Nothing riles up a college football fan base more than an old fashioned quarterback controversy.  These position battles can also wreak havoc on your fantasy draft cheatsheets.  Below we list some quarterback competitions that could have college fantasy football implications this fall.


Key Quarterback Battles


ARIZONA STATE
The Participants : Steven Threet, Brock Osweiler, Samson Szakacsy
The Skinny : Coaches made the decision to install a new spread offense that resembles the old Texas Tech spread. Michigan transfer Threet struggled in the spring game, Osweiler had enough moments during spring camp to stay in the hunt, and Szakacsy missed the spring while recovering from shoulder surgery.
The Leader : Brock Osweiler & Steven Threet

ARKANSAS STATE
The Participants : Ryan Aplin, Phillip Butterfield
The Skinny : Aplin is a mobile quarterback who gained experience last year filling in for Corey Leonard.  He missed spring practice with a shoulder injury.  The team will be installing a fantasy-friendly no-huddle offense this year so whoever wins the job could make some noise.
The Leader : Ryan Aplin

BOWLING GREEN
The Participants: Aaron Pankratz, Matt Schliz, Kellen Pagel, Caleb Watkins
The Skinny: Bowling Green featured a high powered aerial attack in 2009.  Schliz came out of spring ball with a slight lead over Pankratz.  This battle will wage on during fall camp.  Don’t expect 2009 numbers from the eventual starter but the situation does look to be fruitful from a fantasy standpoint.
The Leader: Matt Schliz

BUFFALO
The Participants: Jerry Davis, Alex Dennison, Alex Zoordick, Rudy Johnson
The Skinny: Buffalo’s new coaching staff is installing the offense that Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has been running. Davis had a slight lead at the end of spring camp. If a clear cut starter emerges, the Buffalo QB position will be a nice sleeper to target.
The Leader: Jerry Davis

BYU
The Participants: Riley Nelson, Jake Heaps, James Lark
The Skinny: Nelson came into spring camp with the most experience under center, but spring camp closed with true freshman Heaps slightly outperforming the rest of the pack.  While the competition will linger into fall camp, it’s really only a matter of time before Heaps takes over.  He is the future.  The only question is when he’ll be handed the keys to the offense.
The Leader: Jake Heaps

EAST CAROLINA
The Participants: Dominique Davis, Brad Wornick, Josh Johnson
The Skinny: East Carolina is installing a Texas Tech style offense. Davis looks to have the most talent but Wornick showed the most consistency in the spring. Expect this competition to linger deep into fall camp and maybe into the regular season.
The Leader: Brad Wornick

EASTERN MICHIGAN
The Participants: Alex Gillett, Devontae Payne
The Skinny: Gillett is a mobile guy who rushed for 482 yards while only taking about 33% of the team’s snaps.  However, his passing abilities leave much to be desired.  Payne is a 6’6 pocket passer with lots of passing potential, but no game experience.
The Leader: Gillett

KANSAS
The Participants: Kale Pick, Jordan Webb, Quinn Mecham
The Skinny: Pick has the most experience of the group, and his spring game performance (14-22 for 214 yards and 2 TDs) helped him achieve some separation from the rest of the group.
The Leader: Kale Pick
 

LOUISIANA TECH
The Participants: Ross Jenkins, Steven Ensminger
The Skinny: Offensive guru Tony Franklin comes in with his spread offense and inherited a dual threat QB in 2009 starter Jenkins. The problem is that Auburn transfer Ensminger showed up ready to play in the spring and looks to be the favorite for the starting job. But Ensminger is not a runner, and Jenkins does have an advantage from that standpoint.
The Leader: Steven Ensminger

MARSHALL
The Participants: Brain Anderson, Willy Korn
The Skinny: Anderson is the returning starter but Clemson transfer Korn brings a bunch of talent. Anderson only has a slight lead due to his 2009 performance, but Korn has all the tools to unseat him.
The Leader: Brian Anderson

MEMPHIS
The Participants: Tyler Bass, Cannon Smith, Ryan Williams
The Skinny: Bass has the most returning experience, but Miami transfer Smith looks to be the real deal. This competition will linger into fall camp, but it might only take Smith a couple of scrimmages to solidify the starting job.  Fantasy owners are hoping Bass wins the gig due to his dual threat abilities.
The Leader: Cannon Smith and Tyler Bass
 

MICHIGAN
The Participants: Tate Forcier, Denard Robinson, Devin Gardner
The Skinny: Forcier was the starter in 2009 while Robinson played in selective packages. Forcier struggled to impress the coaches in the spring while Robinson blew up in the spring game. It looks to be down to these two, while true freshman Gardner will be on the outside looking in.
The Leader: Denard Robinson and Tate Forcier

MISSISSIPPI STATE
The Participants: Chris Relf, Tyler Russell
The Skinny: Relf played in a special running package during 2009 while Rusell redshirted. Russell is a more polished passer while Relf is a dangerous runner. This smells of split snaps, much like the QB situation was in 2009.
The Leader: Chris Relf and Tyler Russell

NORTH TEXAS
The Participants: Derek Thompson, Nathan Tune
The Skinny:  The job opened up when Riley Dodge was moved from quarterback to receiver thanks to an arm injury.  Thompson is better suited for the offense and holds the early edge for the starting job.
The Leader: Derek Thompson

OHIO
The Participants: Boo Jackson, Phillip Bates, Tyler Tettleton
The Skinny: Ohio’s offense airs it out, but there is no clear cut guy to run the offense. Jackson was granted a sixth year of eligibility, Tettleton played in limited action in 2009, and Bates is a talented transfer from Iowa State.  If healthy, Jackson should claim the job but he will be pushed by Bates.
The Leader: Boo Jackson

OREGON
The Participants: Nate Costa, Darron Thomas
The Skinny: Coach Chip Kelly wants a quarterback that can manage the game. This leads many to think that Costa will have a leg up, but Darron Thomas looked far more impressive during the spring game.  He is a far superior athlete.
The Leader: Darron Thomas and Nate Costa

PENN STATE
The Participants: Kevin Newsome, Matt McGloin, Paul Jones, Robert Bolden
The Skinny: Pat Devlin’s transfer to Delaware at the end of the ’08 season is coming back to bite JoePa in the you-know-what.  Nobody on the depth chart has any meaningful game experience.  Newsome is a runner who needs to improve all elements of his passing game.  McGloin is a walk-on who is a game manager at best.  Jones and Bolden are highly touted freshmen who hold the future in their hands.
The Leader: Kevin Newsome and Matt McGloin

RICE
The Participants: Nick Fanuzzi, Taylor Cook, Taylor McHargue
The Skinny: Fanuzzi spent most of the 2009 season as the starter but the offense lacked the firepower it was accustomed to seeing. Miami transfer Cook passed Fanuzzi on the depth chart this spring, but this race is far from over.
The Leader: Taylor Cook

SOUTHERN MISS
The Participants: Austin Davis, Martevious Young
The Skinny: Davis’ 2009 season was lost due to injury. Young stepped in and exceeded all expectations. Davis will be healthy and ready to compete in fall camp, but Young’s solid spring camp performance could push this competition deep into August.
The Leader: Austin Davis

TEXAS TECH
The Participants: Steven Sheffield, Taylor Potts
The Skinny: A new coaching staff arrives in Lubbock but before they got a chance to take a good look at these two quarterbacks this spring, both went down to injury.  Now fall camp will open without much insight. Sheffield looks to be frontrunner, but he has been battling injury concerns since last fall.
The Leader: Steven Sheffield

TOLEDO
The Participants: Austin Dantin, Alex Pettee, David Pasquale, Terremce Owens
The Skinny: Dantin played in several games during 2009 in relief of an injury Aaron Opelt, but the coaching staff declared the position battle open during spring camp. The coaches spread the reps evenly between all the quarterbacks during spring, and have not given any word to a leader of the group. One would think Dantin is the frontrunner based on his promising ’09 performance.
The Leader: Austin Dantin

UNLV
The Participants: Omar Clayton, Mike Clausen
The Skinny: Both Clayton and Clausen split reps during 2009. The new coaching staff rotated guys throughout the spring, but Clausen missed the spring game. Clausen was the most consistent during spring camp, while the coaches battled motivational issues with Clayton.
The Leader: Mike Clausen and Omar Clayton

WESTERN MICHIGAN
The Participants: Alex Carder, Tyler VanTubbergen, Drew Burdi,
The Skinny: There Broncos will be retooling the offense with the departure of Tim Hiller and Brandon West. Carder is extremely accurate and should solidify the starting job in the first half of fall camp. Whoever wins the gig with have a plethora of experienced receivers to throw the ball to.
The Leader: Alex Carder


Others QB Battles to Watch
Nebraska: Zac Lee leads over Cody Green and Taylor Martinez
Kentucky:  Mike Hartline leads over Morgan Newton
Ole Miss:  Nathan Stanley vs. Jeremiah Masoli (potentially)
Tennessee:  Matt Simms leads over Tyler Bray
Central Michigan:  Ryan Radcliff leads over Kyle Smith
Florida Int’l:  Wayne Younger leads over Wesley Carroll.
Louisville:  Adam Froman leads over Luke Woodley