Ohio State beats Michigan, but Barrett injury hurts playoff hopes

Ohio State beat bitter rival Michigan at home on Saturday afternoon, but it took a major hit to its College Football Playoff hopes.

On the Buckeyes first play of the fourth quarter, star redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett was tackled awkwardly from behind and suffered a severe lower leg injury. The Heisman candidate had an air cast applied and he was carted off the field.

Ohio State was clinging on to a 28-21 lead against a resilient Michigan squad when Barrett went down. With sophomore Cardale Jones in at quarterback, the Buckeyes managed to pull out a 42-28 thanks to a 46-yard Ezekiel Elliott touchdown run on a fourth-and-one play with under five minutes to go. A 33-yard fumble return for touchdown by Darron Lee added some style points for the Buckeyes and put the game out of reach.

Ultimately, a really solid win for the Buckeyes will be completely overshadowed by Barrett’s injury.

Early reports indicate that the injury is one that would require several months of recovery.

Sources telling me JT Barrett has right ankle dislocation and probable broken bone. Was taken to hospital immediately.

— Tim May (@TIM_MAYsports) November 29, 2014

With that said, Barrett will likely miss next Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game against the winner of the Minnesota-Wisconsin game. Beyond that, it does not seem likely that Barrett could return for a bowl game in late December or early January.

With Barrett out, Jones – who started the year third on the Buckeyes’ depth chart – assumes the starting role. Coming into Saturday’s game, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Jones attempted only 16 passes in his career. He attempted three more against the Wolverines, completing two for just seven yards.

Over the past few years, he has seen plenty of garbage time running the read option in relief of Barrett or Braxton Miller, and against Michigan he rushed twice for 18 yards. Jones is nowhere near as shifty as Barrett, but he can run people over and has accumulated 316 yards and one touchdown on 41 carries in his career.

Even if Jones is able to lead the Buckeyes to a Big Ten title next weekend, the selection committee can factor in the injury of a significant player when filling out its rankings.

The selection committee protocol lists “other relevant factors such as key injuries that may have affected a team’s performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance” as a factor it can consider when ranking teams.

Barrett, who threw for 2,658 yards, 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while running for 849 yards and nine more scores entering Saturday, certainly fits that criteria.

For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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from Yahoo Sports http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/ohio-state-beats-michigan--but-barrett-injury-hurts-playoff-hopes-212833427.html