Cardale Jones Will Lead Ohio State to Big Ten Title After J.T. Barrett Injury

Ohio State is back in the Big Ten Championship Game. At the beginning of the season, this would have seemed like a no-brainer for most college football fans.

The only caveat is the Buckeyes will be competing for the crown without Braxton Miller or J.T. Barrett. In fact, the program will be without Barrett for the remainder of the season due to an ankle fracture, as Brendan F. Quinn of MLive.com notes:

Instead, Urban Meyer will be leaning on third-string quarterback Cardale Jones. Many will remember him for the infamous tweet he sent out in October, 2012, but he appears to have matured now—and the Buckeyes will need him.

On the field, Jones has very little experience at the college level. He has 121 passing yards during his career, with two touchdowns late against Illinois earlier this season. But even with his lack of time on the field, Meyer noted Jones is still able to run the offense, per Jeff Svoboda of Buckeye Sports Bulletin:

Much like Barrett and Miller, he can run and pass with authority as evidenced by his 7.9 yards per carry average this season. Given his ability to scramble and keep plays alive, look for Jones to take over with relative ease for the Buckeyes, as he did against Michigan.

That's not an attempt to lessen what Barrett did in place of Miller, but the offensive game plan simply remains the same with Jones. Ari Wasserman of The Plain Dealer offered his take on where the offense stands now:

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Now that Ohio State has to lean on Cardale Jones in the Big Ten title game vs. Wisconsin on Saturday, the Buckeyes offense isn't going to be as good. Jones probably can't match Barrett's dazzling runs, his perfectly-placed passes or the way he led the team.

But if Jones trusts offensive coordinator Tom Herman's system and plays within himself, the Buckeyes, as a team, are offensively still good enough to knock off the Badgers. 

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With limited experience, Jones likely won't be asked to carry the offense for the Buckeyes. Luckily, he has plenty of talent around him to help lead the team to a win.

Devin Smith and Michael Thomas haven't been great lately, but have produced solid results all season. Fellow sophomore Ezekiel Elliott has gone for over 100 total yards in eight of the last 10 games. ESPN College Football provides a glimpse at what he's capable of:

On the other end, Wisconsin offers one of the best running backs in the country in Melvin Gordon. If the defense can simply contain the Heisman contender—which is easier said than done—the Buckeyes will clinch the Big Ten Championship.

That's a lot of ifs and hope in a young quarterback, but Meyer is clearly comfortable with that situation. Given his history of still producing great results under pressure, expect Ohio State to give the College Football Playoff committee something to ponder with a win on Saturday.

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