Ohio State vs. Wisconsin: Date, Start Time, More for 2014 Big Ten Championship

Ohio State booked it's trip to the Big Ten Championship game well before the Week 14 action began and now they finally know just who will be lining up against them at Lucas Oil Stadium on Dec. 6.

The Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Minnesota Gophers 34-24 on Saturday to win the Big Ten West division outright.

Running back Melvin Gordon was the star of the show for the Badgers, just as he has been all season long. SportsCenter provided a look at the final score and Gordon's final stat line:

Gordon should be fit for the contest, but the same can't be said for the Buckeyes biggest star, quarterback J.T. Barrett.

The freshman pivot is out for the season after suffering a broken right ankle in Ohio State's 42-28 win over the rival Michigan Wolverines, per MLive.com's Brendan F. Quinn:

The Big Lead's Michael Shamburger provided a look at the unfortunate, season-ending play:

Sophomore quarterback Cardale Jones will take the reigns for the Buckeyes and all eyes will be on the untested signal-caller as he looks to keep his team's conference championship and College Football Playoff hopes alive.

Here is a look at the date, start time and viewing information for the championship tilt.

Date: Saturday, Dec. 6

Kickoff Time (ET):  8:17 p.m.

Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

TV: FOX

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Game Preview

Ohio State came into Week 14 sixth in the College Football Playoff Rankings. A big win over Wisconsin (14th ranked entering Saturday) could go a long way toward opening the backdoor to the fourth and final playoff spot, as Oregon, Florida State and Alabama appear to have the top three spots locked down.

Mississippi State's 31-17 loss to rival Ole Miss could very well knock them out of the playoff hunt, while Baylor's 48-46 win over lowly Texas Tech was hardly convincing. With these results, it appears TCU is the biggest roadblock to Ohio State making the playoffs.

Still, it's an upward climb for the Buckeyes. ESPN.com's Dan Murphy believes the team's playoff stock could take a hit in Barrett's absence:

"

Ohio State remains in the playoff conversation, but its stock will likely decrease after Barrett's injury. Ohio State's offense clearly won't be the same if its Heisman candidate is unable to play. The committee will have to take that under consideration if it has to choose between the Buckeyes and a Big 12 team or a second SEC school.

"

Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee described what Barrett has meant to the team this season.

"J.T.'s been a warrior for us all year," he said, via Rusty Miller of The Associated Press (h/t ABCNews.com). "With all the scrutiny he's been under since the loss to (Virginia Tech), for him to rebound the way he did and for him to lead our offense it's been huge. Next man up when it comes to quarterbacks."

Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images

Replacing Barrett's production will likely be an impossible task for a quarterback as inexperienced as Jones, who will be thrusting into the starting role in what is likely the game of his life.

The sophomore's best performance came in a 55-14 win over Illinois earlier this season, when he complete five of nine passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns while showing off some incredible athleticism when carrying the football.

ESPN 850's Bruce Hooley can see Jones coming through for his team:

It's a tough situation for the Buckeyes to be in after working so hard all season long just to get to this point, but there is still hope for this squad. 

If Jones performs well and Ohio State can roll to a convincing win over Wisconsin, it could bolster the playoff committee's overall perception of the team as a cohesive unit that doesn't rely on any one player for success. On the other hand, a middling contest and a hamstrung offense could have the committee looking to the Horned Frogs to add a jolt to the College Football Playoff.

It's not all on Jones' shoulders, although it might seem that way. The Buckeyes will have to contend with Gordon, who is perhaps the best running back in college football.

Gordon is the nation's leading rusher, with 2,260 yards on the season. It's a staggering total, one that has the tailback joining some legendary company, per ESPN Stats & Info:

The Badgers offense is painfully one-dimensional and yet the sturdy back puts up fantastic numbers week in and week out. As a team, they put up 343.5 yards per game, thanks to a burly, bruising offensive line. Gordon was quick to give them credit after putting up a record 408 rushing yards against Nebraska.

"It showed Melvin Gordon and 408 yards," he said, via USA Today's Paul Myerberg, "but it should have everyone up there, all the offensive linemen, because they really made it easy for me today. They allowed me to have a lot of one-on-one matchups. It's kind of been like that all season. Those guys have really been looking out for me."

Contrast this with the Buckeyes, who are giving up nearly 150 rushing yards per contest. This matchup bodes well for the Badgers, who could be able to grind out a win if Jones proves to be ineffective. 

Mike McGinnis/Getty Images

Badgers quarterback Joel Stave—who's thrown for more than 200 yards just twice in eight appearances this season—does little to instill fear in any collegiate defense, although he does do a fine job of taking care of the football. Stave's thrown just one interception in his last seven games.

He's no running threat, which should allow the Buckeyes to key in on Gordon—of course if it were that easy, every defense would have done it by now.

The Buckeyes have their own top-tier running back in Ezekiel Elliot, who just might have to carry the offense on Dec. 6. The Buckeyes should still come out with a win in the championship, but it should be a low-scoring affair. If that is the case, look for TCU to pip the Buckeyes for the final playoff spot, despite not playing a Big 12 championship game.