COLUMBUS, Ohio -- That quaint era when college football teams did not need a quarterback like Justin Fields to win a national championship does not seem so distant.
Nebraska was still rolling over teams with the option in the mid-90s. The Buckeyes won the 2002 national championship behind Craig Krenzel’s steady grit. Whether with Matt Mauck at LSU in 2003 or in his run of five national championships in nine years at Alabama, Nick Saban proved he can win national championships without elite quarterback talent.
However, Saban now looks like the exception to the rule. Over the past decade, teams other than Alabama winning national championships did so with future NFL stars or projected top picks.
Ohio State’s current quarterback, Justin Fields, fits that latter description. He has the body, the skill set and the intelligence NFL teams covet. He backed it up with elite production in his first season as a Buckeye and earned an invitation to the Heisman Trophy ceremony.
If this is college football’s new reality — that great quarterbacks are a prerequisite for winning a championship — Ohio State faces some urgency to capitalize on its window with Fields.
Year | Team | QB | NFL |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | LSU | Joe Burrow | Heisman; Projected No. 1 pick |
2018 | Clemson | Trevor Lawrence | TBA |
2016 | Clemson | DeShaun Watson | First-round pick; 2 X Pro Bowl |
2014 | Ohio State | J.T. Barrett/Cardale Jones | Barrett: UFA, practice squads Jones: 4th Rnd, 1 NFL gm |
2013 | Florida State | Jameis Winston | No. 1 pick, Pepsi Rookie of the Year, Pro Bowl |
2010 | Auburn | Cam Newton | Heisman; No. 1 pick, 3 X Pro Bowl, 2015 MVP |
2008 | Florida | Tim Tebow | Heisman (2007); First-round pick, 16 starts in 3 seasons |
2007 | LSU | Matt Flynn | Seventh-round pick, career backup |
2006 | Florida | Tim Tebow | See above |
2005 | Texas | Vince Young | First-round pick, Rookie of the Year, 2 X Pro Bowl |
2004 | USC | Matt Leinart | Heisman; First-round pick |
2003 | LSU/USC | Matt Mauck/Matt Leinart | Mauck: Seventh-round pick, 2 NFL gms; Leinart: Above |
A strong-armed and efficient passer, Fields’ overall athleticism allows him to affect games with his speed and toughness as well. He slides in comfortably next to Newton, Winston and Watson as projectable talents at the next level.
Ohio State believes it has recruited three strong quarterback prospects over two classes to succeed Fields. The Buckeyes historically do not crater from a talent standpoint. College Football Playoff contention is a reasonable annual expectation.
Yet projections and expectations are just that, and they don’t always come true.
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Florida State returned to the playoff in 2014 with Winston and, beginning with that season, signed four straight top-six classes. The Seminoles have not won more than 10 games since Winston left.
Auburn lost the 2013 national championship game to FSU with future Saskatchewan Roughrider Nick Marshall under center. The Tigers annually sign classes in the top 10 or just outside it. They have not won more than 10 games since that loss to Winston.
Not coincidentally, neither has produced an NFL draft pick at quarterback since Newton and Winston went No. 1 overall.
Even Alabama seems to understand we live in a different reality. Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa led the 2017 national championship run. Tagovailoa should be the first quarterback drafted after Burrow this April.
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Santa Ana, California’s Bryce Young, the top-ranked quarterback in the 2020 class, signed with Alabama.
Clemson capitalized on its window with Lawrence immediately, then returned to the national championship game at OSU’s expense last season. The Tigers are primed for another run this season.
Barring another Burrow-like emergence, Ohio State is the only program that can counter Lawrence’s star with one of their own. The Buckeyes brought in the nation’s best group of freshman receivers. The offensive line should be among the best in the country. The defense lost multiple stars but retained a talented and experienced core.
The window is wide open, but as history shows, it won’t stay that way indefinitely.
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