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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Hey, BCS. Thanks For Nothing.

The BCS has been busted again. So what now?

The Million Dollar Band may have shown the Utes Marching Band how it’s done, but the Utah football team has induced vertigo causing more BCS turmoil. After spanking the Crimson Tide 31-17, the Utes improve to 13-0 on the season.

Should they be #1?

Why not? They played like the #1 team suffocating Alabama’s offense with eight sacks, three turnovers, and held the Tide to just 36 rushing yards (they averaged over 196 per game this season). And Utah executed impeccably on offense — including some risky 3rd and long trickery to keep a drive alive late in the game — thanks to the leadership of the unsexy Heisman shoulda been, Brian Johnson.

The unfortunate part is that they won’t be voted #1 in the final BCS poll. Of course, that’ll be Florida or Oklahoma. Perhaps Utah will earn the ultimate respect from the AP…right?

Probably not. Of the 4 non-BCS teams that have gone undefeated through bowl games (Utah did it twice, Boise State in 2006, Marshall in 1999 and Tulane in 1998), Utah achieved the highest AP poll rank after their win over #20 Pitt in 2004. Even though the Sooners were throttled by USC 55-19 in the Orange Bowl, they still finished above the [undefeated] #4 Utah Utes.

What they’ve done is seal their spot as the #2 team in the nation.

What about Texas? Given the poor play of the Big Ten in the bowl games (currently 1-5 in bowl games), we’ll assume the ‘Horns pull it out…handily. Why shouldn’t they be #2?

While I absolutely despise the USC Trojans, they certainly deserve a voice for the #2 spot after putting Nittany Lions to sleep for the season in the Rose Bowl.

Whatever happens on January 8th, I can’t possibly be satisfied. The BCS was nothing but a contrived championship format that rewarded the current darlings. Wait. Or was that the Heisman? Nevermind. Regardless, the BCS (Bowls Contrived in September) blew it again…it’s incredible, it’s sickening, it’s time for change.

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