Three of nation’s top QBs call SEC home


 

Johnny Manziel zig-zagged through defenses all of last year and is the key cog in Texas A&M's high-powered offense. (Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports)

There will be a lot written about quarterbacks and national championships between now and the start of the 2013 college football season.

While there is no doubt that a good quarterback is a necessary ingredient for a national championship team, it is not by any means the only ingredient. It takes a lot of offensive and defensive talent to win the national title — or any conference title as well — but it is usually the quarterback position that draws the most attention.

That’s why all talk of a team’s championship hopes begins with the quarterback. So who are the quarterbacks who will be in the spotlight in September and what conference do they call home?

The Southeastern Conference is the home of three of those quarterbacks who have legitimate chances to win championships and maybe even the Heisman Trophy.

Alabama’s AJ McCarron knows what it is like to win championships. In fact he’s already won more national championships than SEC championships — two national titles and one league crown. He’ll be the odds on favorite to win more rings this fall, both a conference crown and another national championship.

McCarron was unfairly labeled as a quarterback who was primarily a game manager.

“To me you can’t be a good quarterback unless you are a good manager,” Alabama coach Nick Saban has said of McCarron. “I don’t think it is fair to AJ because I’ve said he’s really a good game manager for us. I don’t think you can be a good quarterback unless you re a really good game manager. That’s the ultimate compliment to me.”

Although he didn’t win a championship as a freshman, Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M did become the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy last year. And he was the only quarterback to engineer a win overAlabama.

This year Manziel gets the chance to beat the Crimson Tide again on September 14 in what he hopes will be a giant step on the way to an SEC championship and maybe even the national title. The Aggies will be good enough to do both.

“There’s a big dragon out there for us with all the people who are doubting A&M; all the people who are doubting me that last year was a fluke,” said Manziel, who set the SEC record last year with 5,116 yards of total offense.  “So that’s a chip on my shoulder and that’s a dragon I need to slay this year.

“It’s more serious this time around. It’s almost personal with all the stuff that’s kind of being tossed around about my arm strength and this and that. It’s getting kind of personal to me and so we’re going to get after it.”

Georgia’s Aaron Murray came heartbreakingly close to an SEC championship and a chance to play for the national title last year. This year, he has his sights set on both goals.

Murray set a new single-season total offense record for the Bulldogs last season with 3,825 yards, single season touchdown passing record with 36, and the single season school touchdown responsibility record with 39. For his career, Murray has 10,091 yards passing and 95 touchdowns but no championship. That’s the one stat Murray would like to change.

“I’m not here for records. I want to win a championship,”Murray said.

“Being a four-year starter is a rare opportunity. I’m excited about our team next year. We’ve grown so much these past two seasons. We’ve been able to put Georgia back on the map. It’s great to be a part of that and to get better and better every year.

“I love being a part of this team. I’m excited to have another year,” Georgia’s senior quarterback said.

There are other quarterbacks around college football who have legitimate chances to lead their team to championship levels.

Teddy Bridgewater will lead a Louisville that has a cakewalk schedule and a lot of returning talent. Braxton Miller at Ohio State, Tajh Boyd at Clemson, Marcus Mariota at Oregon, Brett Hundley at UCLA, Taylor Martinez at Nebraska and Devin Gardner at Michigan are other quality QBs that could lead their teams to a title this upcoming season.