COLUMBUS, Ohio — In football circles, the term “system quarterback” is somewhat of an insulting phrase, a backhanded way of discrediting one player in favor of the scheme in which he plays in.
But for Ohio State, its ability to produce such may be its only argument left for making the College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes’ playoff hopes took a significant hit on Saturday, when quarterback J.T. Barrett went down with a right ankle fracture in Ohio State’s 42-28 win over Michigan. Head coach Urban Meyer confirmed that the Heisman Trophy candidate and star redshirt freshman quarterback will miss the remainder of the season, starting with next weekend’s appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game.
That’s significant in and of itself, as Ohio State will be without its best offensive player in a game against a Top 25 opponent in Wisconsin. More than that, the selection committee will take into account Barrett’s absence when examining Ohio State’s playoff candidacy.
That obviously doesn’t bode well for the Buckeyes, as Barrett’s play was a big reason why No. 6 Ohio State seemed to hold an edge over fellow one-loss playoff candidates TCU and Baylor. While the Buckeyes’ Week 2 loss to 6-6 Virginia Tech was the “worst” of the bunch, that blow seemed to be lessened by the progress that Barrett had made since the second start of his college career.
That argument, however, has now gone out the window for Ohio State with the news of Barrett’s season-ending…
Continue Reading: How Playoff Committee Should Look at Ohio State After J.T. Barrett Injury
