COLUMBUS, Ohio – As J.T. Barrett continued to put up monster numbers and the praise started to grow, Urban Meyer, without taking anything away from the freshman phenom, always said the same thing.

So it's no surprise that Meyer, after Barrett broke his ankle in the fourth quarter of Ohio State's 42-28 win over Michigan Saturday, reverted back to it one more time.

"A quarterback is a product of those around him," Meyer said.

Don't get Meyer wrong. What Barrett did this year after begin unexpectedly thrust into Ohio State's offense as the starting quarterback is remarkable.

Barrett is now the Big Ten record holder for most touchdowns in a single season with 45, breaking former Purdue quarterback Drew Brees' mark vs. the Wolverines. He was in the middle of the Heisman Trophy talk and the Buckeyes are knocking on the door for a spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff.

All that doesn't happen for a quarterback simply because of the ones around him. But it helps.

Now that Ohio State has to lean on Cardale Jones in the Big Ten title game vs. Wisconsin on Saturday, the Buckeyes offense isn't going to be as good. Jones probably can't match Barrett's dazzling runs, his perfectly-placed passes or the way he led the team.

But if Jones trusts offensive coordinator Tom Herman's system and plays within himself, the Buckeyes, as a team, are offensively still good enough to knock off the Badgers.

That means relying a little more on Ezekiel Elliott to run the ball, more jet sweeps to Jalin Marshall, short slants to Michael Thomas. The Buckeyes have the playmakers to move the football without relying on Jones to do too much.

And because Jones is a 6-foot-6, 250-pounds, maybe a few quarterbacks runs to the right and left.

Herman has made three quarterbacks look great in his system – Braxton Miller, Kenny Guiton and Barrett. Maybe outside of Barrett's start vs. Virginia Tech, none of them have had a truly bad performance.

Is Cardale Jones ready?

"Not today," Herman said. "But he will be.

"The quarterback doesn't have to win games for us, the quarterback has to manage games and distribute the football and lead. We've seen that throughout this season. As long as he's mentally prepared and he's got a ton of physical tools ... I have nothing but the utmost confidence in him because of what we've got around him."

• Expect Marshall Wildcat action – Meyer has hinted that Ohio State has toyed with Marshall at quarterback this season, and now that the Buckeyes are down to their third-stringer, Marshall is the backup. Though the redshirt freshman who has turned into a reliable H-Back for the Buckeyes probably isn't ready to run Ohio State's complete offense, I expect he'll be used a lot on direct snaps and he may even throw it a little bit. Ohio State's game plan is about getting the ball in its best players hands. Well, Marshall is the Buckeyes' best offensive player.

• Can EZE carry the load? Remember last year's Big Ten title game when Ohio State still had Carlos Hyde, a time during which the Buckeyes relied heavily on their halfback to move the football? All of a sudden Elliott may have to be that guy. He's shown he can run a lot harder than a lot of people gave him credit for when he got here, but Ohio State's chances of beating the Badgers may rest in its running back's shoulders.

• What ever happens Saturday ... It's truly remarkable what this team has been able to do. If you would have told me in the spring that Ohio State would be without Braxton Miller, Noah Spence and Dontre Wilson, I may have predicted four or five losses for the Buckeyes. And now the Buckeyes are where they are.

There's a good chance they'll lose to Wisconsin. Maybe losing Barrett is one too many blows to overcome. But thinking about all the players on this team who have made an impact then looking at their ages, Ohio State's spot in the College Football Playoff is coming. Trust that.