Ohio State coach Ryan Day is certainly glad to have All-America receiver Jeremiah Smith on his team.

Julian Sayin threw three touchdown passes, including a 35-yarder to Jeremiah Smith on a fourth down in the second quarter, and No. 1 Ohio State beat No. 15 Michigan 27-9 in a dominant performance.

Julian Sayin connected with Carnell Tate for two of his four touchdown passes, and No. 1 Ohio State rolled to a 34-0 victory over Wisconsin.

As wrestling great Ric Flair famously said, to be the man, you gotta beat the man.

Julian Sayin had a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate early in the fourth quarter, Ohio State got a couple of key stops in the red zone and the third-ranked Buckeyes opened the defense of their national championship with a 14-7 victory over top-ranked Texas.

One victory over Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinals would more than make up for years of frustration for Ohio State quarterback Will Howard.