The Ohio State Buckeyes remain one of the best teams in the country, despite the minor setback a few weeks ago against the Texas Longhorns.

Ohio State remains ranked as the No. 5 team in the country heading into its matchup against Maryland this weekend. The Buckeyes have played well on both sides of the ball this season, with the offense leading the way again.

Much of this has been due to the stellar play from star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who has been on another level this year. Smith has done everything and more for the Buckeyes, giving quarterback Julian Sayin a legitimate weapon to throw the ball too.

The chemistry between Sayin and Smith has been incredible to watch play out, with it growing each week. The two leaders of this Buckeyes team have worked together to bring Ohio State toward the top in terms of offensive output.

For the year, Smith has recorded 44 passes for 823 yards and nine touchdowns over the first five games. The star wide receiver has posted over 200 yards in two straight games, simply toying with opposing defenses.

Due to his performance, college football analyst Will Compton praised Smith for how dominant he has been. Compton said that Smith looks like he has been playing against high school competition, which is a wild thing to say about college players.

"He looks like he's playing against high school competition."@_willcompton is all in on Jeremiah Smith winning the Heisman Trophy 🙌
(via @BussinWTB) pic.twitter.com/qJ6hrFyuJC

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 9, 2026

While this is a hot take from Compton, it's not an unfair assessment of how Smith has been playing. The Ohio State star has been the best player in college football this season by far, and he doesn't seem to be slowing down at all.

Smith has firmly placed himself in the conversation for the Heisman Trophy this year, and at this point, it's likely his award to lose. Sayin was in the Heisman race a year ago, and the quarterback has said that his mission this season was to help his star wideout win the award.

If Smith were to keep putting up these types of numbers, the Buckeyes could see themselves move up the rankings even more. Smith drives this Ohio State offense, and his play this year has been simply amazing so far.

Ohio State has lofty goals to win a championship this season, and Smith is planning on being a big part of that quest. Opposing teams haven't been able to slow him down this season, and it's allowed the Buckeyes' offense to play with a sense of freedom.

Source: Yahoo Sports