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"The situation is so fascinating, and the skills of the quarterbacks are just different enough, that everyone is anxious to find out what happens."
- Brian Bennett, ESPN
While Ohio State is basking in the glow of their first national championship since 2002, behind the scenes, the question that everyone has been thinking about is now at the forefront of the offseason story lines for the Buckeyes. That question, of course, being which quarterback will get the starting nod at the start of the 2015 season -- or which quarterbacks will even be in the mix, for that matter. Head coach Urban Meyer probably hasn't given it too much thought for the time being, but he's no doubt going to spend plenty of time trying to figure out Ohio State's good problem to have.
The decision pretty much has to be on the back burner until Ohio State finds out the futures of Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett, and Cardale Jones. Jones has been linked to making a possible jump to the NFL, though it's unlikely, considering Jones came out himself and said he wasn't ready for that level. Barrett has said he's not going anywhere. Braxton Miller has been rumored to be considering a transfer to quite a few different schools, but nothing from either Braxton's circles nor the Ohio State camp. Either way, it's going to be intriguing to watch how it all plays out.
Congrats to D'Angelo Russell of @OhioStateHoops for making the 2015 Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list.
— Dan Wallenberg (@OSUADAthComm) January 14, 2015
Ohio State freshman guard D'Angelo Russell was listed on the 2015 Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list and was one of only five freshmen to make the list. Players that didn't make the top 25 list still have time to impress the country with their play and make the final list that will be released March 7. Russell is one of four Big Ten players that made the list, helping represent one of the best conferences in college basketball.
Along with Russell, three other Big Ten stars made the Wooden Award list. Among them was Yogi Ferrell from Indiana, Frank Kaminsky from Wisconsin, and Melo Trimble from Maryland.
"Oregon tailback Royce Freeman and Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett stood on opposing sidelines on Monday night but will be forever be reflected together among the 30 players selected."
- Mike Griffith, Football Writers Association of America
Ohio State redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett wasn't able to play in the postseason due to a season-ending fractured ankle against Michigan. Despite that, his tremendous season was recognized on Wednesday when Barrett made the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-American team along with 29 other freshmen that had excellent seasons.
Some other notable names included Georgia running back Nick Chubb, LSU's Leonard Fournette, Michigan State's Malik McDowell, Notre Dame's Nyles Morgan, Virginia's Quin Blanding, and Alabama's Cam Robinson. Congratulations to all that were named to the FWAA Freshman All-American team.
"Ohio State is an outlier in both respects. In addition to the No. 2 season-ending Elo rating, the Buckeyes had the 31st most dramatic start-to-finish rating improvement."
- Andrew Flowers, FiveThirtyEight
Following Ohio State's 42-20 national championship win over Oregon, FiveThirtyEight took a look at the Elo ratings and pointed out that the Buckeyes finished with the second-highest season-ending Elo rating ever (31.7). The only team with a higher Elo was the 1995 version of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
It's worth noting that the team nearest to Ohio State in both dominance and improvement is the 2008 Florida Gators. You might remember that team being coached by a certain Urban Meyer. Nice little coincidence, no?
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