DALLAS » Ohio State coach Urban Meyer says quarterback Cardale Jones could play in the NFL.

Unfortunately for the University of Hawaii, Jones said he has no plans to try anytime soon.

So, at the moment, Meyer has an embarrassment of riches at quarterback and the Rainbow Warriors could just be staring at embarrassment come Sept. 12 in Columbus, Ohio.

Jones, a sophomore who came off the bench to lead the Buckeyes’ improbable run to the Big Ten Championship, Sugar Bowl title and, Monday night, the College Football Playoff championship, stands along with two Heisman Trophy vote getters at the crowded Buckeyes quarterback position.

Which means UH figures to really earn that $1.2 million, its largest guarantee ever, the hard way against a team that Las Vegas oddsmakers have already stamped as the pre-pre-2015 national title favorite.

Happy New Year, Norm Chow.

Let’s recap here: Braxton Miller finished fifth in the 2013 Heisman balloting and would have been a contender this year had he not suffered a preseason shoulder injury. In stepped J.T Barrett, who started 12 games before he, too, suffered a season-ending injury. He still finished fifth in Heisman voting behind Marcus Mariota.

And like the record 33,395,000 viewers ESPN and A.C. Nielsen said watched Monday’s blowout, we’ve all come to know the out-of-nowhere tale of Jones, a sophomore whose cannonlike arm, strong running and good game management helped take the Buckeyes to the national title.

"I will tell you this: He (Jones) could play in the NFL," Meyer said at a post-championship news conference Tuesday. "He certainly has the talent. Is he ready now? That’s a chat, I guess, that we’ll go have at some point, probably not right here in front of everybody. You might enjoy that."

Jones emerged from a breakfast meeting with Meyer to declare, "In my personal opinion, I’m not ready for that level yet. I mean, like Coach Meyer said, it is a conversation me and him will have later down the road. But, to me right now, it is far out."

The deadline for applying for the NFL Draft as an underclassman is Thursday and the Buckeyes don’t envision any of their signal-calling triumvirate making an early exit to the pros.

Miller, who has graduated and would be eligible to transfer without penalty, has told several publications he is just working on rehabbing his shoulder.

Clearly this wasn’t what UH athletic director Ben Jay had in mind when booking the game in September 2013. The plan, as Jay said he saw it then, was that Miller would complete his eligibility in 2014, leaving Barrett as a relatively raw backup.

"I thought Braxton would be gone and we’d be dealing with a somewhat inexperienced replacement, for the most part," said Jay, who had been a senior associate AD at Ohio State before coming to UH two years ago.

"But, boy, it sure hasn’t turned out that way. J.T. came on like gangbusters and, now, the third guy comes in for him and takes them to the national championship," Jay said.

The Buckeyes expected MVP running back Ezekiel Elliott and Nagurski defensive player of the year Joey Bosa to return among 16 starters from the CFP championship game.

If that isn’t enough, UH plays at Wisconsin two weeks after the visit to Columbus. And Boise State re-enters the schedule, making it three Top 25 teams.

Meanwhile, Meyer said the chase to the next championship begins soon.

"I think we’ll be very good. I think we have to watch for complacency in the program and we’re going to watch very carefully."

That’s not a problem UH will have.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.