Ohio State Football: Cardale Jones' Wild-Card Status for 2015

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Urban Meyer has a problem.

It's a good problem to have. But a problem nonetheless.

Meyer's Ohio State team will play Oregon in the national championship game on Monday, which wouldn't have been a surprise had somebody predicted that this is where the Buckeyes would eventually wind up back in August. Returning its star quarterback with a manageable schedule, Ohio State was ranked as the No. 5 country in the preseason AP Top 25, projected to finish right on the edge of the first-ever College Football Playoff.

But days later, the Buckeyes' star quarterback would go down with a season-ending injury, the same fate that would later be suffered by his Heisman Trophy-caliber successor in Ohio State's regular season finale. And yet here the Buckeyes sit with their third option at quarterback, one win away from capturing college football's national crown.

So what's Meyer's problem? 

While his roster apparently possesses no fewer than three quality quarterbacks, each of the three has eligibility remaining after this season and is currently slated to return to Columbus for the 2015 season. At football's most important position, only one player can start, meaning that Meyer will be tasked with benching two more-than-qualified quarterbacks.

So who should start for the Buckeyes next season? Let's look at the blind resumes of each of Meyer's options.

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Option A

Claim to Fame: Two-time Big Ten MVP (2012, 2013), Two-time Big Ten Quarterback of the Year (2012, 2013), Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2011), CFB Performance Awards National Freshman of the Year (2011), fifth-place Heisman Trophy finish (2012).

Experience: Three-year starter (26-8 record as a starter, including a 22-2 mark under Meyer from 2012-13).

Numbers: 5,292 passing yards, 3,054 rushing yards (8,346 total yards). 52 passing touchdowns, 32 rushing touchdowns. Career 59.3 completion percentage (63.5 completion percentage in 2013). Seventeen interceptions.

Current Status: Recovering from a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, which necessitated a second shoulder surgery in an eight-month span in August. Expected to be fully recovered between the start and finish of fall camp.

Other Options: As a fifth-year senior who has already obtained his undergraduate degree, could transfer to another program and be immediately eligible, or enter the NFL draft.

Option B

Claim to Fame: Third-team AP All-American (2014), CFPA National Freshman of the Year (2014), Big Ten Quarterback of the Year (2014), Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2014), fifth-place Heisman Trophy finish (2014).

Experience: One-year starter (11-1 record).

Numbers: 2,834 passing yards, 938 rushing yards (single-season school record 3,772 total yards). Single-season school record 34 passing touchdowns, 11 rushing touchdowns (Big Ten single-season record 45 total touchdowns). 64.6 completion percentage. 10 interceptions.

Current Status: Recovering from a fractured ankle suffered against Michigan on Nov. 29, 2014. Expected to be fully recovered by the start of fall camp.

Other Options: As a redshirt freshman, has three years of eligibility remaining. Could transfer to another FBS program and sit out 2015, or transfer to an FCS school and play right away.

Option C

Claim to Fame: Big Ten Championship Game MVP (2014), Sugar Bowl/College Football Playoff win over Alabama (2015).

Experience: Three starts (2-0 in games played), 12 combined appearances in 2013 and 2014.

Numbers: 621 passing yards, 386 rushing yards. Six passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown. 57.7 completion percentage. One interception.

Current Status: Preparing to start for the Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff championship.

Other Options: As a redshirt sophomore, has two years of eligibility remaining. Could enter the NFL draft, transfer to another FBS program and sit out 2015, or transfer to an FCS school and play right away.

As you probably already know, Option A is Braxton Miller, B is J.T. Barrett and C is Cardale Jones. And while all three present compelling cases to be Ohio State's starting quarterback after Monday, there's no doubting that given his options and still incomplete resume, Jones is the wild card of the bunch.

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A 22-year-old redshirt sophomore by way of Cleveland Glenville, Jones will make just the third start of his college career against Oregon after leading the Buckeyes to wins over Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game and Alabama in the Sugar Bowl/playoff semifinal. Albeit in a small sample size, Jones has won on the biggest stages for Ohio State, the 6'5", 250-pounder's apparent arm strength adding a dynamic to Meyer's spread offense not seen in a decade.

"All three of those guys are very good deep-ball throwers," Meyer said of his quarterback stable. "But Cardale is the first guy I've had, I want to say since [former Utah quarterback] Alex [Smith] that is up there that can high‑low a pass over the top of a defensive line and that's rare. That's hard to find those guys."

So are guys like Miller, who almost single-handedly led the Buckeyes to a 12-0 season in 2012 with his explosive ability as a runner, and guys like Barrett, who in his freshman season managed to rewrite Ohio State's quarterback record book. Even as they recover from their respective injuries, having either Miller or Barrett as a starting quarterback would immediately enter any team into the national championship discussion.

And yet when Ohio State takes the field at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Monday playing for just that, it will be led by a player who entered the 2014 season as Meyer's third option at quarterback. But if Jones beats the Ducks and adds a national championship to his short but outstanding resume, could Meyer really relegate him back to the bench in 2015 once Barrett and Jones are healed?

That's a big "if" of course, given that Oregon enters the game as a seven-point favorite, according to Odds Shark. And according to Jones, what happens in North Texas on Monday won't affect his future for the coming year, as he already plans on returning to Ohio State for his junior season.

"I definitely will be back," Jones said. "I don’t think about things like that right now at this point."

He may not be, but others certainly are, especially given that his options for the 2015 season are almost limitless.

Even if the Buckeyes were to win on Monday, it wouldn't necessarily guarantee a return to Columbus for their starting quarterback. Four years removed from high school, Jones could enter the upcoming NFL draft,  where scouts are reportedly intrigued by the OSU signal-caller.

With two years of eligibility remaining, Jones could also transfer to an FBS program and regain eligibility in 2016, although that wouldn't make much sense for a player who just sat out for the better part of three seasons and is already 22-years-old. He could also transfer to an FCS school—Youngstown State would be intriguing given his connection to YSU president Jim Tressel, who originally recruited him to Ohio State—but his high school coach, Ted Ginn Sr., insisted to SI.com that Jones' primary goal is to graduate from OSU, which he is slated to do at the end of 2015.

That would indicate that Jones, indeed, does intend to return to Columbus next season, where he would be the team's No. 1 quarterback in spring practice with both Miller and Barrett still recovering from their respective injuries. Even if he were to return to his role as a backup, he would possess the ability to transfer as a graduate in 2016, giving him immediate eligibility at any FBS school in the country.

And while he maintains that he'll be back at Ohio State regardless of Monday's outcome, a third consecutive big game under the brightest lights could change everything. With a national championship on his resume, Jones could conceivably permanently go from third to first on the Buckeyes' depth chart, or even become one of the most unlikeliest NFL draft picks in recent memory.

Jones, however, insists that all three of Ohio State's quarterbacks will return next season, joking that they're begging the coaching staff to install a triple-quarterback package. "We talk about next year," Jones said. "My opinon, we’ll all be back."

PAUL VERNON/Associated Press

It certainly makes sense for Barrett to return to Ohio State, where he'd either resume his role as the Buckeyes' starter or serve as a backup during the same season that he'd have to sit out even if he transferred. Meanwhile, rumors have swirled that Miller will take advantage of his ability as a graduate transfer, with the two-time Big Ten MVP being linked to Florida State, LSU, Duke and even Ohio State's upcoming opponent, Oregon.

Miller, for his part, has remained mum on the topic, and Meyer said in New Orleans that he anticipates the star quarterback being back at Ohio State.

"We've had conversations and I expect him to be back at Ohio State," Meyer said at a Sugar Bowl press conference.

Like Jones, Miller possesses a plethora of options, including staying at Ohio State, transferring, switching positions or entering the NFL draft. Given all of the moving parts, the Buckeyes' quarterback situation for 2015 would be complicated enough if there were just two players involved, but having three could make for an unprecedented quarterback controversy in Columbus next season.

"I'm really excited to have two really good quarterbacks next year," Meyer said in November, before Jones ever entered the fray. "Competition brings out the best."

After Monday, that theory will certainly be put to the test.

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.