Big Ten Football: 2016 season preview and predictions

ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 28: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes shakes hands with head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines after a 42-13 Ohio State win at Michigan Stadium on November 28, 2015 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

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Jan 1, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett (16) looks to throw during the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

Offensive Player of the Year: J.T. Barrett

Ohio State’s roster has a lot of question marks surrounding it, but J.T. Barrett isn’t one of them. In 2014, he faced immense pressure in filling in for Braxton Miller, but he put up Heisman-like numbers. But when Cardale Jones led them to the championship that year, that killed any momentum Barrett had heading into 2015.

Instead, what resulted was a quarterback competition between Jones and Barrett that lasted throughout much of the season. Even when Barrett started to pull away, he still looked like a shadow of himself.

But this year, there are no more excuses, and there are no more distractions: the job is his. And for a roster as young as Ohio State’s, Barrett can prove to be the veteran presence needed to guide them along in their development. He’s also got a great run game, having rushed for 11 touchdowns in the last two seasons. With a high probability that Barrett will enter the draft, look for him to be selfish by rushing a lot and boosting his draft stock.

How this offense will line up and what schemes they’re going to run will largely be determined by coach Meyer. But Barrett will be the one at the heart of it all, and if he delivers as expected, he’ll easily be the best offensive player in the Big Ten.

Next: Predicting Defensive Player of the Year