COLUMBUS, Ohio – The stars don’t seem to have aligned for the No.5 Ohio State Buckeyes as they travel to Indianapolis to face No. 13 Wisconsin for the Big Ten championship and a chance to be included in the first-ever College Football Playoff’s final four teams.
The Buckeyes (11-1, 8-0) and Badgers (10-2, 7-1) kick off at 8:00 (FOX) at Lucas Oil Field.
For almost all of Urban Meyer’s first two seasons at Ohio State, his Buckeyes had the magic touch. They won their first 24 games and seemed to have a knack for coming up with just what they needed to procure a win — winning all seven games decided by a touchdown or less.
Then they got smacked down by Michigan State in last year’s Big Ten title game.
Now the Buckeyes get a second chance at winning a conference championship but seems like, if it weren’t for bad luck, they’d have none at all.
Ranked near top of the polls at the beginning of the season, things started to go wrong when Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Braxton Miller was lost for the season due to a re-aggravated shoulder injury, defensive end Noah Spence was ruled ineligible and OSU lost at home to Virginia Tech in the second game of the season.
After clawing their way back to the top seven in the playoff poll, the Buckeyes saw another Heisman candidate – J.T. Barrett, who replaced Miller – go down with a broken ankle during the victory over Michigan in the final regular season game.
Barrett will be replaced by redshirt sophomore Cardale Jones. He is making his first career start but has the confidence of his predecessor.
“Cardale is a great player. I honestly feel like, if I wasn’t starting this year, Cardale would have done the same things I did this year,” Barrett said.
When he broke his ankle, Barrett was No. 1 in the Big Ten in pass efficiency and total offense and No. 2 in passing yards. He also set a conference record for combined touchdown passes and runs with 45.
With Barrett at the helm, the Buckeyes have the best offense in the Big Ten. The Badgers have the best defense in the league, including a quick linebacking corps.
They’ll have to contend with the size of the 6’5” Jones when Ohio State runs the quarterback. Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Aranda says he’s wary of the Buckeyes’ ability to bust out for big plays.