Wanted to get some opinions on this:

I am currently looking at my options for a return flight from Barcelona to the states. My options are to either take a single connection flight through ATL with a total travel time of 13.5 hours. Or a two connection flight through JFK and Cincinnati with a total travel time of 18.5 hours.
Sound like a no-brainer right? Well, the thing that is bothering me is that since I have to claim and recheck my bags at the first US airport...I am looking at the layovers. With the 2 connection flight I have a 3.5 hour layover at JFK. But with the single connection my layover at ATL is only 1 hr 20 mins.
I am concerned that that is not enough.

Any advice?

Is there no way to do the connection within Europe instead of in the States?
Maybe there is a later flight to your destination from Atlanta, 1hour 20 minutes sounds tight to me.

Take a cheap flight from BCN to Madrid and fly from there?

1:20 is tight, but doable at ATL.

Assuming that you are taking the same carrier for all legs (Delta?), I would take the flight through ATL, provided there was another flight that would get me home if I missed the connection. If a missed connection meant a night in a hotel, then I would consider the other routing.

The last time we landed in ATL, we needed 90 min for immigration alone (I admit, we were among the last people in line).