{
  "id": 2456828,
  "title": "ESPN analyst makes one very bold claim about Ohio State this year",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/espn-analyst-makes-one-very-bold-claim-about-ohio-state-this-year",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-22T00:10:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/espn-analyst-makes-one-very-001050557.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "ESPN analyst EJ Manuel boldly predicts that Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin will lead his team to a national championship this year by remaining the top-ranked team in the country. This would be only the second time in the history of the Associated Press preseason poll, dating back to 1950, that a team has gone wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team and ultimately won the national championship. Ohio State enters the 2026 season as the preseason top-ranked team, a ranking that no team desires at the start of the season. Manuel believes that despite the challenges of a tough schedule, including difficult road games against top teams like Texas, Iowa, Indiana, and USC, Ohio State can overcome these obstacles and win them all. However, ESPN analyst Jordan Rodgers raises concerns about Ohio State's defense, which has lost key players drafted highly. The Buckeyes will face these challenges starting on September 5 with their season opener against Ball State, Senior Day for the team.",
  "summary": "ESPN analyst EJ Manuel believes has gone on the record with an awfully bold claim about this year's Ohio State football team.",
  "key_points": [
    "ESPN analyst EJ Manuel predicts Ohio State QB Julian Sayin to win national championship.",
    "Only second time in AP preseason poll history for wire-to-wire top-ranked team to win.",
    "Ohio State enters 2026 season as preseason top-ranked team."
  ],
  "editors_take": "EJ Manuel's prediction that Ohio State will win the national championship this year means he believes the team can overcome a tough schedule and defensive concerns to sustain its preseason top ranking.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Ohio State football QB commit puts up incredible stat line in season opener",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/ohio-state-football-qb-commit-puts-up-incredible-stat-line-in-season",
        "published": "2026-08-22T01:05:47.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}