Joe Rexrode

Detroit Free Press

EAST LANSING – Store this one away for next year: Michigan State linebacker Taiwan Jones discussing the difference between injured Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller and his replacement, redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett.

"I feel like, with this offense, that Barrett works better in this offense," Jones said Tuesday. "I feel like he has a better arm, he's a way better quarterback than Braxton, but I feel like it's a big challenge for us, and we're actually looking forward to it."

Of course, Jones is a senior and won't be on the field when MSU visits Ohio State on Nov. 21, 2015. And though Miller (shoulder) has said he'll return for another season, here's a question: Can he get his job back from Barrett?

That's for the No. 13 Buckeyes (7-1, 4-0 Big Ten) to figure out later. For now, they'd like to know whether Barrett will be able to handle the pressure of the biggest game of the season Saturday against No. 7 MSU (7-1, 4-0) at Spartan Stadium (8 p.m., ABC).

That is, the pressure of a game that will weed out a College Football Playoff hopeful and produce a strong favorite to win the Big Ten East. And the pressure, of differing degrees from varying angles, that Pat Narduzzi's MSU defense is sure to throw at him.

At first glance, Barrett's performance in Ohio State's double-overtime nighttime escape Oct. 25 at Penn State doesn't bode well for the Buckeyes. Then again, maybe it's exactly what needed to happen to prepare him for Saturday.

"The way that the Penn State game unfolded, I think, had you asked me to sign up for that before the game, I certainly wouldn't have," Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman said. "I would have signed up for a different way for us to get a win. But the fact that it happened the way that it happened can only add some confidence and some toughness to (Barrett) as he heads into this week."

Barrett threw an interception for a touchdown in that game, along with another pick, and he finished with just 74 yards passing as OSU's offense turtled in the second half. But he also kept playing and ran for touchdowns in each overtime.

Consider that response -- along with Barrett's giant strides this season since a rough start -- and he's a threat to the Spartans. As Jones said, he's a different kind of threat than Miller, who is a more explosive runner.

Barrett is "one of the most, if not the most, accurate passers I've ever coached," Herman said. And though he has 496 yards and six touchdowns rushing in Urban Meyer's quarterback-run-happy offense, he's a passer first.

Barrett leads the Big Ten and is second nationally in passing efficiency (170.0 rating), with 64.7% accuracy, 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He leads the Big Ten in total offense (294 yards per game). He has 20 touchdowns and three picks in his past six games and leads the nation in touchdown percentage: 11.1% of his throws go for six.

It's true that Ohio State's schedule has been mostly cushy since a 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech in which Barrett looked like a guy thrown into a starting job. OSU has buried Kent State, Cincinnati, Maryland, Rutgers and Illinois to go with the Penn State escape since then.

It's also true that Barrett has star-level passing touch and physical tools. He was named Tuesday one of 16 semifinalists, joining MSU's Connor Cook, for the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's top quarterback.

The question is whether he can play like it in this game, in that environment, against that defense. He knows what to expect, at least.

"We're gonna see some blitzing, definitely, from them," Barrett said of the Spartans. "And just tough, grinding defense. Tough as far as stopping the run and things like that, and making you throw the ball. You've got to complete it."

One and done: The loser of this game will be eliminated from the College Football Playoff race. "I personally feel like the playoff system starts this weekend," Jones said. "It's a one-game elimination."

Rivals? As for MSU coach Mark Dantonio's presser Tuesday, it included discussion of the "rivalry" question now that MSU and OSU are the Big Ten's big dogs. For the record, he agrees with OSU coach Urban Meyer: This is a big game but not a rivalry game. Meyer said Monday that Michigan is OSU's lone rival.

"Our rivals right here are Michigan and Notre Dame," Dantonio said. But he added that, because MSU has so many players from Ohio, "I do think that makes (this game) personal."

Injury update: Dantonio also said that senior linebacker Mylan Hicks could return Saturday. Hicks broke his arm in an Oct. 4 win over Nebraska. Dantonio said Hicks will practice some today and "see where he's at."

Contact Joe Rexrode: jrexrode@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @joerexrode. Check out his MSU blog at freep.com/heyjoe.

Beat writer Joe Rexrode will answer your questions about MSU in a live chat at 10 a.m. Thursday at freep.com/sports. Submit early questions here. Then join us for a live chat during the MSU-Ohio State game Saturday night.