ENOUGH SAID?

Plain Dealer

INDIANAPOLIS

Ohio State took the field at Lucas Oil Stadium playing two games Saturday night.

One was to win a Big Ten Championship. The other was to win over the College Football Playoff selection committee.

The No. 5 Buckeyes (12-1) dominated the first and won their first conference crown under Urban Meyer, taking apart Wisconsin, 59-0. They threw, tackled, ran and blocked so expertly while playing the second game, they may have thrust themselves into the new version of the college football postseason.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt we’re one of the top four teams in America,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said.

The first game destroyed the No. 13 Badgers (10-3), who entered the game with the No. 2 defense in the nation, allowing 260 yards per game. The Buckeyes piled up 364 yards in the first half alone. That was led by third-string quarterback Cardale Jones, who was so efficient and startling in his success, jokes about Ohio State quarterback depth spread through the Internet like a Kardashian photo.

Cardaleshian. Not bad for the first career start for the Glenville High grad, who put up points the way Braxton Miller did last year before requiring two offseason shoulder surgeries, and the way J.T. Barrett did before breaking his ankle against Michigan last week.

The second game had to so impress the College Football Playoff committee that the 12-member group gathered in Texas must have been looking around its hotel conference room in appreciation of this OSU team exactly three months removed from its only loss, to Virginia Tech on Sept. 6.

Ohio State proved it deserves to be one of the four teams announced as in the four-team playoff at 12:30 p.m. today. The problem is that six teams may deserve it — and there are only four spots. The Buckeyes should be in — but they are “shoulding” at Florida State, TCU and Baylor as well.

Ohio State has won 11 straight, this time with Jones, who started the season No. 3 on the quarterback depth chart. Jones finished 12 of 17 and led the Buckeyes to scores on five of their first six possessions, building a 38-0 halftime lead.

Melvin Gordon ran for 76 yards as the Badgers (10-3, 7-1, No. 13) had a seven-game winning streak snapped. It was Wisconsin’s worst loss since 1979.