The college football season is inching closer to fruition, but the Heisman Trophy ceremony still has a six-month wait.Even so with it being early June, way-too-early projections are already rolling in for which of the game's superstars could leave New York City with the Heisman Trophy as the would-be College Football Playoff would loom large in the following weeks ahead.Appearing on the BIGPLAY Sports Network's "The Bobby Carpenter Show," The Sporting News' Bill Bender made a prediction that should make the Buckeyes not only a frontrunner in the College Football Playoff conversation, but also a potential headliner for at least one of their two biggest stars to be crowned a Heisman Trophy winner."I would take Jeremiah Smith, I would ask can I get Julian Sayin as an either-or?" Bender said Monday. "Because the quarterbacks obviously win the Heisman."— Bobby Carpenter Show (@BobbyCarpShow) June 1, 2026Sayin was left empty-handed last year in New York, as he lost out to former Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza after the Hoosiers beat the Buckeyes in the Big Ten title game en route to a national title.Smith, meanwhile, has reached college football's grandest stage. Capping off a breathtaking freshman season in 2024-25, the Buckeyes secured their first championship in a decade (the first under coach Ryan Day) with a hard-fought 34-23 win to give the Big Ten its second of three-straight football titles dating to 2023.Nonetheless, Smith took a chance to remain loyal to Columbus, Day and the Buckeyes' program rather than portaling. With Sayin and Smith returning for their second season as a duo, Ohio State seems primed offensively to chase a potentially perfect season (even with a rather challenging schedule).How do Smith and Sayin project in 2026?Should Ohio State remain in playoff contention, almost undoubtly will Sayin and Smith's Heisman hopes, too. The Buckeyes have several marquee games that could end up being marked as season-defining. These include the Texas Longhorns, Indiana Hoosiers and Michigan Wolverines, among others, where postseason hopes will be a critical narrative arc surrounding all three.The Buckeyes went 0-for-2 in the postseason this past year, as the Miami Hurricanes shut down the Buckeye offensive attack alongside Smith, a Florida native, in a 24-14 Cotton Bowl season-ender in the CFP.With a clean slate alongside high expectations, it isn't too early to wonder what the Buckeyes' Heisman landscape will look like. Although reigning supreme amongst the nation's best remains Ohio State's priority, its demand of excellence amongst its players makes the Heisman Trophy narrative flow like a conversation instead of a pipedream. Only time will tell, though.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow