Good problem to have: Ohio State’s Meyer weighs QB options

Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer has a difficult choice in deciding which of three quarterbacks — all capable of leading the Buckeyes to the national championship — will start next season.

It’s a tough problem for Meyer, similar to when Leonardo DiCaprio has to choose which of three supermodels to date.

Hey, who’s kidding, DiCaprio takes them all. And Meyer might wind up doing the same in the long run, finding a way to incorporate Cardale Jones, Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett into the offense. All three were key parts of the Buckeyes’ run to the national title last season.

Experts expect Meyer, who also won two national championships at Florida, to figure it out. USA Today, The Associated Press, Sporting News and ESPN’s Mark Schlabach picked the Buckeyes to make the Jan. 11 title game in Glendale, Ariz.

Two of those experts chose Auburn as the opponent, and two others went with Texas Christian. ESPN’s Brett McMurphy picked Auburn to play TCU for the championship.

So there’s a theme, with Ohio State, Auburn and TCU the early favorites, but it’s June and upsets throughout the season will present quite a different picture come December. A year ago, Florida State was the clear favorite to repeat, but the Seminoles escaped with close victories throughout before getting trounced by Oregon in a national semifinal.

And no one, not even Meyer, saw the Buckeyes making the run they managed, especially given the Nos. 1 and 2 quarterbacks got injured.

Now all three quarterbacks return, but the most important figure in the program is Meyer. Picking a favorite this time of year is tricky, but going against Meyer is seldom a good idea, either.

■ LOOKING AHEAD PART II — Most experts believe Boise State will represent the Group of Five conferences in a New Year’s Six game, likely in the Fiesta Bowl. Sporting News has the Broncos going to the Peach Bowl to face Florida State.

ESPN’s McMurphy predicted the Group of Five rep will be a Mountain West team, but that it will be Utah State in the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame.

Opinion was split on which teams will play in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 19 at Sam Boyd Stadium. USA Today and AP forecast Utah State playing California, Sporting News picked San Diego State to meet Arizona State, Schlabach had Utah State meeting Washington, and McMurphy went with Boise State against Stanford.

■ THIS JUST IN — There were developments to two stories previously addressed in this space.

The Collegiate Commissioners Association decided to delay for a year voting on an early signing period for high school players.

Most conferences are for an early signing period, but the sticking point became when the period should take place. The CCA was going to vote for a 72-hour period beginning Dec. 16, but that conflicts with preparation for bowl games and high school playoffs.

There is an early signing period for junior college players, but high school athletes and many who play in two-year schools must wait until the first Wednesday in February before they make their school choices official.

Also, College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock told CBSSports.com a spot in a New Year’s Six game will be held for an extra week if Navy is in contention when it plays Army on Dec. 12. That is a week after the other 126 teams finish the regular season and conference championship games.

■ CMU COACH BATTLING CANCER — Central Michigan first-year coach John Bonamego has cancer in his left tonsil, but said in an open letter released by the university it was caught early and he was confident he would be healed.

“An excellent team of doctors here in Mount Pleasant and in Ann Arbor are overseeing my care,” he wrote. “While a diagnosis like this is always scary, I am blessed to have the love and support of my family and those around me ...”

Bonamego said he would continue to coach, but would miss some “external events” over the next two months or so, promising to be on the sideline when the Chippewas open their season Sept. 3 against Oklahoma State.

UNLV is scheduled to play at Central Michigan in 2016.

■ CASH BAR — Texas announced it would sell beer and wine at its games this season.

Texas A&M chancellor John Sharp couldn’t resist taking a poke at the Aggies’ former top rival, telling TexAgs Radio, “Our athletic program has not reached the point where we require the numbing effects of alcohol.”

Ouch. Imagine if the teams still played each other.

Maybe they will meet in a bowl. Talk about must-see TV.

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65. He also is first vice president of the Football Writers Association of America.