Can J.T. Barrett Put Struggles Against Good Teams Behind Him vs. Michigan State?

COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the one half that he did play on Saturday, J.T. Barrett looked like his old self. Pinpointing passes and taking what the defense gave him on the ground, you would have never known that the Ohio State quarterback was nursing a sprained MCL while leading the Buckeyes to a 55-14 blowout victory over Illinois.

But while Barrett bounced back from his uninspiring outing in Happy Valley last weekend, there's no telling what that means for next week's mega matchup with Michigan State. That's because a large part of the freshman signal-caller's success on Saturday stemmed from the incompetence of the Fighting Illini, who put up less of a fight than any opponent that the Buckeyes have played so far this year.

That's saying something when you look at the opponents that Barrett has faced thus far this season, which has seen him light up lesser opponents and struggle against the stouter ones. Against Navy, Kent State, Cincinnati, Maryland, Rutgers and Illinois, Barrett has totaled 1,914 total yards and 24 touchdowns, numbers that at one point placed him in discussion for the Heisman Trophy.

But in Barrett's only two true tests, he's been significantly less impressive, completing just nine of 29 pass attempts in Ohio State's loss to Virginia Tech and throwing for just 74 yards in last weekend's double-overtime win against Penn State. And there won't be a bigger test that Barrett takes this season than next Saturday, heading on the road for a prime-time showdown against the Spartans' top-five defense.

"It's a real one. This is why you come to Ohio State," Barrett said. "To go play Michigan State at Michigan State."

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No, Barrett won't be able to get away with playing just a half as he did on Saturday, totaling 205 yards and two touchdowns as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 31-0 first-half lead over the undermanned Illini. Rather, Ohio State is going to need the Wichita Falls, Texas, native's best effort in East Lansing, in a contest that will serve as a de facto Big Ten East Championship Game.

That, of course, will be easier said than done against a Michigan State squad that has only surrendered an average of 284.4 yards per game to opponents and will be well-rested and well-prepared coming off of a bye.

The Spartans may not be as strong defensively as they were a season ago when they beat the Buckeyes in the Big Ten title game, but they are the best opponent on Ohio State's schedule this season, which doesn't bode well for the Buckeyes given Barrett's inconsistencies against the Hokies and Nittany Lions.

Only next Saturday will give Barrett the opportunity to change that narrative, in a game that will be billed as a battle between the Big Ten's two best. Ever since last year's conference championship outcome, all roads in Columbus have led to East Lansing, a chance for revenge against the team that thwarted Ohio State's national title chances a season ago.

"Obviously, the dream was ripped away from us," said OSU head coach Urban Meyer. "This is a motivated team."

And although losses on Sept. 6 by both teams may have threatened the importance of next Saturday, both the Spartans and Buckeyes have bounced back with six straight wins apiece. With MSU ranked eighth and Ohio State 16th in last week's College Football Playoff committee poll, there will be plenty on the line in Spartan Stadium next Saturday beyond a likely second straight trip to Indianapolis.

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"Whoever wins this game is probably going to go on and play for the Big Ten championship," Barrett admitted. "It's a big game."

Having blown out five of their past six opponents with an evidently improved defense and a plethora of emerging playmakers, the Buckeyes look like a team that's firing on all cylinders just at the right time. But make no mistake about it, Ohio State's success next Saturday will come down to Barrett, who insists that he's prepared for the most important game of his young college career.

"Now it's here. Now it's time to talk about it," Barrett said. "They got us last year in the Big Ten Championship Game. Now it's kind of time for revenge."

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.