Buckeyes beat *ichigan, but suffer a big loss

On Saturday, the 29th of November 2014, the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the *ichigan Wolverines 42-28....but also suffered a big loss.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Quarterback J.T. Barrett took off running and was tackled awkwardly, his right leg crumpling underneath him. He was carted off the field, leg in an air cast. It was announced later in the evening, the redshirt freshman sensation who was a candidate to win the Heisman Trophy, broke his ankle and would miss the Big Ten Championship Game and any bowl game(s) the Buckeyes would play in.

Before the injury, Barrett threw for one touchdown and ran for two more scores. That gives him an Ohio State record of 34 touchdown passes in a single season, and when you add the 11 rushing touchdowns a Big Ten record of 44 touchdowns responsible for in a single season (former record holder: Drew Brees, Purdue).

Cardale Jones replaces Barrett, and lead the Buckeyes to a TD on a long run by Ezekiel Elliot. The defense also returned a fumble for a touchdown to give you the final Buckeyes total.

It was Meyer's third consecutive win against That Team Up North, still undefeated in The Game.

Jones is now the QB for the remainder of the season, and nobody knows what to expect from him. He doesn't have a lot of experience, this year he is 10/17 for 118 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions. Last season he was 1/2 for 3 yards, 0 touchdowns and interceptions, he did have a rushing touchdown last season.

Coach Meyer says that Cardale Jones can throw it and throw it well, and he can run too. A lot of people expected Jones to replace Braxton Miller, mostly because many in Ohio knew who he was in part because he played at Glenville High School in Cleveland...the same school that gave the Buckeyes players like Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., and Donte Whitner.

Jones knows the playbook and has been practicing. Nobody knew what to expect from Barrett and many people thought this would be a 3-4 loss season without Miller on the field. Instead, Barrett would have been in New York for the Heisman Trophy Presentation and was likely going to lead the Buckeyes into the inaugural College Football Playoff.

The Buckeyes take on the Wisconsin Badgers next week in the Big Ten Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Buckeyes win this game, they win an outright Big Ten Championship and with that, should be in the College Football Playoff with Mississippi State losing to Ole Miss yesterday. They might not be in the top four this week, but they should be no worse than 5th with TCU in as the fourth team. But an outright conference championship, especially if the offense stays hot with Jones at QB, should give them the edge over TCU to make the final four in the final CFP standings.

Honestly, all the Buckeyes have to do to get into that final four is just....win!

CFP: Should Indiana game keep Buckeyes out?

On Saturday, the Ohio State Buckeyes (10-1, 7-0 Big Ten) played conference foe Indiana (3-8, 0-7 Big Ten) at Ohio Stadium. The Buckeys had a tough time against the Hoosiers, not taking control of the game until the third quarter, and at one point even being down 20-14 after Indiana opened the scoring in the second half with a 90-yard touchdown run by RB Tevin Coleman.The Buckeyes ended up winning the game by a score of 42-27, a difference of 15 points.

So now the question is, should a game against an opponent as bad on paper as Indiana that wasn't a 52-7 pasting keep the Buckeyes out of the College Football Playoff?

The Mississippi State Bulldogs beat a football team that might end up not bowl eligible, and there's talk about UAB ending it's football program by 13 points. I don't see anyone holding that against the Bulldogs as they make a case for them to be in the top four.

The mighty Oregon Ducks beat a Washington State team that is 3-8 and won't be seeing a bowl. I don't see anyone holding that against the Ducks.

Florida State also sqeaked by a team that may not be bowl eligible after next week when next the season is done. They won this game by only six points. 

As matter of fact the Seminoles beat Virginia (5-6) by only 14, Miami (6-5) by 4, and Boston College (6-5) by 3 points. If not blowing out lesser teams, much less almost losing to them should keep you out of the College Football Playoffs, then if Florida State loses against either Florida in the regular season finale or Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game...then the Seminoles shouldn't be in at all. The only thing keeping them in it right now is being undefeated, if they lose that, then by the argument(s) against Ohio State, Florida State shouldn't be in it either.

A week ago, the Horned Frogs, the team that would be "first left out" of the College Football Playoff,, almost lost to a really bad Kansas (3-8) team. That same week, Ohio State played a close one against Minnesota (an AP Top 25 team) and ESPN made it sound like TCU had a gutty performance against a good team and the Buckeyes almost lost to a team that was without a win.

So don't tell me there isn't a bias against the Buckeyes or the Big Ten.

The fact of the matter is, close games happen, especially in conference play where teams see each other often every year.  Maybe you overlook an opponent. Ohio State is facing their big rival in *ichigan this week, maybe the players figured they'd roll Indiana and were looking at The Game.

Maybe Indiana looked at this as their bowl game, and gave their all. After all, their best offensive weapon was their RB and they saw how much trouble the Buckeyes defense had against Minnesota.

What I do know is, that most of the other teams in front of Ohio State have had a close game against teams that on paper they should have beaten by no less than 24 points. 

QB Conundrum 2015: JT Barrett or Braxton Miller?

I know this season isn't over yet, we still have two regular season games, the Big Ten Championship Game, and then either the College Football Playoffs or a regular Bowl Game.

But right now, I want to look at what's ahead after this season.

As far as anyone knows, Braxton Miller is planning on returning to Ohio State for his senior season in 2015. When he first made this announcement after it was announced that he would miss the entire 2014 season with a shoulder injury, Buckeye fans were very happy.

None of us envisioned that JT Barrett would become one of the best quarterbacks in Ohio State history. And after that loss to Virginia Tech...

9/29 for 219 yards, 1 TD, and 3 INT...sacked seven times

I think after that game Buckeye Nation felt it would be a long season and couldn't wait for Miller's return in 2015.

But Barrett took that game and used it as fuel, he learned from it. And since then, he's been unstoppable.

Against Minnesota, JT Barrett broke two of Braxton Miller's rushing records, longest run ever by a quarterback (86 yard TD run) and most rushing yards in a single game by a QB (189). Barrett also surpassed Braxton Miller's total TD pass mark in a season (29 for Barrett, 24 for Miller).

Also, JT Barrett is one touchdown pass away from tying Troy Smith's school record of touchdown passes in a season of 30 (in 2006), with two games left that record should be broken.

This is Barrett's stat line for the season after the win at Minnesota:

165/258 2365 yards 64.0% completions 29 TD 8 INT

136 rushes 771 yards 5.7 yards per carry 9 TD

That's a season for many QB's around the country, and Barrett still has two games to improve on that!

Miller's best single season stat line:

162/255 2094 yards 63.5% completions 24 TD 7 INT (2013)

227 rushes 1271 yards 5.6 yards per carry 13 TD (2012)

Both are pretty damn good stat lines that most schools would take from their starting quarterback.

So if Braxton Miller stays true to what he said, and returns in 2015 to the Buckeyes fully healthy, what the hell is Urban Meyer going to do?

Before becoming the head coach at The Ohio State University, he spent a season working for ESPN/ABC calling games. I remember listening to him just gush about Braxton Miller, and I still think that Meyer feels the same way.

I believe that part of Meyer would want to stay loyal to Miller. An old sports adage is that you never lose your job to injury, and that's why Miller isn't on the field this season. Nothing academic, no off the field scandals. Braxton Miller, from everything I have ever read or heard, is a great guy. Goes to class, does well in his classes, doesn't draw un-needed attention to himself or the school, stays out of trouble.

However, he got to watch Barrett blossom right before his eyes. Can you bench the quarterback that is likely going to hold some school records when this year is over?

Barrett holds four of the top 9 total offense outputs in Buckeye football history:

There is a chance that he could own the top spot in this list by the end of the season. 

Miller is a weapon. He's the better runner, and likely a better overall athlete. 

However, I think Barrett is the better QUARTERBACK. And honestly, I don't think anyone (including the coaches) saw this coming from him.

I think it's going to be a hard choice to make going into the 2015 season. But if I had to make the choice, Barrett would be my starting quarterback because I feel he's better at that specific job, throwing the football.

Also, Miller has proven to be injury prone. He's missed games before this season due to injuries. There's no guarantee that he can stay on the field. 

And what a nightmare would it be for defenses if both Barrett and Miller were in the backfield together? A handoff to Miller? A motion where Miller takes the snap? A read-option where one or the other ends up with the ball? Miller motioning to the slot or out wide and catching a pass as a receiver? I think Miller could play a "slash" roll wonderfully. 

The only thing I am absolutely sure of, is that I am glad it's not my job to make this decision. When the time comes, I won't envy Urban Meyer one bit.