Complete Week Six Player Rankings & Projections l More Sit & Starts
Last Week's Quarterback Starts (points in parentheses):
Dan Persa (31), Cameron Newton (24), Denard Robinson (62), Ben Chappell (36), Nathan Enderle (29), Alex Carder (11), Kyle Padron (34), G.J. Kinne (29)
Grade: A. The starts averaged 31 points and the only blemish was Carder.
Last Week's Quarterback Sits:
Jake Locker (29), Darron Thomas (40), Landry Jones (18), Russell Wilson (29), Diondre Borel (25), Trevor Vittatoe (30), Dominique Davis (9), Ricky Dobbs (4)
Grade: F. Ouch. The sits averaged 23 points and it is safe to say I missed the mark. Trust me, this does not usually happen.
For Week 6 and beyond I am just going to go ahead and say the obvious: you can pretty much always start Cameron Newton, Denard Robinson, Colin Kaepernick, Bryant Moniz, and Russell Wilson. With that being said, there are still plenty of good option out there. Baylor versus Texas Tech should be a quarterback shootout, the Sun Belt should have some productive quarterbacks this weekend, and you will want to steer clear of triple option quarterbacks.
Start Em!
BCS-Only
1. Taylor Potts, Texas Tech vs. Baylor
Potts roasted Iowa State last week (despite the loss) and against Baylor he should see a lot of the same success. The Baylor defense is pretty porous but since they will keep up with the Red Raiders on the scoreboard, Potts will be slinging it until the clock shows double zeros.
2. Robert Griffin, Baylor vs. Texas Tech
20-of-28 passing, 190 yards, four touchdowns. No, that is not a prediction for Griffin. Those are the passing numbers that Iowa State put up against the Red Raiders and you can expect Griffin to exceed the yardage and possibly match the touchdowns while also torching the defense on the ground. This game will be full of fireworks and a good portion of the explosions will come from Griffin.
3. Kirk Cousins, Michigan State vs. Michigan
Michigan cannot stop anyone especially through the air. Add in the fact that this is a hotly-contested rivalry game between two unbeatens and you have a recipe for Cousins tossing around 400 yards and at least three touchdowns.
4. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas vs. Texas A&M
As long as the offensive line can keep defensive end Von Miller from harassing him, Mallett should surgically piece apart the Aggies' secondary.
All-120
1. Ryan Aplin, Arkansas State vs. North Texas
Aplin is a name not many people are mentioning but that all changes this weekend against the Mean Green. Aplin has been averaging 281 passing yards per game and just over 300 yards per game against conference foes. Aplin can also hurt opponents on the ground as witnessed by his 75 and 89 yards rushing against Louisiana-Lafayette and Troy, respectively.
2. Kyle Padron, SMU vs. Tulsa
Padron played lights out after the game against TCU, and that streak continues when the Mustangs face the Golden Hurricane. Tulsa made some changes on defense against Memphis, and it seemed to work but they will find their defensive success to be short-lived when they face Padron.
3. Diondre Borel, Utah State vs. Louisiana Tech
Borel played well against BYU and will find plenty of success against the soft defense of the Bulldogs. Expect Borel to get some yardage on the ground too as the Bulldogs have had trouble with athletic quarterbacks this season.
4. Ryan Lindley, San Diego State vs. BYU
SDSU is hot and BYU is reeling. Expect Brady Hoke and the Aztecs to take advantage of BYU firing their defensive coordinator and step on the gas from start to finish. BYU will play hard but will have no answer for Vincent Brown and DeMarco Sampson as Lindley will torch the secondary on play-action passes all night.
Sit Em! Quarterbacks
BCS Only
1. Josh Nesbitt, Georgia Tech vs. Virginia
The Cavaliers held Virginia Military Institute to just seven points and they run the same offense as Georgia Tech. Now I know that Georgia Tech is not VMI, but the Cavs have seen the offense and will be ready when Nesbitt comes to town. Look for Virginia to make Nesbitt beat them with his arm, which he will be unable to do to date.
2. Austen Arnaud, Iowa State vs. Utah
Utah's defense has been giving up just under 13 points per game this season and while the Cyclones will probably go over 13 points, Arnaud will be bottled up. Arnaud is not a polished passer and if he is forced to make things happen through the air, he makes too many mistakes.
3. Jake Locker, Washington vs. Arizona State
I predicted Locker would struggle against USC which was wrong but I go out on another limb and say that the Sun Devils will give the golden boy fits this weekend. Vontez Burfict will keep Locker from scrambling which will make things harder for Locker in the passing game. I think the Sun Devils will be playing with some emotion coming off close losses to Oregon State and Wisconsin.
4. Stephen Garcia, South Carolina vs. Alabama
Step 1: Bottle up Marcus Lattimore. Step 2: Double team Alshon Jeffery. Step 3: Watch Garcia implode.
All-120
1. Zac Dysert, Miami (OH) vs. Cincinnati
Dysert been struggling this year and while he has put up some decent numbers against MAC competition, Cincinnati is not a MAC team and will be looking to put the hurt on another Ohio program. Cincy will get the score up fast and will force Dysert into mistakes as he wings it to try to catch up.
2. Ricky Dobbs, Navy vs. Wake Forest
Wake Forest just played Georgia Tech and will see a lesser version in the Middies. Navy will move the ball but expect the Deacs to key on Dobbs and take him out of the game.
3. Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois vs. Temple
Harnish has been playing really well lately but will come up against a very stingy Temple defense and will have a tough time. Temple features playmakers on every level of the defense and you can expect Harnish to sputter a bit against the Owls.
4. Ross Jenkins, Louisiana Tech vs. Utah State
The Bulldog offense has a ways to go and while Jenkins had a good outing against Hawaii, Utah State will be a tougher challenge defensively. The Aggies' are coached by the defensive minded Gary Andersen and frustrated Jake Heaps and BYU, so they should see similar success against Jenkins and Louisiana Tech. If that is not reason enough to bench Jenkins, consider that he has not been named the starter yet.