COLUMBUS, Ohio — It'd be tough to blame Tyvis Powell if he carried a bias when it's come to Ohio State's quarterback battle.
After all, it's been well documented that Powell shares an apartment with one of the competition's participants, Cardale Jones.
From their playful Twitter beefs to their "father-son" relationship—which one is which remains unclear—the Buckeyes safety and national champion quarterback have enjoyed a burgeoning bromance that's developed under the watch of the college football world ever since the two played key roles in OSU's run through the College Football Playoff last January.
If Powell was personally pulling for his friend, classmate, fellow Northeast Ohio native and, yes, roommate to reclaim his starting job in what's been an unprecedented quarterback competition alongside reigning National Freshman of the Year, J.T. Barrett, it would be expected.
But lately, there's been more than just one signal-caller occupying the Powell-Jones residence.
"The last couple of days, I've actually had the luxury of kicking it with J.T. and Cardale," Powell said on Monday. "My apartment has been the hangout spot for the two."
A hangout spot for the two players taking part in college football's most talked-about position battle, where one man will take over the offense of the nation's unanimous preseason No. 1 and the other will likely be relegated back to the bench?
They know they don't need to do that, right?
There's been plenty of talk about the relationship between the Buckeyes quarterbacks for the past nine months, after Barrett's fractured ankle in last season's regular finale led to Jones taking the reins of the OSU offense on the eve of the Big Ten Championship Game and the Buckeyes' subsequent appearance in the College Football Playoff. Most of it, however, could have easily been dismissed as coachspeak, a way for Urban Meyer to paint an inherently awkward situation as anything but that.
"It's one of the most refreshing competitions I've ever witnessed," Meyer said midway through Ohio State's fall camp. "They encourage each other, they push each other. It's unique. I think it's very unique.
"This one is very genuine."
The actions of the two quarterbacks indicate as much.
Just six days remain until the Buckeyes kick off their national championship defense on Monday night against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, and Meyer has yet to declare whether Jones or Barrett will be his starter. The fourth-year Ohio State head coach said he thinks he'll have a good idea who his QB1 will be come Wednesday, although, as always, the situation seems fluid.
One would imagine that could lead to some uncomfortableness between Barrett and Jones as the clock runs down on their competition and both of their immediate—and possibly long-term—futures hang in the balance.
But rather than avoiding one another, the Buckeyes' top two quarterbacks have only continued to further their friendship off the field, attending a local high school football game together during the final free weekend of their offseason.
The duo have also spent plenty of time lately playing the new Madden 16 video game together at Jones and Powell's apartment. That, however, could also be viewed more as an extension of their ongoing competition than furthered development of their friendship.
"It goes down every day," Powell said of the Xbox battles between Jones and Barrett. "For a long time, Cardale was the king. Nobody could beat Cardale. But toward the end of a couple of months ago, J.T. has had Cardale's card."
It'd be a stretch of Bikram Yoga proportions to read anything into what the outcomes of those recent Madden matches mean for the Ohio State quarterback competition. After all, it's just a video game, although perhaps Barrett's ability to beat someone as talented as Jones on the joysticks is worth noting.
But perhaps what's most interesting about the recent series of showdowns between Barrett and Jones is the way their preferred playing styles in virtual reality mirror their real-life selves. According to Powell, Barrett will play with any team in the NFL game, relying on his ability to match opposing defenses with appropriate audibles, just as he did while leading the Buckeyes to an 11-1 regular-season record a year ago.
"When I would play J.T., what he would do is pay attention to the defense that I would come out in and he would switch the whole play up," Powell said. "So I'm like, 'See, this why I don't like to play the quarterbacks man, 'cause y'all be cheating 'cause y'all know all that stuff.'"
As for Jones, who often used his cannon-like arm to hook up downfield with deep threat Devin Smith last winter? It shouldn't come as a surprise that he favors playing with the Detroit Lions.
"He's a cheater and he likes to throw it up to Calvin Johnson because he's 6'5"," Powell said. "Nobody can stop him."
With the start of their season now just mere days away, video games will soon presumably be forced to take a backseat in favor of real-life opponents and, for one quarterback, the real-life reality of being a backup after enjoying so much success a season ago. No matter how Meyer or anyone else spins it, the situation won't be ideal for at least one player.
"I think anybody in America would be crushed if they found out they're not going to be the starting quarterback," Powell said.
But in what's been an atypical quarterback competition from the very start, don't count on the response from the odd man out between Barrett and Jones to be bitter. In a way, they've been through this before, with the outcome placing them in the very predicament they currently find themselves as college football's defending national champions.
"Last year, when Braxton [Miller] went down, they were both battling for the No. 1 position and they still remained great friends. I know for a fact Cardale was a little crushed, but they still remained great friends and it didn't alter their relationship in any way," Powell said. "Now that it is what it is this year, I don't think it's going to change."
And at the very least, there will always be some sort of rematch at Jones and Powell's apartment waiting for the two of them.
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.
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