New QBs become center of attention for Top 25 squads

It's unclear exactly what it says about Oregon's football program, but there might have been a bigger fuss last week over the release of yet another set of new uniforms than over the announcement of the Ducks' new starting quarterback.

By Don Ryan,, AP

"All I have to do is distribute the ball," says Oregon QB Marcus Mariota, shown here on April 28 during the Ducks' spring game.

By Don Ryan,, AP

"All I have to do is distribute the ball," says Oregon QB Marcus Mariota, shown here on April 28 during the Ducks' spring game.

Maybe it's because, at least in the last few years, the fashion alterations have been more risky. Marcus Mariota, the redshirt freshman who won the job over sophomore Bryan Bennett, appears to have the perfect skill set required to run Chip Kelly's spread option.

As college football kicks off Thursday, No. 5 Oregon is one of several high-profile teams breaking in a new quarterback. Top-ranked LSU, where transfer Zach Mettenberger takes over for Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee, is another. It's a measure of the talent-laden rosters of both programs that voters apparently had no qualms ranking them at or near the top.

"We've got so many playmakers here, really all I have to do is distribute the ball," said Mariota, set to become the first freshman quarterback to start an Oregon season opener since 1991. "They'll make the plays."

In Oregon's case, it's perhaps also a reflection of Kelly's reputation for plugging and playing quarterbacks without a drop in performance. In Kelly's five seasons at Oregon — two as offensive coordinator, three as head coach — eight quarterbacks have seen significant action. Oregon's record: 53-13.

The Ducks have won big with varied styles: Dennis Dixon's combination of mobility and precision passing, Jeremiah Masoli's free-lancing aggressiveness and Darron Thomas' passing and poise. Mariota, who will lead the Ducks in their opener Saturday against Arkansas State, is 6-4, 196 pounds and most resembles Dixon.

Mariota, a 6-4, 196-pounder from Honolulu, Hawaii, perhaps most closely resembles Dixon - though it's difficult to compare, since the public has seen him in action only in Oregon's spring game, when he threw for 202 yards and a touchdown and ran for 99 yards and two more TDs. Regardless, when the Ducks host Arkansas State on Saturday night, he will become the first freshman to start a season opener for Oregon since 1991.

"Marcus earned and won the job," Kelly told reporters.

Rather than a radical departure, Oregon's new uniforms are more a continuation of recent trends. The Ducks seem confident the transition at quarterback is similar.

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Among the top 25 in the USA TODAY coaches poll, eight teams, including No. 5 Oregon, have new faces at the most high-profile position (Notre Dame has a new quarterback for one game with Tommy Rees suspended):

•No. 1LSU: Zach Mettenberger

The 6-5, 222-pound junior could provide a long-missing element - consistent passing - to augment LSU's strong running attack. If Les Miles has confidence in Mettenberger, it will show in more balanced play-calling. In 2011, LSU ran almost 70% of the time and finished 10th in the SEC in passing (152 yards a game).

•No. 13 Michigan State: Andrew Maxwell.

After three years as understudy to Kirk Cousins, the fourth-year junior was elected one of three captains. Expect the full offensive package to be available to Maxwell, with expectations high for winning the Big Ten Legends Division again.

•No. 15 Texas: Davis Ash

After rotating with Case McCoy last season - with predictable inconsistency - Ash gets his shot. He'll be supported by a veteran offensive line and talented backs Ash played like the true freshman he was in 2011, with eight interceptions in only 173 attempts. Texas' hopes of returning to elite status might hinge on his rapid development.

•No. 18 Stanford: Josh Nunes

It's too much to say the junior won a competition with sophomore Brett Nottingham with brains over brawn - this being Stanford, quarterbacks are routinely cerebral - but Nunes showed better command of the offense. Nunes' task is less to mimic Andrew Luck than to be an effective manager- which, of course, is an area at which Luck excelled.

•No. 19Oklahoma State: Wes Lunt

The defending Big 12 champs go from the nation's oldest college quarterback to one of its youngest. Brandon Weeden was 28 last season; Lunt, a true freshman who enrolled early and won the job, is 18. Weeden functioned as a de facto offensive coordinator; how much has the playbook been pared?

•No. 22Boise State: Joe Southwick.

The junior only has to replace the NCAA's all-time winningest quarterback while continuing the Broncos' BCS-busting tradition. Southwick, who was named the starter Sunday, backed up Kellen Moore the last two seasons. He beat out sophomore Grant Hedrick and redshirt freshman Jimmy Laughrea. In four years as a starter, Moore won 50 games and acclaim for his ability to read defenses and make plays. Southwick will be tested immediately by No. 13 Michigan State's dominant defense on Friday.

•No. 23 Florida: Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel

A starter is expected to be named midweek, but both sophomores will play against Bowling Green. The Gators hope a leader emerges soon. After the opener, Florida hits the road for SEC games at Texas A&M and Tennessee. Complicating the decision is Driskel's continuing recovery from a shoulder injury; though he hasn't been cleared for contact, he is scheduled to be reevaluated today.

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