COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There is no escaping the conversation.
Not when the records keep falling. Not when his team keeps winning with him leading such an explosive offense. And certainly not when his own coach has made it clear that anything less than being a Heisman Trophy contender would be failing to meet his standard at quarterback.
J.T. Barrett can’t ignore the stiff-arm speculation. He’s also not even trying.
And by openly embracing the possibility of winning it without making it a primary goal, the Ohio State quarterback appears to have found the perfect way to undercut a potential distraction and take his game to the highest level of his career.