The Top 10 QBs You Aren't Talking About.

[The Ancient Enemy]

We all know the score. The kids in the big programs are the ones who get all the love, all the Heisman talk, all the overblown draft hype. But there are quite a few stories in this, the 2008 edition of college football, that are worth telling. Listen: I'm not here to be a music geek who beats you down with underground bands that no one has ever heard of. I'm just here to make you look like a genius when a few of these kids get drafted in April. And, some of them will. Maybe you'll even meet some gorgeous brunette who thinks she's the smartest college football fan in the world... until she meets you. You'll thank me for this when one of these kids becomes the best player in NFL history.

Maybe that's a stretch.

Here are the top 10 quarterbacks that you have not heard enough about. Did I say 10? I meant 14.

ADAM DIMICHELE: (Sr, Temple, 6'1" 202) The poor man's Drew Henson? Maybe. But DiMichele has a better arm. This former Penn State signee decided to forego his football dreams in order to pursue his baseball ones. DiMichele was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, decided things were maybe not working out as well as he had hoped, and settled into the starting job for the Owls. In 2007, DiMichele had an admirable 61.9% completion percentage, threw for 1,600 yards and 12 TD's. He is coming off a season-ending injury but is back and is ready to challenge last year's uncharacteristic 4-win total.

BRIAN JOHNSON: (Sr. Utah, 6'1" 205) This Baytown, TX native was recruited to Utah by the then-rising Urban Meyer. Johnson is a 4-year starter, but those 4 years were loaded with injuries, including a season where he suffered an ACL tear. In 2008, he is back and healthy from shoulder surgery. Last season, Johnson threw for 1,850 yards but is as interception-prone as he is injury-prone. This year, Johnson looks to lead a senior-heavy offense with a chip on their shoulder. They'll upset BYU to win the Mountain West.

NATE DAVIS: (Jr, Ball State, 6'2" 217) Davis isn't as under-the-radar as he was 6 months ago. Most college football hipsters are hip to this MAC gem, and he might even be the best quarterback in that conference. His stats are hard to ignore, and Mel Kiper hasn't ignored them, either. In 2007, this second-team all-conference QB threw for a school record 3,667 yards with a remarkable 30 TD to 6 INT ratio. He doesn't do it alone. Brady Hoke is easily one of the nation's most under-respected coaches, and Davis has a slew of great receivers. But that is not to downplay his hype, because this kid is the real deal.

DREW WILLY: (Sr, Buffalo, 6'3" 209) Are we seeing a pattern yet with these MAC quarterbacks? Willy is maybe the most underrated out of all the MAC QB's I have on this list. This 4-yr starter was not recruited by Turner Gill, but he has mastered the offense under his mentor. In 2007, Willy set the school record for completions in a single game (34) and when he leaves Buffalo he will be the best quarterback to ever play at the university. His numbers from last season echo that sentiment. Willy threw for 2,572 yards, with a TD/INT ratio of 15 to 6. The reason for that is his decision-making ability: Willy's completion percentage was 68.4%. With 10 starters back on offense, there might be a MAC title rush in the making.

CHASE HOLBROOK: (Sr, New Mexico St, 6'5" 246) Hal Mumme says this kid has NFL potential, and his size surely proves it. When Mumme left SE Louisiana to take over at New Mexico State, he brought Holbrook with him. The results haven't disappointed the veteran coach. Last season, Holbrook threw for 3,866 yards, 26 TDs, 18 INTs, and carried a 70% completion percentage. Ya know, Las Cruces in Spanish means "The Crosses", and there apparently is not enough crosses, because the only thing that is going to change this team's 47-year bowl drought is a lot of praying. Poor kid... if only that defense could play some football.

ZAC ROBINSON: (Jr, Oklahoma St, 6'3" 205) This kid is maybe the most underrated quarterback in the entire nation. In 2007, Robinson's season was brilliant. This dual-threat QB broke the school record for total offense with 3,671 yards. Of those, 847 were on the ground. Through the air: 23 TDs and 9 INTs. Only Heisman winner Tim Tebow surpassed Robinson in total offense for a dual quarterback. One of the preseason magazines stated that there was never a team in college football history as balanced as Oklahoma State in 2007. And still, this kid is creeping around unseen. He won't be unseen in 2008. But can anyone stop him?

TJ Yates: (So, North Carolina, 6'3" 210) TJ Yates is a kid with one year of experience that you need to keep an eye on. This season's UNC team should make an honest attempt at winning the ACC. They'll do it because of Yates. He has possibly the best WR corps in the nation at his disposal. Last year, Yates set the school single-season record with 2,655 yards. He had 14 TDs and 18 INTs, but that stat is misleading. All season, Yates was suffering from a shoulder injury that got worse and worse as the year bore on. Coming off shoulder surgery, Yates is back and ready to pick up where he left off, before he tailspinned.

WILLIE TUITAMA: (Sr, Arizona, 6'3" 220) Many are predicting the Wildcats to bust a move toward the upper-half of the Pac-10 this season. That will happen on the strong arm of Tuitama, who returns a very underrated cast of receivers, including Rob Gronkowski, a sophomore, who is already one of the best TE's in college football. After a few years of injuries, Tuitama was finally healthy in 2007. With a 62.4% completion rate, he tallied 3,683 yards, with a ratio of 28 TDs and 12 picks. In his second year in this offense, Tuitama should once again lead the Pac-10 in TD passes as he did in '07.

HUNTER CANTWELL: (Sr, Louisville, 6'4" 236) Maybe this is another kid like Nate Davis who is already too much of a "known" QB to be on this list. Cantwell's physical stats have been making NFL scouts drool for years, and he's high on Mel Kiper's list. Cantwell is a 5th year senior who sat very patiently behind a few great college QBs at Louisville. But despite his immense arm strength, this season has the potential to be a living hell for Cantwell. Louisville has all new WRs, a new offensive coordinator, a new RB, and they are coming off a less-than-memorable season. Hopefully Cantwell will keep his focus... on the light at the end of this 2008 tunnel.

DONOVAN PORTERIE: (Jr, New Mexico, 6'3" 206) Porterie is an obscurity even amongst a lot of college football snobs. Porterie has a nice little set of credentials to his name. In 2007, he led the Lobos to their first bowl victory since 1961. He has a 12-6 record as a starter, which is pretty solid considering. He was the first 3,000 yard passer at New Mexico since 1994. He squeaked over it, but he still got it... 3,006 yards. He had a 58% completion percentage, with 15 TDs and 9 INTs. The New Mexico offense should reach those numbers again in 2008, and then some. Porterie has an excellent group of WRs returning, and he has that thing that makes people feel safe: strong decision-making.

TREVOR VITTATOE: (So, UTEP, 6'2" 215) There's plenty of folks out there in TV land who are talking about how Mike Price is on the hot seat and that the coach is backpeddling in El Paso. That very well might be true. The Miners have certainly led people to believe as much, by starting well and ending badly. Things might look a little brighter in 2008, though, and a large part of that is Vittatoe, a kid who is definitely amongst the top underrated talents nationally. Vittatoe has a huge arm, and in 2007 he tallied 3,101 passing yards with an amazing 25-7 TD to INT ratio. The new WR corps in El Paso should not hurt this kid one bit.

CHASE CLEMENT: (Sr, Rice, 6'1" 208) Another kid who won't be sneaking up on anyone in 2008 is Chase Clement. In 2007, Clement snapped 18 school records as a quarterback. Even as the team's leading rusher, Clement still managed to throw for 3,377 yards. He had a 59.1% completion rate with 29 TDs and 16 INTs. He has obviously benefited from WR Jarrett Dillard, a kid on every BCS coach's fantasy team. Dillard and Clement are only 6 TDs behind the NCAA record for a pass-catching tandem. Think they'll break it in '08? It's a matter of how many quarters.

COLIN KAEPERNICK: (So, Nevada, 6'6" 215) Take a look at this kid's height and weight and then figure that he is in danger of losing his starting spot. It doesn't even make any rational sense. But that's the situation for Chris Auld's Wolfpack. Nevada has 2 QBs who could be starters on quite a lot of other teams. We'll focus on Kaepernick instead of Graziano, because he looks to be the starter. But make no mistake, Graziano would be on this list. Kaepernick has great speed for his size, is a constantly maturing QB, was freshman of the year in the WAC, and leads this year's WAC darkhorse. Last season, he threw for 2,175 yards, had a 53.8% completion percentage, and a jaw-dropping 19-3 TD to INT ratio. What else? He had 717 yards as a runner!

TYLER SHEEHAN: (Jr, Bowling Green, 6'4" 225) Another top-notch MAC QB is Tyler Sheehan. Last season, Sheehan's Falcons averaged 30.2 points per game and 402 yards of offense. He had a 63.7% percentage ratio, threw for an immense 3,264 yards and 23 TDs. In 2008, Bowling Green returns a great WR corps that will only make those numbers go even higher... if that line gets better. The offensive line in 2007 was abyssmal. Still, Sheehan will the lead the charge as Bowling Green scares the hell out of Pittsburgh and Minnesota.

For me, it's the under-card that makes college football so special.