The Next Generation

Rebuilding is something good teams never do, they reload. When they lose a star player, another one steps right in and does not miss a beat. Here are some players who will have to step in next season and will be expected to produce from Day 1:

Jarrett Brown taking over for Pat White

Pat White has been the face of West Virginia ever since he took over the quarterback position in his freshman year. He has lead the Mountaineers to 3 straight 11 win seasons and 2 conference titles and is looking to add another conference title to his belt this year. He has revolutionised the zone-read option offense and West Virginia fans will be sad to see him go. Jarrett Brown will look to take over for White in the 2009 season. Jarrett was a 3 star recruit coming out of High School in West Palm Beach, Florida (my hometown!). Jarrett is similar to White in the way he plays but is a lot bigger physically. Jarret has seen some action throughout his career, throwing for over 800 yards and rushing for 600 more. Jarrett Brown has more potential than White but he must be able to make better decisions (has thrown 4 interceptions in limited action) and grasp the offense.

Cameron Newton or John Brantley taking over for Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow may not leave after this year, but when he does it'll be up to one of these two to take over for him. While filling Tebow's shoes would be like a baby trying to fit into size 18's, if they can do half of what Tebow has done it will be considered a success. John Brantley is a prototypical quarterback with good accuracy but lacks the speed and strength that is needed to succeed in the Gators spread attack. Cameron Newton looks more like a linebacker than a quarterback (6'5, 240) which is similar to Tebow. Whenever one of these two QB's takes over, I'm sure Urban Meyer won't give them the freedom and the amount of touches that he gives Tebow. The Gators are building up a plethora of young skill-position players and that will help these quarterbacks out. I wouldn't be surprised if the Gators use a 2 quarterback system when Tebow leaves.

Get used to seeing a lot of this with Cameron Newton as QB.

Aaron Murray taking over for Matthew Stafford

Stafford has been a phenom ever since his high school days. He was a highly touted prospect and was even picked by Mel Kiper Jr. to be a #1 overall pick before even starting a college game. It didn't take long for Stafford to start. He took over at quarterback in his second career game and earned the starting position by his eighth career game after Mark Richt tested out his other quarterbacks. Stafford will most likely leave for the draft after this season and that will leave the Bulldogs with very little experience. Luckily, Georgia picked up a 5 star recruit from Tampa in Aaron Murray (coincidentally, Stafford was born in Tampa). Murray has all the talent in the world and is the second rated quarterback in the class of 09'. The big knock on Murray is his size. Murray stands only 6'1 and weighs 205 pounds. Murray may not be the starting quarterback to start the year but it wouldn't surprise me if he is named the starter before the season is over.

Jeremy Avery and DJ Harper taking over for Ian Johnson

What can we say about Ian Johnson? He will probably be missed the most. Everyone remembers him scoring the touchdown that knocked off Oklahoma and gave the Broncos a victory in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Then he proposed to his girlfriend on national TV and has been famous for that ever since. After this season, Ian Johnson will be gone and it will be up to another Bronco running back to make a name for himself. Jeremy Avery is the most likely candidate. Last year Jeremy Avery rushed for over 650 yards while filling in for Johnson. The concern with Avery is that he is only 5'9 and weighs less than 170 pounds. He doesn't have the size to be an every down back. Another candidate is DJ Harper who also rushed for a bunch of yards last year(350) while splitting time with Avery and Ian Johnson. The Broncos are known for using all of their backs and it will not be surprising to see both of these guys on the field at the same time, splitting carries.

Blaine Gabbert taking over for Chase Daniel

Chase Daniel is a big reason for the revival of Missouri football and although he may not lead Mizzou to a BCS game in his career, Daniel certainly has put them on the map. With their top two quarterbacks graduating, Mizzou will have to rely on a young and inexperienced quarterback in Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert has all the tools to thrive in Missouri's spread offense. Gabbert has speed, a good arm and great size (6'4, 226). Size is something that Daniel had lacked but had made up for it with his football IQ. If Gabbert can grasp the Missouri offense then he can be as good, if not better, than Chase Daniel.

The BCS Busters

After week 5 there are 4 teams that I feel can bust the BCS party. The usual suspects like BYU and Utah are still on my list but two new teams have risen. Here are my four teams, in order, that have the greatest shot at playing in a BCS game.

BYU

BYU is in control of their own destiny. If they can win the rest of their games they will play in a BCS game. Heck, with the way this season is going, if BYU wins all of their games they may just be playing for the National Championship. BYU has two obstacles on their way to a perfect season. The first being a road game against TCU which will be a tough game for them. The second is playing at Utah in what should be a fantastic rivalry game with BCS implications on the line. This game could mean more than ever this year. The main concern for BYU is if their defense can hold up. BYU has only three returning starters from last years 11-2 team. I think BYU will make it to a BCS game because they have such a great offense and a great quarterback in Max Hall.

Boise State

Boise State is known for busting into the BCS game in 2006 and taking down the powerful Sooners of Oklahoma. Last year they were 1 win away from playing in another BCS game. Boise State has been one of the most dominant programs during the last five years having the third most wins of any program. With this fairly young but talented group led by senior running back Ian Johnson, the Broncos have a good shot at playing in another BCS game. The possible obstacles are games At Southern Miss and a game against a tough WAC opponent Fresno State. If Boise State finishes the season unbeaten and BYU loses one game, they will most likely get in.

Utah

Utah is led by their senior quarterback Brian Johnson and senior running back Darrell Mack. They got out of September without a scratch but a closer than thought game with Weber State has me feeling skeptical about the Utes. They still must play TCU and BYU at home which will give them an advantage. They also must play the Beavers of Oregon State who are riding high after their upset of #1 USC. The Utes are rolling, winning their last 13 of 14 games but I feel that they will slip up against one of the three teams previously mentioned.

Ball State

This is a dark horse for a BCS buster but they may just have the talent, and the favorable schedule to go undefeated. The Cardinals should be 10-0 heading into their two final games against Central Michigan and Western Michigan. The loss of wide receiver Dante Love is a tough one to overcome but it may just inspire Ball State to try harder. Nate Davis is a phenomenal quarterback who possesses great leadership and qualities that NFL scouts love. I think Nate Davis can lead the Cardinals to an undefeated season but many things must fall into place for Ball State to have any shot at playing in a BCS game. Believe!

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