Ohio State Quickly Becoming Most Feared Dark Horse in CFB Playoff Chase

To quote former Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Mora: Playoffs? Playoffs?!

Yes, ever since Ohio State's monumental win over Michigan State a week ago, the first ever College Football Playoff has been on everybody's mind in Columbus, with the Buckeyes climbing to eighth in the most recent selection committee poll.

And while Ohio State's 31-24 victory over No. 25 Minnesota on Saturday may have been a missed opportunity when it came to tacking on some style points, the Buckeyes continued to prove why they are one of college football's most dangerous teams.

"I'd like to see anybody in the country come up here and do this," Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said following his team's win over the Golden Gophers. "Any team in the country that wants to schedule this one in November against a very good team: Have at it.

"That's our message."

No, the Buckeyes' margin of victory may not have been as impressive as some would have liked, but Ohio State still managed to score 31 points and compile 489 yards against not only Minnesota, but a steady stream of snow. The Buckeyes also had opportunities to add to their total tally, but they were hampered by a pair of costly fumbles lost by redshirt freshman Jalin Marshall.

"He's too good of a player," Meyer said. "We've got to get that fixed."

But while Marshall—who led Ohio State in receiving with five catches for 95 yards and a touchdown—may have ultimately done more harm than good for the Buckeyes, his play was overshadowed by one of his more high-profile classmates in the end.

J.T. Barrett firmly cemented his name as a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender on Saturday, totaling 389 yards of offense and four touchdowns in the Ohio State win. Barrett's 189 rushing yards were critical in the Buckeyes sustaining drives in the inclement weather and also the most ever in a single game by an Ohio State quarterback.

"He's a tough guy," Meyer said of the redshirt freshman signal-caller. "In these kind of conditions, there's only a few people who you want to touch the ball...a great game by him."

Barrett's great game featured a dazzling 86-yard touchdown run to give the the Buckeyes the opening score of the game in the first quarter, as well as three touchdown throws, including a 57-yard toss to Marshall.

With his efforts, Barrett eclipsed Braxton Miller's single-season school record for touchdowns accounted for with four games likely left on Ohio State's schedule, as the Buckeyes quarterback is now on pace to tally 4,065 total yards and 49 touchdowns over the course of 13 games.

And while those numbers would more than likely land Barrett in New York City in the second weekend of December as a Heisman Trophy finalist, they speak just as much to the overall success that Ohio State has found since suffering its Week 2 defeat to Virginia Tech.

Despite navigating a choppy schedule that has included two byes in a four-week span and only two home games in seven weeks, the Buckeyes have become one of the hottest teams in the country, rattling off eight consecutive wins, including last weekend's statement over the Spartans.

Ohio State has jumped from 16th to 14th to eighth in the playoff rankings in the past three weeks and could be poised for another leap after some shuffling at the top.

Yes, the Buckeyes are currently on the outside looking in at the playoff, based on a perceived soft schedule (ranked 43rd in the country as of Saturday) and the scarlet letter that marks their loss to the now 5-5 Hokies, who beat No. 21 Duke on Saturday.

But with games against Indiana and Michigan remaining, Ohio State is one inevitable win away from clinching a trip to Indianapolis, where the Buckeyes will have the opportunity to make one final case to the playoff committee in the Big Ten Championship Game.

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But if the committee is selecting the four best teams and not the four best resumes, the Buckeyes should already be in that discussion. With an offense that could compete with any defense in the country—whether it be Alabama or Michigan State—Ohio State is hitting its stride at the right time and may be the team that no one wants to face by the end of the season.

"Outstanding," Meyer said of the current mood of his locker room. "Like we're one win away from winning the [Big Ten] East championship. That's what it's like."

Where that lands the Buckeyes in the eyes of the playoff committee won't be divulged until Tuesday, but anybody who's watched this Ohio State team since September knows one truth that was realized a week ago in East Lansing and only further solidified Saturday in Minneapolis: It's for real. And it's only getting better.

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.