NIU football fans may very well get to see a glimpse of the Ohio State team that the Huskies will take on next season in today’s national championship game.

The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes (13-1) will square off with the No. 2 Oregon Ducks (13-1) 7:30 p.m. at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in the inaugural College Football Playoff national championship game. The Huskies travel to Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 19 to face the Buckeyes.

The question that separates “possibly could see” from “will see:” Who will be playing quarterback for the Buckeyes in 2015.

Head coach Urban Meyer has the greatest problem possible with a trio of quarterbacks — senior Braxton Miller (first-string QB, injured), redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett (second-string QB, injured) and redshirt sophomore Cardale Jones (third-string QB, starter) — who could start for nearly any team in the country.

Believe me, all three quarterbacks more than likely won’t be returning to Columbus, Ohio, next season because of playing time, and Meyer should be ecstatic if he could get two of the three to stay with the Buckeyes.

Option 1A: Cardale Jones

Jones, the Buckeyes’ third-string quarterback, has exploded onto the scene like a supernova in only two starts. He could very well be the quarterback NIU defenders stare at across the line of scrimmage next season.

Having thrown only one pass in his career prior to taking the reins Dec. 6, Jones guided the Buckeyes to a 59-0 blowout of the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Championship game. He completed 12 of his 17 pass attempts for 257 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start, earning the game’s MVP award.

All he did for an encore performance was orchestrate a come-from-behind, 42-35 upset victory over the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl Semifinal game. He went 18-35 for 243 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and he ran 17 times for 43 yards.

Next on the schedule: the Pac-12 champion Ducks in the national championship game.

While it’s difficult to accurately evaluate a player on only a handful of games, how can Meyer not start Jones next season if he leads the Buckeyes to a national championship?

Meyer may not have to answer that question because, believe it or not, Jones could declare early for the NFL Draft since he’s been in college for three seasons. While that’s not likely to happen as he will only have three college starts under his belt, the fact that he has beat the teams he did in the manner he did could warrant his early declaration to the next level.

Jones, the biggest of the three quarterbacks at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, reminds me of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger because of his big body, his deep ball and his surprising mobility for his size. But, he would be best served to polish his skills and work on his decision making in college.

Option 1B: Braxton Miller

The question of if Jones will be the starter next season will get muddied if Miller decides to return to Ohio State next season. But, there have been multiple media reports the last few weeks that Miller is considering transferring.

Before going down with a shoulder injury during the preseason, Miller had been tabbed as a candidate for the Heisman Trophy. He was named to the 2012 and 2013 All-Big Ten teams and was the 2012 and 2013 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. Having graduated, Miller could transfer to another school for his final year of eligibility and would be able to play immediately for a team in need of a quarterback.

Option 1C: J.T. Barrett

Then there’s also the question of if the Buckeyes would be better suited with Barrett, who still has three seasons of eligibility.

When Miller was ruled out for the season, Barrett was tabbed as the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback. A huge drop-off was expected for the Buckeyes, who were ranked fifth in The Associated Press preseason poll, as Barrett had never taken a snap in a collegiate game.

When Ohio State was upset by the Virginia Tech Hokies in its second game of the season, the Buckeyes were left for dead by most fans and media, given next to no chance of making the College Football Playoff. Barrett rose to the occasion of bringing the Buckeyes back to life, guiding them to 10 wins on the way to the Big Ten Championship game.

Before suffering a fractured ankle in the Buckeyes’ regular season finale, Barrett had completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 2,834 yards and 34 touchdowns to only 10 interceptions. He ranked second on the team with 938 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting.

Jones is flying high right now, but the quarterback question may not be answered soon as there’s sure to be battles in spring camp and possibly even into fall camp in August if all three return.

The quarterback situation is just one part of the equation — a huge part, though — that got the Buckeyes to the national championship game. NIU fans will also want to keep an eye on running back Ezekiel Elliott and defensive end Joey Bosa in today’s game because those two, along with whoever starts at quarterback for the Buckeyes in 2015, are sure to be giving the Huskie faithful nightmares when next season’s matchup rolls around.