BCS Standings: Notre Dame and 10 Teams That Would Be Contenders with Better QBs

Quarterbacks in today's college football are asked to be leaders, passers, runners, game-managers, and play-callers.

In other words, they are extremely critical.

Which is why mediocre play behind center can be the difference between a championship season and a disappointing campaign.

Such is the case for these teams.

Here are pretenders that could have been contenders, with better quarterbacks. 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The numbers are great. 1,693 yards with 14 touchdowns over the first eight games cannot be described as anything less that significant production.

However, Notre Dame would be a bigger threat with a different quarterback.

Why? The same reason the Irish are losing in the first place.

Turnovers.

Rees has thrown six interceptions in games against South Florida, Michigan, Michigan State and USC. Many of these turnovers have led to immediate points off of turnovers for the other teams.

Sure, the Irish would love to hold on to the production that Rees has put forth. However, fans like to have their cake and eat it too.

As a result, a productive quarterback who protects the ball would put smiles on the faces of Irish fans and likely have Notre Dame in the BCS at-large conversation. 

Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State is 8-1 this season. It held Alabama to its lowest total of the season, 27 points.

Yet, the Nittany Lions are only ranked No. 19 in the BCS Standings.

Why no respect? 

It has little to do with Penn State's credentials and everything to do with quarterback play. Joe Paterno's team is simply not flashy.

Matthew McGloin and Rob Bolden have both received playing time this season. McGloin has been the better of the two, passing for 1,095 yards and completing 58 percent of his passes coming into the game against the Fighting Illini. 

Still, that is hardly Case Keenum-like.

Penn State has a talented enough team to keep games close, even against more talented squads. Its problem is, however, the inability to come from behind in games.

If Penn State could retroactively produce a formidable quarterback, the Nittany Lions likely would have given the Tide a better game and could be ranked in the Top 10.  

Miami Hurricanes

Jacory Harris is very similar to Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees.

He has fantastic numbers, but has led his team to results that leave Hurricane fans scratching their heads.

Like Thursday night's debacle against Virginia.

Harris has thrown for over 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has only thrown one interception in his last five games. 

However, his worst performance was against Georgia Tech. Ironically, the Canes won that game 24-7.

And there lies the ultimate issue. Harris is simply not the leader necessary to win football games for his Canes. Any quarterback that is suspended for off-field issues automatically sets a bad example for his football team.

Yes, Harris has the numbers. Yes, Harris has the swagger. But, the bottom line for a quarterback is wins and a better leader would be a vast improvement in the win category for Miami. 

Florida Gators

There is one significant difference between the best offenses in college football and the Florida Gators.

That difference is a viable distributor that can get the ball to his playmakers.

Examples of good distributors are Tajh Boyd, Brandon Weeden and Tyler Wilson, just to name a few. John Brantley is simply not adept at getting the football to his playmakers.

Running backs Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey are certainly capable of breaking free for a touchdown at any given moment. The Gators do not lack at the outside skill positions, either.

Florida needs a man under center who can run the offense fluidly, and develop rhythm with his receivers. Perhaps then the Gators could compete for the SEC East crown.

Perhaps. 

South Carolina Gamecocks

Alshon Jeffery is going to be a first round selection in the NFL Draft one day.

Why aren't the Gamecocks finding ways to get him the ball more?

Jeffery is only averaging 64.4 yards per game receiving and has a mere five touchdowns going into the game versus Tennessee.

It appears as if Jeffery will fall shy of the 1,000 yard mark.

The only answer to this inquiry has to be in the quarterback play. The position has certainly been in disarray for South Carolina from the get-go. Stephen Garcia has had more off-the-field issues, resulting in his dismissal from the team.

Then, there is sophomore Connor Shaw. Shaw has shown promise, completing an impressive 50-of-78 attempts in his abbreviated work this season.

However, if the Gamecocks had a steady situation behind center and someone willing to force the ball to Jeffrey, we may have an undefeated team and another National Championship contender on our hands. 

Michigan Wolverines

The Michigan Wolverines have an outstanding running back playing behind center.

He is not, however, the ideal quarterback to lead a team to the promise land.

This is not a complete disservice to Denard Robinson. He is unarguably one of the most exciting players to watch in all of college football.

However, he is not an elite pass-thrower. Actually, he is below average.  His completion percentage is a pedestrian 53.9 and he has thrown 10 interceptions.

That just will not get it done, regardless of how many rushing yards he may have. Especially when playing from behind, when accurate passes and time management are paramount.

Robinson is a fantastic highlight-reel player. However, unless he can better manage the passing aspects of his game the Michigan Wolverines will continue to have late-season struggles and fail to return to BCS prominence. 

Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes are averaging a paltry 127.9 yards per game passing.

That is good, or bad, for 115th in the nation.

The poor performance at quarterback for the Buckeyes has led to a change from senior Joe Bauserman to freshman Braxton Miller.

It appears to be a move for the future, as Miller is unlikely to drastically alter the fortunes of the Buckeyes for the duration of the year.

For Ohio State to be a threat in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes would need a signal caller that forces defenses to honor the passing game.

As it is, defenders can load the box and force Miller to beat them. And so far this year, the quarterbacks in Columbus have come up short. 

Auburn Tigers

The quarterback play at Auburn has been atrocious to this point.

What a difference a year makes for the War Eagle supporters.

The Tigers have gone from a Heisman winner in Cam Newton to mediocre play from the likes of Barrett Trotter and Clint Moseley.

In a perfect world, Newton would have returned for his senior season and Auburn would be a Top Five team.

As it is, however, the Tigers are struggling to score points. Auburn is averaging more points allowed than points for. That problem, for this otherwise talented team, can be directly attributed to uncertainty at quarterback. 

Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns have fallen into the depths of chaos since the departure of Colt McCoy.

After missing a bowl game last season, the Longhorns have once again struggled to remain in the Top 25 through the first half of the season.

As a whole, the quarterbacks for Texas have thrown for just eight touchdowns and six interceptions.

The Longhorns are 0-2 this season versus ranked teams, and have officially fallen prisoner to mediocrity in the Big 12 conference.

With a better quarterback, the Longhorns would certainly still have a loss to Oklahoma, simply due to the difference in talent at every position. However, a game with a reliable quarterback against Oklahoma State would have certainly been more interesting down in Austin.

So, you have that peace of mind going for you Texas fans. 

Kansas State Wildcats

Imagine if Kansas State had a legitimate passing threat behind center? 

Maybe the Wildcats would be ranked higher than their current ranking of 110 in passing yards per game.

Perhaps Kansas State would have stood a chance against an angry Oklahoma Sooners team.

Maybe not.

But, the Wildcats would have certainly garnered more national respect if Collin Klein had better numbers through the air. The results would be fewer close games against inferior opponents and a more balanced attack.

The season is not lost for Kansas State. The Wildcats are in a position to have a great season under coach Bill Snyder.

Then again, it's what could have been for the silver and purple.

That is why we are playing this game, right?