2009 NCAA Football — Don’t Overlook These Quarterbacks

At a recent Pigskin Preview luncheon in San Antonio, ESPN College Football Analyst Todd Blackledge warmed up the audience with an analogy passed on to him by one of his former Penn State teammates. He said “quarterbacks are like tea bags…put him in hot water to see how strong he really is”.

Don’t forget about Zac Robinson. He won’t let you.—–

Quarterback is perhaps the most prominent position in today’s football game. Focus on the spread offense has resulted in a reduced number of carries for running backs placing the outcome of games squarely in the hands of the field general. Perhaps that is why more and more often, the frontrunner Heisman candidates are QBs.

This year we see three familiar faces leading the Heisman race: Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford. They’re certainly deserving of the attention. Unfortunately a handful of great players will be overshadowed by their amplitude.

Zack Robinson, Oklahoma State. The 6-3, 218-pound QB showed made his statement as a dual threat. He complied 3,064 passing yards and 562 yards on the ground. With the exception of the game against Texas Tech in 2008, Robinson scored through the air or on the ground at least once per game. And speaking of hot water, the Cowboys will open its season against one of its formidable opponents of the season at home against Georgia.

Williams will keep opponents on their heels.—–

Juice Williams, Illinois. In 2008, Juice amassed 3,173 yards through the air and 719 more on the ground. That’s more passing yards and rushing yards than Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy respectively. He also threw for 22 TDs, which could conceivably get a boost with WR Arrelious Benn at his side (see 7-to-9.com). Hopefully the team can put the 5-7 2008 season behind them.

Jevan Snead, Ole Miss. Is it ridiculous to assume Jevan will compete with Colt McCoy once again? This time it’s for the Heisman. The native Texan, and former Longhorn, got better with age throughout the 2008 season. After his Rebels knocked off the Florida Gators, they had two disappointing loses. Ole Miss proceeded to win its last five games as well as a Cotton Bowl victory against Texas Tech. In those final six games, Snead threw for 16 TDs and only 3 picks. Now that he’s finally settled in Oxford, perhaps he can carry that momentum into this season.

The Rest. After the three QBs listed above, there are several others worth watching. Terrelle Pryor of Ohio State didn’t have extraordinary stats in 2008. But he did lead the Big Ten in passing efficiency. Penn State QB Daryll Clark will be another Big Ten standout. He kept picks in the single digits and passed for over 2,500 yards. Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett has the potential to flourish under Bobby Petrino’s offense. Robert Griffin at Baylor boasts a wealth of athleticism. A tough conference schedule will likely keep him out of top player consideration, but he’ll be exciting to watch. There are others that have definitely garnered some attention, but these preseason favorites shouldn’t disappoint.

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New BCS Rankings Released

Courtesy GETTY IMAGES—–

It should be no surprise that LSU has regained the pole position in the latest BCS rankings. After a strong 5-0 start, LSU escaped the BCS guillotine by putting together some last-second tactics to get the necessary “W”. This weekend, the Tigers were back in early-season form putting away Louisiana Tech, 58-10.

My early season favorite, Oregon, fought its way to #2 after beating Arizona State two weeks ago. They could conceptually run the table for remainder of the season and earn its place in the BCS championship game.

Kansas may be the spoiler. Depsite boasting an unbeaten record, the Jayhawks haven’t found the respect they believe they deserve. However, with a win against Missouri in two weeks and a Big 12 Championship win, it would be no surprise that they leapfrog Oregon in the rankings. Assuming both teams run the table, Kansas and #4 Oklahoma would simultaneously battle it out for a BCS Championship and Big 12 Championship bid.

BCS Rankings

1. LSU
2. Oregon
3. Kansas
4. Oklahoma
5. Missouri
6. West Virginia
7. Ohio St.
8. Arizona St.
9. Georgia
10. Virginia Tech

Water Under The Bridge?
A month ago, I made some implausible college football observations one of which included a nod for Illinois and Kansas.

Will someone rank Illinois already? They feature an all-purpose running back in Rashard Mendenhall and a secondary equipped with radar. Speaking of underrated teams, get Kansas in there too.

Both have lived up to my expectations. Illinois has become one of the premiere spoiler teams after knocking off top ranked Ohio State, and Kansas eased its way into the top by remaining unbeaten. If there is any season to use as an argument against the BCS and for a playoff system, this is it!

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