From The Shotgun: QB UPDATE 08/19/08

August 19th, 2008 by Daniel Freer

Making changes….

Like the Chinese government with gymnast’s birth certificates, this college football pre-season has seen a number of changes already.

Some have already had an affect on everyone’s fantasy list. Soon, look for the recent updates on our Cheatsheets provided in the Fantasy College Blitz Draft Kit link/button (on top of our website).

Fortunately some things do not change, like Florida Atlantic QB Rusty Smith (pictured, thanks IconSMI ). He still is very high on the list.

And all of the QBs meet the minimum age requirements.

SMU:

Possibly the biggest development….new head coach June Jones has bumped former starter Justin Willis to third-string, elevating true-freshmen Bo Levi Mitchell and Braden Smith in the battle for the #1 spot. I moved the SMU QBs up to #7 on our QB list…mainly because June Jones is committed to one the two frosh. Stay tuned to see who the New Pony Starting QB will be. Jones is like “Ice Cream” when it comes to QBs…like, good….

TULSA:

Looks more certain that QBs David Johnson and Jacob Bower will be rotated, at least early in the season. I dropped the UT QBs a few to #15. I sense a situation similar to Houston last season, when the-head man Art Briles rotated QBs Case Keenum and Blake Joseph…

HAWAII:

Brent Rausch will be the QB to fill the shoes of the departed Colt Brennan…and find soap for the Warrior locker room (Are there Dollar Tree stores in Honolulu?) Rausch climbed up the depth charts and snagged the starting job, with impressive performance in practice. The Hawaii QB rank will not be affected, as this offense still should be productive.

NORTH TEXAS:

Another Art Briles reference here! UNT head coach Todd Dodge shares a lot of similarities to the current Baylor coach and former HS coaching legend…notably the “just because you’re my son and an all-state QB does not mean you automatically start”. Not as drastic as Briles (who while at Houston moved his Texas HS all-state QB son Kendal to WR), but Dodge seems intent (at the moment) not to start his son, Riley…going instead with 2007 starter Giovanni Vizza as his #1. Still, I just cannot see the younger Dodge staying on the bench for long. The UNT QBs will keep their #10 ranking…especially when you have WR Casey Fitzgerald to throw to.

CINCINNATI:

Last time we reported that Ben Mauk had his request for medical hardship denied, thus ending his college career. Well, Mauk may be playing again, as an Ohio judge has issued a temporary restraining order allowing Mauk to play another year. Mauk is back, but his overall status (starting or not) could still be up in the air.

UCLA:

Deja Vu all over again, as Yogi Berra once said a few times…Ben Olson is injured, again. Look for Kevin Craft (former San Diego State QB and JUCO transfer) to grab the starting role. New Bruin boss Rick Neuheisel has a great offensive reputation, but one can only lose so many QBs so many times.

WYOMING:

Dax Crum has beat out 2007 starter Karsten Sween as the starter. The Cowboys were not impressed with Sween’s performance last season, and seemed to be wanting to make a move. Still, the Pokes QB position is not rated highly…mainly because its backfield of Devin Moore and Wynel Seldon will be the core of their offense.

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