J.T. Barrett's Return to Starting Lineup the Obvious Choice for Urban Meyer

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Urban Meyer could have waited it out, making Illinois, the media and the fans all play the guessing game for the next five days.

Instead, the Ohio State head coach opted to just admit the obvious in regard to J.T. Barrett’s starting status as he returns from a one-game suspension for a citation for operating a vehicle while impaired during the Buckeyes’ bye week in Week 9.

"I'm sure the first [question] will be quarterback," Meyer said as he opened his Monday morning press conference. "If J.T. has a good week of practice, he'll get to start against Illinois."

For anyone who’s watched Ohio State’s situation at signal-caller evolve over the course of the past month, Meyer’s announcement hardly came as a surprise.

Because while Cardale Jones now possesses valuable experience with 11 starts—and 11 wins—to his credit in his college career and filled in admirably in Barrett’s absence by totaling 252 yards of offense and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ 28-14 win over Minnesota on Saturday, it’s clear that the OSU offense is at its best with Barrett in the lineup.

Meyer may have added the caveat that Barrett’s return to the starting lineup would be dependent on his week of preparation but would later admit "that’s really every week."

"It's never easy," Meyer said of moving Jones back to the bench in favor of Barrett. "I think it's the right thing at this time."

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

Given the way he played in his previous three performances, which saw the reigning Big Ten Quarterback of the Year’s role increase from red-zone quarterback to situational signal-caller and eventually a spot in the starting lineup, it’d be hard to argue otherwise.

In wins over Maryland, Penn State and Rutgers, which all came by double-digit point differentials, Barrett totaled 544 yards of offense and 12 touchdowns in what were arguably the defending national champion’s three most complete offensive performances of the 2015 season.

More than anything, it’s Barrett’s ability as a runner that’s separated him from Jones this season. In seven games, the 6’2”, 225-pound redshirt sophomore has rushed for 329 yards and seven touchdowns compared to Jones’ 193 yards and two scores on the ground in nine appearances.

"Much different rusher. Cardale did nice job on QB draws, more slower, developing plays. Then J.T., as you look back, his history of the more quick-hitting and a little more Braxton [Miller] style," Meyer said. "It's just a much different style of offense, but we have the ability to do both."

More important than the difference between Barrett and Jones in the lineup, however, is the fact that Ohio State appears to have moved on from what could have been a potentially season-altering off-field incident.

After more than two months of uncertainty when it’s come to the Buckeyes’ quarterback position, Meyer has stood firm in standing by Barrett, who addressed the team at halftime of last weekend’s game, according to Ohio State wide receiver Jalin Marshall.

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

"People learn from mistakes," Marshall said. "You can fix a mistake. That’s the biggest thing about that. We fix the mistake and move on and look forward to this week coming up."

With his starting status regained, Barrett will be once again be able to resume his role as more than just a motivational speaker. It remains to be seen whether Meyer will be rewarded in sticking by his starting quarterback, especially with season-defining games against Michigan State and Michigan ahead, but for once, everything appears to be back to normal in Columbus.

At least as normal as it ever gets when it comes to Ohio State and its quarterbacks.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.