Fall camps open next week around college football, and hotly contested quarterback battles will commence for some of the game's high-profile programs. No battle will have more eyes on it nationally than the one at defending national champion Ohio State, but there are plenty of other quarterback competitions that will help define the 2015 season for championship contenders across all five major conferences. Here's a look at some of the most intriguing quarterback quandaries, with a predicted winner for each battle.
1. Ohio State
Top two contenders: Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett
The skinny:Braxton Miller bowing out of the race with a move to the H-back position doesn't fully tamp down the anxiety for Buckeyes fans. Someone -- either the player who led OSU to an 11-1 regular season record (J.T. Barrett) or the one who carried the quarterback torch in the postseason (Cardale Jones) will still be relegated to the bench. That will make the quarterback competition at Ohio State the most talked-about position battle in college football next month, even without Miller in the conversation. Whoever loses the job will be the most accomplished and respected backup in the country. The spoils to the winner? The support of the best team in the nation.
The pick: Jones, and here's why.
2. Florida State
Top two contenders: Everett Golson, Sean Maguire
The skinny:The race to replace Jameis Winston got a lot more interesting when Everett Golson decided to transfer out of Notre Dame and landed at FSU. It narrowed a bit when freshman De'Andre Johnson was dismissed from the program earlier this month, although last year's backup, Sean Maguire, was considered Golson's primary competition for the job before the Johnson dismissal. Maguire threw for 304 yards against Clemson, his only start of the 2014 season, and Clemson had the top pass defense in the Power Five last season. Turnovers plagued Golson at Notre Dame in 2014 and shook coach Brian Kelly's faith in him. He's no certainty to start for FSU if that issue isn't solved.
The pick:Golson
3. Oregon
Top two contenders: Jeff Lockie, Vernon Adams
The skinny:Coach Mark Helfrich has heaped plenty of praise on Lockie, the former backup to Marcus Mariota. The junior lit up the Oregon spring game with a perfect 9 of 9 passing (223 yards, three TDs). That was good for a single-day QB rating of 418.1. Yet, there is more excitement about transfer Vernon Adams, who comes in from Eastern Washington having passed for more than 10,000 yards over three seasons at the FCS level. Lockie has only thrown 41 passes in his career behind Mariota.
The pick:Adams
4. Alabama
Top two contenders: Jacob Coker, David Cornwell
The skinny:Blake Sims went from question mark to record setter last season as Alabama's one-year replacement for AJ McCarron. Will Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin get lucky again with another first-time starter? Or, if you're a believer in Kiffin, was it not all luck? A year and a half after his highly publicized transfer from FSU to Alabama, Coker still hasn't won the job, and is now on his second round of competition for it. The Mobile, Ala., native has more arm strength than Sims, but he had that a year ago when he lost the job to Sims, too. Cornwell, a redshirt freshman, is Coker's primary competition.
The pick:Coker
5. UCLA
Top two contenders: Josh Rosen, Jerry Neuheisel
The skinny:True freshmen aren't supposed to just walk right into a program like UCLA and take over the quarterback spot. Reportedly, however, Rosen is about to do just that. Coach Jim Mora hasn't named a starter, but enrolling early and competing in spring practice was apparently enough to at least give Rosen a presumed edge over the cast of backups that sat behind Brett Hundley last year. That group includes Neuheisel, the son of former Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel. Jerry Neuheisel filled in for an injured Hundley last year to complete 23 of 30 passes for two touchdowns in a road win over Texas.
The pick:Rosen
6. Oklahoma
Top two contenders: Trevor Knight, Baker Mayfield
The skinny:The way coach Bob Stoops tells it, Mayfield and Knight enter fall camp in a dead heat for the No. 1 job, and Cody Thomas is running a close third. It's a little hard to believe that Knight, the quarterback who torched Alabama in the Sugar Bowl to close out the 2013 season, doesn't have a firmer grasp on the job. But after missing the last three games of the regular season with an injury, then returning with a dismal bowl performance, Mayfield (a transfer from Texas Tech) has a strong opportunity to wrest the job.
The pick:Knight
7. Georgia
Top two contenders: Brice Ramsey, Greyson Lambert
The skinny:Ramsey threw just 39 passes as Hutson Mason's backup last year, but he had the No. 2 quarterback job for a reason. Coach Mark Richt has been mum on the starter question after Ramsey battled Faton Bauta in spring practice. Since then, Lambert, a graduate transfer, came in from Virginia to join the party. Lambert is far more experienced than Ramsey or Bauta, but with 11 interceptions to just 10 TD passes at UVA last year, that experience doesn't command a starting role elsewhere. A wild-card factor in the race is a new offensive coordinator: Brian Schottenheimer, who replaced new Colorado State coach Mike Bobo.
The pick:Ramsey
8. LSU
Top two contenders: Anthony Jennings, Brandon Harris
The skinny:Tigers coach Les Miles will be choosing from the same two candidates that struggled to move the team last year. Jennings started all but one game last season but completed just 49 percent of his passes. Harris is the more talented of the two, but hasn't yet proven he's ready to take over the job. Adding intrigue to the battle is that Jennings is currently suspended, though Miles believes Jennings will make his way back to the team. Whoever wins the job must keep defenses more honest, lest they continue cheating with crowded fronts to stop running back Leonard Fournette.
The pick:Harris
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