Ohio State Football: Who has the lead in the Heisman Trophy race?

Ohio State quarterback JT Barrett’s place in the Heisman Trophy race.

We are heading into week 10 of the 2017 college football season and the Heisman race is beginning to take shape. Saquon Barkley has held the torch for most of this season, making play after play and continuing to show the country why he will be a Top 5 pick in the NFL draft next year.

Josh Adams is gaining steam and fast, helping Notre Dame to a dominant 6 game stretch that has catapulted them into the top 5. Bryce Love showed just how lackluster the Stanford offense is when he isn’t in the lineup. Stanford barely pulled out a win over lowly Oregon State when Love was taken off the field due to injury.

These 3 backs have all had tremendous seasons to this point, and are all deserving of a spot in New York City for the final ceremony. The big question though is, where does JT Barrett fit into the Heisman Race? After Saturday’s game, a huge victory over Penn State, Barrett shot right back up to the top 5.

Barkley made plays early in the game against Ohio State, scoring 2 touchdowns on a long run and a kickoff return. But he faltered out at the end of the game and allowed Ohio State to get back in it.

Josh Adams has been dominant; he has looked like the best back this year. He is leading the NCAA in rushing touchdowns over 60 yards. Adams has played a huge role in the resurgence of the Notre Dame program this season and deserves a lot of the credit for doing so.

So what about Barrett? The senior Ohio State quarterback has done what he does best. While he struggled to throw the ball well at the beginning of the year, specifically against Oklahoma, JT has gone 6 games without throwing an interception.

Barrett finished the Penn State game completing 33 of 39 passes for 328 yards and 4 touchdowns. On that stage and against that opponent, it was a Heisman worthy performance.

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JT Barrett will never wow you with his arm strength or physical makeup, but he’s a seasoned veteran who simply wins and makes big plays when they are needed most. Ohio State goes as far as Barrett goes, and Urban Meyer hopes that is to the college football playoffs.

If the Buckeyes win out and are 10-1 going into Ann Arbor, all eyes will be on what Barrett and what the Ohio State offense can do against a Michigan defense that has stiffened opponents all year. That being said, Michigan State comes to town November 11.

Mark Dantonio has done a tremendous job turning his program around after a 3-9 season in 2016.The Buckeyes will have two big tests and they are both from the state of Michigan.

If Barrett goes 2-0 in these matchups, while putting up impressive numbers, I don’t see why he wouldn’t be heading to New York for the Heisman ceremony. This is a tall task, but Urban Meyer has been in these situations before and will have his team ready.

Next: A fight to the finish for the Buckeyes

This race will be tight until the end, but I expect JT Barrett to start gaining speed on this Heisman race and make a push to the very end

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