Sugar Bowl Will Be Monumental Audition for Ohio State's Cardale Jones

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The cliche goes that you play for the name on the front of your jersey, not the one on your back. But Cardale Jones knows that when he takes the field for the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day, he'll be playing for both.

That shouldn't come as a surprise, given Jones' status as Ohio State's third option at quarterback this season. When you're as unproven as Jones, who has started just one game in his college career, every opportunity is a chance to show just what you're capable of and why you're deserving of more playing time.

Only most auditions don't come on a stage as large as Jones' will, a national semifinal matchup with Alabama in the first-ever College Football Playoff. But that's exactly the situation that the redshirt sophomore signal-caller currently finds himself in, with a still-uncertain future looming past Jan. 1.

Because even as Jones has the opportunity to lead the Buckeyes to a national championship, the future of Ohio State's quarterback position still appears to be J.T. Barrett.

A third-team All-American and the Big Ten Quarterback of the Year, Barrett rewrote the Buckeyes' record book as a redshirt freshman in 2014 and is expected to be fully recovered from the fractured ankle he suffered against Michigan in time for the start of 2015 fall camp.

Jones knows this, which is why as the 2014 regular season drew to a close, he questioned whether or not he'd remain with the Ohio State program moving forward. According to Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel, a transfer seemed inevitable after Jones discussed his status with Buckeyes offensive coordinator Tom Herman.

“Dude, come on, let’s do the math here. J.T. is younger than me, he’s the future right there," Jones said, per Thamel. "You want me to stick around and be the third quarterback forever?”

Barrett's injury put any transfer talk for Jones on the back burner, as did his MVP performance in Ohio State's 59-0 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. But with Barrett returning—and injured two-time Big Ten MVP Braxton Miller potentially doing the same—the Sugar Bowl remains an audition for Jones in front of an audience of more than just one.

Just who will be keeping an eye on Jones' big day?

GAIL BURTON/Associated Press

Ohio State

Even with all that will be on the line, it remains almost inconceivable that Jones could do enough in the Buckeyes' next game (or two) to unseat Barrett. But then again, stranger things have happened.

After all, nobody expected Barrett to play as well as he did in Miller's absence, seemingly giving him the inside track to be Ohio State's starting quarterback in 2015 in the process.

If Jones plays as well as he did against Wisconsin (12-17, 257 YDS, 3 TDs) while leading the Buckeyes to a national championship, the 6'5", 250-pounder would certainly have a compelling case to turn an already budding quarterback controversy in Columbus into a three-man race.

That may be putting the cart before the horse given that beating the Crimson Tide will be a tough enough task in and of itself, but it's worth noting that of Barrett, Miller and Jones, only Jones is expected to be at full strength for the start of spring practice.

Three impressive games would be an awfully small sample size for Urban Meyer to use as the basis for a potential program-altering decision, but should Jones bring the Buckeyes a national championship, it's hard to imagine that the idea of sticking with him won't at least be discussed at Ohio State.

And for Jones, that may be enough to stay, considering the Buckeyes' current question marks at quarterback. Between Barrett's injury and the potential that Miller leaves for the NFL or as a graduate transfer, Jones could very well take his chances staying in Columbus with whatever momentum he gains in the coming weeks.

Transfer Destinations

A transfer to another school for Jones would be tricky, given both his age and limited remaining eligibility. And if it's Jones' goal to get on the field as soon as possible, it wouldn't seem to make sense for the 22-year-old to sit out 2015, per NCAA transfer rules, in order to start somewhere as a senior in 2016.

But as Thamel mentioned, it's an idea that Jones has entertained before, so it's something that must be discussed. It's also possible that he could transfer to a Division I-AA/FCS school, where he would be granted two years of immediate eligibility.

Should the former 3-star prospect take the FCS route, one school that would seem to make sense as a potential destination would be Youngstown State.

Former Nebraska coach Bo Pelini just took over the Penguins program, and YSU president Jim Tressel was the head coach who first recruited Jones to Ohio State. Also, Jones' mentor and high school coach, Ted Ginn Sr., has maintained a close relationship with Tressel, and on the surface, a return to Northeast Ohio would seem to make sense for all parties involved.

That, however, is purely speculation, as Jones is yet to publicly state a desire to leave the Buckeyes program—regardless of the outcome of the Sugar Bowl or anything beyond. In fact, to this point, he's said all the right things, maintaining that his focus has been directed toward beating Alabama.

"At some point, but this is not the point," Jones answered when asked if he's focusing on how his playoff performance could affect his future. "Next season is so far away. We're trying to do something that's bigger than all of us, period."

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The NFL

This is the unlikeliest of scenarios, as the limited tape on Jones would make it difficult for any professional team to use a valuable draft pick on the third-year sophomore. But a big outing against Alabama and subsequently either Oregon or Florida State could conceivably put him on NFL teams' radars, especially considering how he already performed against the Badgers' second-ranked defense.

That's not all that would be working in Jones' favor either, as his size is also ideal for a pro passer. His arm strength (he claims to be capable of throwing the ball 80 yards) would likely leave scouts drooling, and has already been compared to that of former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell.

Personal problems derailed Russell's career with the Raiders, and teams would certainly question Jones' pattern of admitted immature behavior throughout his time in Columbus. Quite frankly, it's just hard to believe that Jones will be capable of doing enough in the next three weeks to convince a team to draft a player with just three—or fewer—career starts to his credit.

But at 22-years-old and with a newborn daughter, Jones may opt to think about his professional prospects sooner rather than later. He certainly has the raw skills to catch on at an offseason camp or at least land on teams' radars for 2015 or 2016.

And with the backdrop of the College Football Playoff and a high-profile opponent like Alabama, he also has the stage to make the most of his next audition. The fact that he's even in a position to potentially turn one of these possibilities into a reality just goes to show that you shouldn't rule anything out when it comes to Jones' football future.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com and recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.