Ohio State has been ranked atop The Associated Press Top 25 all season, so don’t expect the Buckeyes to drop following their bye weekend. But a day after Ohio State dismantled Rutgers thanks to J.T. Barrett, the star dual-threat quarterback who combined for 324 total yards and five touchdowns in a 49-7 triumph. Ohio State gained 11 first-place votes (39) from the week before (28) to remain comfortably ahead of No. 2 Baylor in the rankings. The perception was now that Barrett was the starter, the Buckeyes would begin acting like the No. 1 team in the land after a lackluster-albeit-unblemished first half to the season. But after Barrett was suspended one game following an early Saturday morning arrest on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated near the Columbus, Ohio, campus, the question is will that affect the Buckeyes this week in the rankings? Cardale Jones, who threw for 1,266, seven touchdowns and five interceptions while starting the Buckeyes first eight games, is in line to start for Barrett this Saturday against 4-4 Minnesota. Jones should be good enough for Ohio State to have little trouble defeating the Gophers. After a trip to play lowly Illinois, the real tests begin for the Buckeyes: a Nov. 21 home game against unbeaten Michigan State and a Nov. 28 trip to meet rival Michigan…
Continue Reading: Ohio State idle, but will JT Barrett suspension impact ranking? | AP ballot
