Can Leonte Carroo and a Surging Rutgers Team Spoil Ohio State's Playoff Run?

The race for the College Football Playoff is past the midway point, and No. 1 Ohio State (7-0) seems to be hitting its stride after a dominant 38-10 victory over Penn State last Saturday.

After the offense struggled through an early-season slump, J.T. Barrett has emerged as the starting quarterback and has the Buckeyes trending up.

Ohio State is on the brink of hitting the home stretch of its regular season, where games against Michigan State and Michigan loom large. But a prime-time date with Rutgers is set for this Saturday, and the surging Scarlet Knights have a chance to derail the Buckeyes' playoff run.

Just a few short weeks ago, that seemed so improbable.

Rutgers got off to a rough start this season, as head coach Kyle Flood found himself in hot water when allegations arose that he tried to negotiate a grade change with a university professor to alter the eligibility for one of his players. Those allegations led to a three-game suspension and a $50,000 fine for Flood.

Things were deteriorating on the field in a similar fashion as the Scarlet Knights started the season 2-2, with their wins coming against FCS opponent Norfolk State and basement-dwelling Kansas.

The struggles were compounded by a suspension to All-Big Ten wideout Leonte Carroo, who missed two games after an arrest on simple assault charges in mid-September.

But since Carroo returned to the field, Rutgers has looked like a different—and much more dangerous—team.

The shift started under the lights in Piscataway, New Jersey, when the Scarlet Knights hosted No. 4 Michigan State two weeks ago. Carroo was unstoppable as he hauled in seven receptions for 134 yards and three touchdowns, helping Rutgers knot up the game at 24 late in the fourth quarter.

The defense collapsed during Michigan State's second-last drive, allowing the Spartans to escape with a 31-24 win.

Mel Evans/Associated Press

It would have been easy to let that deflating loss linger, and it looked to be happening last Saturday against Indiana, which built a 25-point lead with less than 18 minutes to go.

But Carroo sparked a rally with a 43-yard touchdown catch, his third of the afternoon, and the Scarlet Knight's scored the game's final 28 points to secure a stunning 55-52 win.

"We're relentless," quarterback Chris Laviano said, via ESPN.com." We'll never give up and we have a lot of fight in this team."

Will Rutgers put up a worthy fight against Ohio State, which enters Saturday's contest as a massive 21.5-point favorite, according to Odds Shark?

That's dependent upon the health of Carroo, who tweaked his ankle and has been limited in practice all week. The star pass-catcher is making progress every day, though, and Flood won't forecast his availability, saying he's a "game-time decision," according to Dan Duggan of NJ.com.

But the Buckeyes are preparing like they'll see the dangerous wideout, and cornerback Eli Apple is up for the challenge.

“As a defense, whatever you have to do to stop [Carroo], that’s what we’re going to have to do,” Apple said, according to Tim Shoemaker of Eleven Warriors. “It doesn’t really matter to me, I’ll do whatever the coaches tell me to do and I have great confidence in our abilities and I feel like we have a good game plan."

If the Buckeyes don't execute that game plan effectively, Rutgers has the ability to give Ohio State a big scare this Saturday.

David Regimbal is the Ohio State football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.