They say it over and over. The game is all about the quarterback.
Those who have experience at the most important position on the field, college football coaches insist, win big games.
Unless, apparently, you’re a blue blood program.
So while you stare at the first US LBM Coaches Poll of the 2025 college football season, don’t ignore the glaring reality staring back.
Five of the top eight teams have first-time starters at the most important position on the field.
“The quarterback is critical to everything you do,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “There’s no getting around it.”
It is here where we introduced Texas, Ohio State, Georgia, Notre Dame, and Alabama. All among the top 10 in the Coaches Poll, and all preseason favorites to reach the College Football Playoff — and possibly much more.
All with first-time, full-time starters.
If you think the CFP selection committee has problems ranking teams, the 67 coaches shouldn’t get pass on criticism, either. There’s a whole lot of funky in the first Coaches Poll, beginning at the top with teams ranked on reputation.
Not their critical quarterback component.
The quarterbacks at those five blue bloods – teams with a combined 119-23 record over the last two seasons – have combined to throw 262 career passes.
Arch Manning of Texas has never started an SEC road game, and his only SEC start came last season against tomato can Mississippi State.
Gunner Stockton of Georgia has never started an SEC game.
CJ Carr of Notre Dame, Julian Sayin of Ohio State and Ty Simpson of Alabama have never started a game.
Think about this: college football coaches have essentially told you they believe in a group of quarterbacks who, on average, have 50 career throws each.
Maybe this isn’t the layup everyone thinks it is. Maybe we’re on the verge of a wild ride through the 2025 season, where the unknown unfolds into the unthinkable.
Especially considering there’s much more to this quarterback story than just first-time, full-time starters.
After back-to-back national titles in 2021-22, Georgia missed the CFP in 2023 and last year sustained an ugly loss in the quarterfinals — and suddenly looks vulnerable.
Ohio State is completely rebuilt on both sides of the ball (only nine starters return), and all Sayin has to do is defend a national title. And beat Michigan for the first time since 2019.
Simpson begins his fourth season at Alabama, a program that owned the four-team CFP under former coach Nick Saban — but couldn’t make the first 12-team field in 2024. Simpson is merely carrying that weight, OK?
Then there’s Carr, a talented redshirt freshman who was given the keys to a championship-level team after Irish coach Marcus Freeman declined to add an experienced quarterback from the transfer portal — and go all-in with the unknown.
“I feel like the experience from last year is invaluable,” Stockton said.
That “experience” consisted of the second half of the SEC championship game victory over Texas, and the CFP quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame.
Manning’s experience is a home game against the worst team in the SEC, and a home game against lightweight Louisiana-Monroe.
Simpson’s most extended time on the field was two years ago in a tight win over South Florida, when he replaced starter Tyler Buchner and was essentially the best of two bad options.
Carr and Sayin will take their first legitimate college football snaps in the season opener, both in monster non-conference games. Notre Dame plays at Miami, and Ohio State plays host to Texas.
“You want command of the offense,’ said Ohio State coach Ryan Day, who insists Sayin is still competing with junior Lincoln Kienholz – who has also never started a game – for the starting job. “When you stand in there as a quarterback, you want everyone to believe in you. You want them to follow your command.”
That’s all it takes?
This will be a cakewalk.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
