Just about a week ago, a dozen or so major college football programs had yet to announce their starting quarterback.
On the final Saturday without FBS football until the end of the year, things have changed considerably. Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Illinois, Pitt, Virginia Tech and Washington each have selected a signal-caller for their respective openers, but there are a handful of programs where the QB situation remains somewhat of a mystery.
Here's a quick rundown on the teams that appear to have left their QB competitions open:
Alabama: It has been another week with little movement in Tuscaloosa on the quarterback front. Favorite Jacob Coker is still splitting reps with Blake Sims and it seems increasingly likely that Nick Saban won't reveal his decision until kickoff.
LSU: Brandon Harris or Anthony Jennings? Anthony Jennings or Brandon Harris? Les Miles is not saying until the Tigers take the field against Wisconsin next week, but it appears both will end up playing this season, no matter who takes the first snaps.
TCU: With an opener against Samford, the Horned Frogs were bound to play both Trevone Boykin and Texas A&M transfer Matt Joeckel extensively. That might continue, as Gary Patterson hinted recently that each would play throughout the year. It might be a while before one of the two really takes hold of the starting job.
North Carolina: This is another team that could opt for a two-quarterback system, at least initially. Larry Fedora has been coy about who will get the starting nod, but mentioned this week that the staff will know before the Tar Heels take the field against Liberty. It's likely that Marquise Williams, who earned some starts last season, will be the first guy in the huddle, with Mitch Trubisky seeing snaps afterward.
Miami: Jake Heaps was held out of the Hurricanes' recent scrimmage with a sore arm but returned to practice on Wednesday. He's still listed as the co-starter along with true freshman Brad Kaaya, and coach Al Golden has given no hints about his decision.
Arizona: This one is very close, and after listening to Rich Rodriguez speak after practice the past few days, it seems as though even he has no clue about who his quarterback will be on Thursday. Redshirt freshman Anu Solomon is widely viewed as the leader in the clubhouse, but there are some solid options behind him in Jesse Scroggins, Connor Brewer and Jerrard Randall.
Here are nine other things to know from Saturday's college football camps:
- At one point last season, Texas Tech had three quarterbacks with starting experience on the roster. Only one remains as Davis Webb is a potential breakout star in Lubbock, but on Saturday his former teammate Michael Brewer was selected as the No. 1 option to replace Logan Thomas at Virginia Tech. The opener for the Hokies is against FCS foe William & Mary, but a big test at Ohio State awaits Brewer in Week 2.
- Louisville suffered a big blow late Friday night as the school announced top wide receiver DeVante Parkerwould be out indefinitely with a foot injury. He'll head out to get a second opinion on the injury from the orthopedic surgeon who operated on Derek Jeter's ankle and will be evaluating New York Giants guard Geoff Schwartz (toe) this week.
- Staying in the Bluegrass State, Kentucky will be without receiver Jeff Badet for at least two games due to an injury to his eye. He apparently suffered the freak injury when a tennis ball hit him while he was working on a hand-eye coordination drill during practice. He played as a true freshman last season, catching 22 passes, but missed part of spring practice and summer workouts after breaking his leg.
- Division II picked up one of college football's most versatile players around when former Northwestern running back Venric Mark announced he was transferring to West Texas A&M.
- Washington coach Chris Petersen suspended tight end Derrick Brown on Saturday and kicked defensive back Devon Washington off the team. Neither was expected to crack the Huskies' two-deep.
- San Jose State announced starting running back Jarrod Lawson would be suspended for the first two games of the season. He racked up 788 yards on the ground in 2013 and was expected to be the centerpiece on offense for the Spartans. He'll miss a home game against North Dakota and a big non-conference trip to Auburn in Week 2.
- Five-star recruit Jabrill Peppers was always going to see the field early for Michigan this season, and it appears he has secured his first starting job ... on special teams. Brady Hoke announced Peppers is the starting punt returner after practice on Friday, but the talented freshman will also see time at corner in the opener against Appalachian State.
- There was actual college football on Saturday. Not camp or practice but actual college football. It was at the FCS level as Sam Houston State traveled to the red field of Eastern Washington, but still, college football returned on Saturday.
- A number of folks seemed skeptical when they first heard about an Icelandic volcano threatening the Penn State/Central Florida game in Ireland. Well, they shouldn't be. On Saturday, the volcano started erupting and the North Atlantic country raised the aviation alert level to its highest point. Airports are still open and planes are still flying across the pond, though. UCF was planning to ship its equipment to Ireland on Saturday, according to the Orlando Sentinel, and is not altering plans right now. Penn State released a statement saying it's still on track to leave on Tuesday but will continue to monitor the situation. UCF's team is also scheduled to depart on Tuesday.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
