Who Will Tubby Play? Breaking Down Auburn's QB Controversy

With many fans crying out for the ouster of starting QB Brandon Cox, coach Tommy Tuberville is faced with an important decision on whom to play.  

True freshman Kodi Burns, who appeared at the end of the loss to Mississippi State, is the favorite of many "anti-Tubbys" to replace Cox. Certainly, if Burns doesn't play more this season, he has totally wasted his redshirt season.

That is, of course, unless he developed an "ankle injury" after the game and applies for a medical redshirt.

The decision to skip over players with more seniority in favor of Burns came as a shock at first.  It seems a slap in the face to backups Neil Caudle and Blake Fields. However, both can seek solace in the fact that they are getting a free college education.

Bottom line: The Tigers are only going to win six games this year—seven if they're lucky.

Thus, this season should be used for development purposes. The rest of this year we will likely see a QB rotation with Burns, Cox, and perhaps Caudle after he regains his health.

Do not expect to see Burns exclusively. Keep in mind that Burns has been running the scout team offenses and has not practiced with the first team offense. His playbook is too limited right now.

Cox is going to become Burns's mentor, and we should see Burns being used in special situations, much like Tim Tebow was used last year. This lessens the pressure on Cox and allows Burns to gain some experience.

As Burns is now practicing with the first team, you will see his knowledge and playbook expand to give him command of the Tiger offense. His shared time with Cox will allow him to gain comfort and experience at the collegiate level. 

This dual-QB experiment will be a first for Tubby. It remains to be seen whether it will work out this season, but it's time to look to the future.