How well does Kyle McCord have to play to lead Ohio State football to a national championship?

CLEVELAND, Ohio — C.J. Stroud read defenses with robotic precision. Justin Fields, who ran as fast as his receivers, was a freak athlete. So when Kyle McCord drops back to pass as Ohio State’s quarterback, he stands out because he’s human.

The question that may define the Buckeyes’ season (and McCord’s legacy) is how human he’s allowed to be. Since Ryan Day joined the program in 2017, OSU has stacked wins on the shoulders of elite passers. J.T. Barrett broke 39 school and conference records. Stroud, Fields and Dwayne Haskins became first-round draft picks. And, during every season they played under Day, all of them ranked top-20 nationally in expected points per play (EPA), which measures the value a player contributes over a season.

McCord ranks 26th through nine weeks this season, which is neither bad nor a historical outlier among College Football Playoff champions. Since the playoff format began in 2014, three national champions (out of nine) have been led by quarterbacks who finished a season ranked lower in EPA than McCord does now. But all three of them played with elite supporting casts and, crucially, secured the ball well enough to let them flourish.

Jacob Coker, who finished 58th in EPA rankings during the 2015 season, played with a 2,000-yard rusher (Derrick Henry), a future first-round wide receiver (Calvin Ridley) and the nation’s second-best defense. But he also compiled just 15 turnover-worthy plays in 14 games.

Jalen Hurts (34th in EPA), played with five different NFL running backs, three future first-round receivers and the nation’s best defense in 2017. But he also finished second nationally in fewest turnover-worthy plays (eight).

And Stetson Bennett played with two NFL running backs, the nation’s second-best defense and its 16th-best pass-blocking offensive line in 2021, per Pro Football Focus. But PFF only counted 12 turnover-worthy plays in 15 starts, which is the same total McCord has in nine.

McCord plays with two receivers — Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka — who project as first-round receivers, according to the NFL mock draft database. Running back TreVeyon Henderson looks like a Day 2 pick. And through nine games, Ohio State’s defense ranks third in the country.