Connor Cook ruled out for Michigan State vs Ohio State

Connor Cook has been ruled out against Ohio State, dealing a devastating blow to Michigan State’s Big Ten title dreams.

Michigan State has suffered their worst nightmare possible, as their national title dreams have all but vanished. They received devastating news Saturday when it was revealed that quarterback Connor Cook will not take the field against Ohio State due to a shoulder injury. The official College GameDay Twitter account confirmed that Cook will not take on the Buckeyes.

This is relatively shocking news since Cook stated that he planned to tough it out. The Spartans already have one loss this season, so another one officially pushes them out of national title contention while a loss to Ohio State prevents them from playing in the Big Ten Championship. Michigan State lost to Nebraska after blowing a 12-point lead with two minutes left, but they have remained in the top ten as they are currently ranked ninth in the nation.

Losing Cook will force the Spartans to turn to Tyler O’Connor and Damion Terry as their signal callers. This will mark O’Connor’s first start as a Spartan, but the Spartans will use a two-QB system.

Cook has been a major reason for the Spartans’ recent success, and he was even considered a candidate to win the Heisman Trophy before the season. Cook has been efficient with the ball in his senior season, as he has 21 touchdown passes with only four interceptions. Due to his production and leadership, he is considered a candidate to be drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

It remains to be seen whether Cook will be able to heal quickly enough from his shoulder injury for the regular-season finale against Penn State.