Last week, we chronicled the non-BCS quarterback battles to watch and this week we?ll turn our attention to the big boys of college football. Obviously, some of these battles have a much bigger championship aspect than the guys at the MAC or WAC level. Some of the teams battling quarterback battles will start the year in the preseason top ten, such as Wisconsin or Oklahoma. However, a team like Minnesota or Kansas is just a quarterback away from reaching an eight win season and a good bowl game for their program. Not all of the battles we?ll talk about today are wrapped up, but going into fall practice, there should be some idea of who is out front.

Obviously, this isn?t a complete listing of battles to watch. However, these are the biggest ones to keep your eye on in terms of fantasy prospects. Additionally, we didn?t include Notre Dame in this conversation, but see our previous article ? It?ll be Jimmy Clausen in a close one for more insight on that battle.

Wisconsin

The steady and productive John Stocco is gone, meaning the Badgers will have to turn to Tyler Donovan or Allan Evridge. Donovan started in place of Stocco twice last year and posted solid stats for limited action in seven overall games ? 37 of 58 for 564 yards and four touchdowns. Donovan has the experience to win the job, but Evridge might have the most upside. Evridge is a Kansas State transfer and he?s got a good mix of arm and running ability. The Badgers have the team in place to compete for a national title this year, but it all comes down to quarterback play. The Badgers have to find the signal-caller that will help them win the Big Ten and not throw away games with careless mistakes.

Bold Prediction: Donovan showed potential in two starts last year and that probably gives him an edge over Evridge.

Ohio State

Troy Smith can?t be replaced. The Buckeyes can?t replace Troy Smith?s all-around ability and his knack of making something out of plays that went bad, but they can find a quality quarterback to run their system. It?s no secret the Buckeyes can get by with a good defense, solid running game and special teams ? isn?t that what head coach Jim Tressel used to win a national championship? Junior Todd Boeckman is next in line to start, but he?s inexperienced and isn?t the athlete that Troy Smith was. At 6-5, 235, he?s more of your pocket passer and he?ll probably take a few games to get going. Redshirt freshman Antonio Henton has great athleticism and is the closer fit to Troy Smith, but the coaching staff feels he might be a bit raw at this point. The third candidate vying for time is Rob Schoenhoft, who is an even bigger kid than Boeckman ? 6-6, 240.

Bold Prediction: I?m intrigued by Henton, but Boeckman is the best shot for the Buckeyes to win.

Minnesota

You?ll still see the Golden Gophers line up and run the ball, but there have been a few tweaks to their offense from the past couple of years. Gone is the power running game and in its place is a new spread attack. Former California offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar was brought in by new Golden Gopher head coach Tim Brewster to coordinate things on offense and he?ll look to spice things up a bit. Dunbar didn?t settle on a quarterback in the spring, as Adam Weber and Tony Mortensen were even. Expect a challenge from incoming freshman Clint Brewster ? yes the coach?s son. Weber has the best mix of arm and mobility, which should make him the front runner.

Bold Prediction: Give it to Weber.

Kansas

As we mentioned in our opener, the Jayhawks are really only a quarterback away from contending for a bowl game or an eight win season in 2007. Kerry Meier passed for 1193 yards and 13 touchdowns in eight contests last season, while adding 346 yards on the ground. Meier?s performance wasn?t bad, but he was inconsistent at times and couldn?t stay healthy. Todd Reesing came off the bench to spark a Wildcat victory against Colorado and he ended the year with 204 passing yards, three interceptions and three touchdowns on 14 of 24 passes. The Jayhawks really need to settle on one quarterback, especially with the team close to contention.

Bold Prediction: Meier.

Colorado

If the Buffaloes had a quarterback last year, we probably would?ve watched them make a bowl game. As it was, the team never found a quarterback and although Bernard Jackson is talented, he definitely wasn?t the type of player you need running your offense over a 12 game period. Buffaloes head coach Dan Hawkins is a great offensive mind and the struggles last year were puzzling. Junior college transfer Nick Nelson and redshirt freshman Cody Hawkins pulled away from Jackson in the spring, with Hawkins holding a slight lead going into fall practice. Hawkins should win the job and it?s not because he?s the coach?s son either. Look for the redshirt freshman to claim the job and he should be an improvement for the Buffaloes, but probably doesn?t have much fantasy value in his first year of starting.

Bold Prediction: Hawkins beats out Nelson, but don?t be surprised to see the junior college product play some, especially if the youngster struggles.

Oklahoma

As we learned last year, the Sooners don?t necessarily need a Jason White to emerge at this position. It?s really about being a caretaker and making smart decisions with the football ? something Paul Thompson did a good job at. However, Thompson is gone and the Sooners are again starting over at the position. Joey Halzle, Keith Nichol and Sam Bradford are in the mix and none of the quarterbacks were eliminated after spring practice. Bradford has great size at 6?5 and was highly recruited out of high school. The redshirt freshman threw for 2422 yards and 19 touchdowns in high school and he?s got some good feet, considering he played basketball and golf in high school. Nichol was an early enrollee and his dual-threat potential is very intriguing. Halzle wasn?t heavily recruited out of junior college, but coaches are really confident in his ability.

Bold Prediction: I like Bradford to start, but Nichol has the most long-term potential and there could be a change or two at quarterback during the year.

Baylor

If this was boring old Baylor, we wouldn?t spend much time talking about them in this column. However, the spread offense got good reviews in Waco and finding a new triggerman is high on the priority list for head coach Guy Morriss. Morriss enters fall practice with Kent State transfer Michael Machen atop the depth chart, but he didn?t rule out someone else making a run for the starting spot. Machen has good size and a great arm, but the struggled at Kent State. Can you really put confidence in someone who struggled against weaker competition?

Bold Prediction: Machen is the Bears? best shot to win this year and he?ll start the season as the number one guy. Junior Ryan Roberts or sophomore Blake Szymanski could sneak back into the mix, but for now it appears to be the senior?s job to lose.

Florida State

It never seems to end for Bobby Bowden. The Seminoles have asked the question ? Drew Weatherford or Xavier Lee ? for the last two seasons and it will continue into a third when fall practice kicks off. It seems Lee outplays Weatherford in practice, but in scrimmages and games, Weatherford takes it up a notch. New offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher has worked hard to get both quarterbacks up to speed on his offense and it was virtually even after spring ball. With Weatherford?s knack of picking it up when the game arrives, look for him to win the starting job out of fall camp. As for Lee? It looks like another year of backup duty, but Fisher could work in a couple of packages to take advantage of his athleticism at quarterback.

Bold Prediction: Take Weatherford ? for now.

Clemson

That sound you hear is the fans gathering around Tommy Bowden ? the Tiger faithful aren?t happy. The team is too talented to be settling for midlevel bowl games?according to the fans. If they would take off their orange-tinted glasses for just a minute, they should?ve seen last year coming. Quarterback Will Proctor was horrible last year and it cost the team any chance at winning the ACC Atlantic. Things should be better in 2007. True freshman Willy Korn and Cullen Harper are locked into a tight battle for the starting spot, with Harper coming out of spring practice with a lead. Korn was a big time recruit at quarterback, so can Bowden keep him off the field?

Bold Prediction: Harper should start the year, but Korn is too good to keep off the field.

Miami

Welcome to Larry Coker?s world Randy Shannon. The new ?Canes head coach will have to deal with the same problem Coker did ? who should I start at quarterback. Kyle Wright or Kirby Freeman will get the call, but neither was great last season and the team is struggling along the offensive line and get consistent production from the receivers. Wright lost the starting job only due to injury last season and it?s probably a safe bet the coaching staff wants to see if he can find the progress he made during his 2005 season.

Bold Prediction: Robert Marve is the future of the ?Canes program, but will he redshirt this year? Tough call if the quarterback play doesn?t get better. Look for Wright to start the year out as the number one player at this position.

Cincinnati

It?s out with the power and in with the spread. New coach Brian Kelly is ramping up the offense in Cincinnati and scrapping the power run sets former coach Mark Dantonio had in place. Kelly is known as an offensive guru and his stamp was clearly on the Central Michigan team who won the MAC last year. Expect a lot of passes and shotgun looks, but does he have a triggerman? Wake Forest transfer Ben Mauk is in the mix, as well as Dustin Grutza. Mauk was a bust at Wake Forest and Grutza struggled moving the ball through the air in his first two years on campus.

Bold Prediction: I look for Mauk to win this job out, especially since this kind of attack fits his style better and he also played well in a similar system in high school.

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