COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It was fitting that Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett and Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson had their big-stage games on the same day.
Jackson had the afternoon window on Sept. 17, leading Louisville to a blowout win over Florida State with five touchdowns. The night belonged to Barrett, who piloted Ohio State to a win at Oklahoma with four touchdowns.
Two huge wins for both teams. Two stellar games from from a pair of the top quarterbacks in college football.
Guess whose face landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated last week and ended up in homes and on news stands across America. It was Jackson's. He literally became a household name.
Jackson made a statement to the college football word. He's a real Heisman Trophy candidate, currently the favorite to win according to Bovada's odds. The player with the second-best odds? Barrett.
Jackson has everything you look for in a Heisman candidate: The numbers, the flash, the story, the "wow" plays. Barrett has the numbers ... and what else?
"I'm not the flashiest by any means," Barrett said this week as Ohio State prepares to face Rutgers on Saturday at 12 p.m.
"I think that (the Heisman) is a flashy type of thing. I am who I am, love it or hate it. That's how it's gonna be."
This isn't about Jackson being the favorite. We've seen September Heisman favorites flame out before. It's more about Barrett, because it's safe to assume he'll remain in the Heisman conversation as long as he's the steward of Ohio State's powerful offense.
But can Barrett actually win?
Playing Rutgers this week could even help boost his credentials. In two career games against the Scarlet Knights, Barrett is averaging 242 passing yards, 104 rushing yards and five touchdowns per game. He torches Rutgers. Don't be surprised if he does it again.
With 650 passing yards, 159 rushing yards and 13 total touchdowns already, Barrett could come out of this weekend looking really good. That's amplified in a year when thus far, besides Jackson, there isn't a player who's captivated the country in a way that can give serious momentum to a Heisman campaign.
Stanford's Christian McCaffrey has picked up where he left off. Deshaun Watson, Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook -- all of those guys haven't really exploded, yet. Maybe they won't. But if they did, does Barrett have a style of play that could keep him near the top of the Heisman heap?
By the way, Jacks and Watson face-off Saturday night.
"(Barrett's) a ball player," Buckeye running back Mike Weber said. "He's not hurdling people, but at the end of the day he's gonna get his job done and he's gonna lead his team."
That's the point, and one we've made here before. Barrett isn't going to hurdle people. He's not going to play the high risk, high reward game that a guy like Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield sometimes plays.
When those two faced off two weeks ago, Barrett outplayed Mayfield and Ohio State won. Sometimes playing like a crazy person causes you to lose a game. Sometimes it helps you win a Heisman Trophy.
Playing the way Barrett plays -- calculated, somewhat cautious but always smart -- is how the Buckeyes want it in their goal of winning games and chasing championships.
Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett is second in the Vegas odds to win the Heisman Trophy right now.
"My main thing is winning," Barrett said. "That's what I'm about. If winning gives me a Heisman Trophy then I'm OK with that. But I'm not about to do anything outside of myself in order to get a Heisman Trophy. I'm gonna be who I am. I like how I play, how I approach the game."
Heisman voters might not, though.
That's not a knock on Barrett. He's been successful and he's going to have his name at the top of a lot of lists in the Ohio State record book by the time his career is over. He's got a real shot at winning another national title.
But think about the last few quarterbacks to win the Heisman.
Cam Newton (2010), Robert Griffin III (2011), Johnny Manziel (2012), Jameis Winston (2013) and Marcus Mariota (2014) all played flashy brands of football that captivated college football fans. For most of those players, it was also about more than just putting up good numbers on good teams.
Most of them -- with Mariota being the exception -- had big personalities that didn't hurt their causes either. Mariota flirted with 60 total touchdowns to make up for it. You don't have to be a college football celebrity to win the Heisman, but it helps.
Alabama's Derrick Henry wasn't exactly Mr. Personality last year, but he did make plays the drew America's attention and he played for the best team in college football.
Barrett can actually be pretty funny and engaging in small settings, but he's not smiling on the field and he's not doing money signs when he scores touchdowns. Barrett is Captain Serious. There's a robotic quality to the way he plays quarterback.
Urban Meyer expects his quarterback, whoever it is, to be a Heisman candidate every year. Candidate and winner are two different things.
In 14 seasons as a head coach, Meyer has had seven quarterbacks finish in the top 10 of the Heisman voting, including Barrett in 2014. Only one of those players has ever won.
It was Tim Tebow in 2007. You still can't escape Tebow today. Did you know he hit a home run on Wednesday? Yeah, he's playing baseball now.
Barrett's not going to live his life that way. And he's not going to play football that way. He's an excellent quarterback, really the perfect fit for Meyer's offense. But he's not wowing most folks, and he's not walking that line between crazy, Heisman moment-type play and disaster.
He's going to be solid, methodical, get Ohio State in the right plays, strive to not turn the ball over and make sure the Buckeyes get a win.
That should be exactly what you want out of your quarterback.
It just might be not be enough to go from Heisman candidate to Heisman winner.