Heisman Trophy Watch 2017: Chaotic weekend scrambles Week 7 order
By Zach Bigalke
A new face appears on this year’s Heisman Watch after factoring into the discussion over the past few seasons. It was a rough start to the season for Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett, but he has turned it around after the loss to Oklahoma with one standout performance after another for the Buckeyes.
In a big win over Nebraska in Week 7, Barrett went an ultra-efficient 27-of-33 for 325 passing yards and five touchdowns. The dual-threat quarterback added 48 additional yards and two rushing touchdowns on 10 carries.
On the year, Barrett now ranks first in the country in terms of total point generation, factoring on 158 points this year for the Buckeyes. The Ohio State quarterback ranks fourth nationally in passing efficiency, and he has racked up 21 passing touchdowns against just a single interception. He is playing at a level that matches his 2014 season when he looked like a Heisman front-runner before suffering an injury.
That season, Cardale Jones took over the starting role and led the Buckeyes run to the national title. Since then, Barrett has shouldered an outsized amount of blame as Ohio State fails to return to that level of play. He is back to Heisman-contending form, though, and Barrett slots in just ahead of Mayfield in his introduction to this year’s Heisman Watch.