buckeyes were demolished by Florida in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl 41-14.

The Heisman curse seems real, and I'd hate to see it happen to Sayin. Being snubbed for college football's biggest award might motivate him to go win the National Championship instead.

And if the next Key to Victory shows up for the rest of the season like they did today, Ohio State's chances of repeating as National Champions might be better than you think!

The Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith Show!

I usually love seeing teams run the ball down people's throats. That's the Carey guy in me coming out. I'm so used to watching great running backs rip off big gains and long rushing touchdowns, that I sometimes forget to appreciate how beautiful it is when a quarterback uncorks a long passing touchdown right over the heads of defenders. It's especially pretty when the ball lands right in front of opposing defensive backs and ends up where only the receiver can catch it.

That happened several times today for Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. Jeremiah had two receiving touchdowns and Tate had one. Both of their long plays today were also 57 yards. The Penn State secondary didn't know what hit them.

Those who say lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place are lying to you. It struck at least three times today in Columbus, Ohio!

Both Smith and Tate also averaged over 20 yards per catch, and had over 120 yards receiving each. With weapons like that guiding the Ohio State offense the rest of the way, the Buckeyes certainly have the firepower to contend with and beat anybody else in the country.

But the last Key to Victory might be the linchpin to another National Championship-winning run. It certainly was last season.

The Silver Bullets: Finishing Strong!

Matt Patricia's Ohio State defense has yet to have a truly bad game. But Penn State was the team that finally broke an impressive streak the Buckeyes had going into this one. Up until today, Ohio State had yet to allow a first half touchdown all season long.

But even with that streak ended, the Silver Bullets still had a strong outing. They held Penn State to just 200 yards of total offense (145 passing, 55 rushing). And at one point midway through the second half, the Buckeyes had held the Nittany Lions to just one (yes, one) offensive yard for the half.

Penn State did manage to score 14 points. But if that's all Matt Patricia's defense gave up today, I'm sure he's alright with that while also constantly not being satisfied with how his unit is performing. I'm sure he's taking the great things his guys did in stride, while also constantly looking for how to get better. That's what a championship-winning coach does!

Jim Knowles largely did a great job while he was in Columbus. But I will say it right here, right now: Matt Patricia is a marked improvement. He has this defense playing some of the most fundamentally sound, clean, disciplined ball I have seen any Buckeye defense play. And I've seen almost 30 years of Ohio State football. This unit has the makings of something a National Championship-winning team can hang their hat on!

The only question in my mind right now is: How will Matt Patricia call The Game up north at the end of the month? I really don't think Michigan will beat Ohio State a fifth time in a row. Why? Because Brian Hartline is calling the offensive plays (i.e. using our wideouts), and Matt Patricia is capable of making in-game adjustments instead of stubbornly and idiotically sticking with a defensive gameplan that doesn't work, like Knowles consistently seemed to do against the Wolverines.

But we'll have to wait a few weeks for that question to resolve itself. As for now? Ohio State cruises to 8-0. Up next? The Buckeyes will travel to West Lafayette, Indiana for a battle with the Purdue Boilermakers.

That game, especially when it's on the road, always makes me nervous. Purdue is never consistently good in football. But for some reason, they always get up for that one and have the potential to give the Buckeyes a legit fight. They can be a dangerous, scrappy bunch when they want to be! I hope Coach Day has the Buckeyes ready and on full alert next week!

But for now, Ohio State continues to look every bit the top team in America! GO BUCKS!

Statistical Leaders

Julian Sayin: 20-23, 316 yards, 4 TDs.

Bo Jackson: 13 carries, 105 yards

Carnell Tate: 5 catches, 124 yards, TD

Sources

ESPN

The Columbus Dispatch

Picture Credit

sportingnews.com