The Most Important Ohio State Players for the Rest of the Year

After a 31-24 victory over No. 25 Minnesota last Saturday, Ohio State jumped two spots to No. 6 in the latest playoff rankings. But with the regular season winding down, Urban Meyer will need his best players to step up and push the Buckeyes into the Top Four to make this year's highly anticipated postseason. 

As the top teams jockey for position, the Buckeyes are set to host wavering Indiana and Michigan teams before a potential trip to the Big Ten title game.

Whether they're fueling an explosive offense or helping a surging defense, these four players are crucial to Ohio State's playoff hopes.

J.T. Barrett

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Ohio State's offense—and by extension, the team as a whole—has gone as far as J.T. Barrett could take it this season. Since throwing three interceptions in a 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech, the redshirt freshman signal-caller has been phenomenal. Barrett has amassed 3,127 total yards and 38 touchdowns (29 passing, nine rushing) through 10 games, and his strong play has vaulted him into the Heisman Trophy discussion. 

The first-year quarterback even received a surprising vote of confidence from his coach, who rarely hands out this kind of praise.

“I don’t know if my endorsement matters,” Meyer said, according to Tim May of The Columbus Dispatch. “But I’ve been fortunate to coach some guys that have been to New York (for the ceremony, including 2007 winner Tim Tebow of Florida), and he (Barrett) is a Heisman candidate.”

If Barrett continues at his current pace, he'll not only make the Buckeyes nearly impossible to stop—he'll rewrite the school records for quarterbacks in just his first season.

Devin Smith

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

If J.T. Barrett is the engine of Ohio State's offense, Devin Smith is the turbo boost. 

The Buckeyes are a different team when the senior wideout is at the top of his game. That much became clear when Ohio State traveled to Michigan State. Smith hauled in six receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown against the Spartans' vaunted defense, helping the Buckeyes pile up 568 total yards in the 49-37 victory.

“Devin Smith, that’s his best game that we’ve had in the past three years,” Urban Meyer said after the game, according to Eric Seger of The Ozone.

The following week, though, he put his inconsistency on display. Smith disappeared against the Gophers, failing to register a catch for the first time this season. 

When the Buckeyes find themselves in another big game in the coming weeks, they'll need Smith to play like he did against the Spartans two weeks ago.

Jalin Marshall

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

When Dontre Wilson went down after breaking his foot against Michigan State, Urban Meyer turned to Jalin Marshall to fill the void.

In his first week as the primary H-back and punt returner, the redshirt freshman showed his playmaking ability, registering 107 total yards and a touchdown against Minnesota. But the first-year player also made a pair of big mistakes—losing two fumbles that cost Ohio State at least seven points. The Gophers turned those two fumbles into two touchdowns the other way.

Ohio State's coaching staff is working hard with Marshall to tighten that up. 

"This last game he had two hiccups. I don't want to jump to any conclusions. It was just kind of a bad day for him," wide receivers coach Zach Smith said, according to Doug Lesmerises of The Plain Dealer. "So we're just going to work really hard to make sure he doesn't have another bad day like that."

Because if he does, it could cost Ohio State a chance at this year's playoff.

Michael Bennett

Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

Ohio State's usually stout run defense has been gashed in recent weeks. Michigan State's Jeremy Langford averaged 7.6 yards per carry on his way to 137 rushing yards against the Buckeyes two weeks ago, and Minnesota's David Cobb pounded his way to 145 of his own last Saturday. The two backs combined for six rushing touchdowns.

That left star defensive tackle Michael Bennett angry. 

The senior ripped Ohio State's defense for allowing Cobb to run wild at halftime and urged the unit to step up.

“I let them know that I wasn’t happy about it and I felt like there was a lot of apathy like, ‘Oh, we only let them get 14 points’ and I felt like we shouldn’t have let them get any,” Bennett said, according to Patrick Maks of Eleven Warriors. 

The Buckeyes are set to face Indiana's Tevin Coleman this week, who ranks second nationally with 1,678 rushing yards. If Wisconsin wins out, the Buckeyes will be tasked with defending Melvin Gordon, the nation's leading rusher with 1,909 yards.

Both Coleman and Gordon have the ability to exploit Ohio State's slumming run defense, so Bennett will need to lead and prepare the defense for a stiff challenge.

All stats via NCAA.com.

David Regimbal covers Ohio State football for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.