Ohio State Spring Game 2015: Date, Start Time, TV Schedule, Live Stream and More

Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes begin the path to title defense Saturday at Ohio Stadium in the team's 2015 spring game. 

There, a three-way duel between Cardale Jones, Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett will take center stage, even if all three don't suit up. So will the future, with big names such as Devin Smith, Michael Bennett and Doran Grant taking their talents to the NFL.

Saturday offers the Buckeyes faithful a first chance to see the new direction of the team as Meyer plans for next season.

Let's take a look at how to catch the action and a few things to focus on as it unfolds.

2015 Ohio State Spring Game

When: Saturday, April 18 at 1:30 p.m. ET

Where: Ohio Stadium

TV: Big Ten Network

Live Stream: btn2go.com

Preview

While it is an exciting time as Ohio State pieces together another potential College Football Playoff contender, it's important to note first Meyer's conservative strategy going into Saturday.

There, he plans to give some of the big names time on the field, but he also wants to give younger players a chance to experience live-game action in front of a massive crowd. James Grega, Jr. of The Lantern captured Meyer's thoughts on the matter:

"

We are going to let the 1-A’s of the 2,000 rep club — we are going to go the first two series of the game. It will not be to the ground tackle. It will be very structured and pass-type situations. I think the fans deserve to watch the Joey Bosas of the world go out and play. Then we will start taking those guys out of the game and continue on with the scrimmage.”

"

Still, there will be plenty to see in the way of competition.

Jones is the only major quarterback suiting up for the event. Miller is still too far out in his recovery, and Barrett has only put on limited work so far this preseason.

Meyer is happy about this, all things considered, as he noted Barrett is ahead of schedule and already has more work in than the staff predicted.

"We're exactly where we need to be at the end of spring practice," Meyer said, per ESPN.com's Austin Ward. "... We probably got [Barrett] more reps than I thought we'd get him. Our trainers did a good job, and we were going to be very cautious with him, but we practiced better this year than we have in the past."

In other words, Jones will need to look sharp Saturday. Folks know what Miller can do under center, and Barrett looked great last season before the late injury. There's a chance for Jones to craft serious chemistry with a new-look offense, but competition is on the way sooner rather than later. 

Speaking of the offense, the team will use Saturday in part to find a replacement for the aforementioned Smith.

Noah Brown is the first name who pops to mind a year removed from not playing much. A gap among the first-team wideouts has helped Brown to show off his skills, and he continues to be brought up as a player having a great spring.

Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch captures one such account:

Also mentioned is Curtis Samuel, who sounds ready to receive more than the 58 carries he tallied from a season ago, especially after he turned them into 383 yards and six scores on a 6.6 per-carry average. 

To be blunt, things are more boring concerning Joey Bosa's unit. One of the chief questions in need of an answer centers on who lines up across from the star defender a year after Steve Miller and Rashad Frazier held down the fort in the wake of Noah Spence's suspension. Of the names to watch is redshirt sophomore Tyquan Lewis.

Most interesting of all on the defensive side of things is the secondary. Eli Apple holds the top corner slot with Grant gone, but Gareon Conley seems fit for more playing time, even more so if he can put on a strong performance Saturday.

Like most spring games, Ohio State's spectacle Saturday won't showcase the starters a lot to keep them healthy. What the event will do, though, is help young players along and give the staff a better idea as to where it needs to focus moving forward. 

It's something worth observing, as the defending champions set out to improve.

Info courtesy of OhioStateBuckeyes.com unless otherwise specified.