FORT WORTH, Texas (August 21, 2007) – The 2007 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award® (The O’Brien) Watch List features 35 of college football’s most talked about quarterbacks. The O’Brien is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field.

Erik Ainge, Tennessee, SR

John David Booty, USC, SR

Colt Brennan, Hawai'i', SR

Brian Brohm, Louisville, SR

Shaun Carney, Air Force, SR

Rudy Carpenter, Arizona State, JR

Chase Clement, Rice, JR

Chase Daniel, Missouri, JR

Nate Davis, Ball State, SO

Dennis Dixon, Oregon, SR

Julian Edelman, Kent State, JR

Caleb Hanie, Colorado State, SR

Martin Hankins, Memphis, SR

Graham Harrell, Texas Tech, JR

Omar Haugabook, Troy, SR

Chad Henne, Michigan, SR

Rocky Hinds, UNLV, JR

Chase Holbrook, New Mexico State, JR

Brian Johnson, Utah, JR

Kinsmon Lancaster, UL-Monroe, JR

Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan, SO

Corey Leonard, Arkansas State, SO

Nate Longshore, California, JR

Colt McCoy, Texas, SO

Anthony Morelli, Penn State, SR

Curtis Painter, Purdue, JR

Matt Ryan, Boston College, SR

Jameel Sewell, Virginia, SO

Riley Skinner, Wake Forest, SO

Paul Smith, Tulsa, SR

Matthew Stafford, Georgia, SO

Karsten Sweet, Wyoming, SO

Pat White, West Virginia, JR

Justin Willis, SMU, SO

Andre Woodson, Kentucky, SR

The Watch List is based on All-America teams and Honorable Mentions published at least six different preseason college football magazines. A candidate must be listed as an All-America quarterback or as a 1st or 2nd team All-American within his conference in at least one publication, or as Honorable Mention in at least three publications.

The O’Brien requires Selection Committee members to consider the character and leadership qualities of each candidate, in addition to athletic prowess when voting.

“Along with athletic ability, The O’Brien winner must exhibit the same character and moral fiber that Davey O’Brien displayed throughout his life,” Davey O’Brien Foundation executive director Danielle Moorman said. “We challenge Watch List candidates to live up to this fundamental aspect of our award while leading their teams into competition.”

The winner will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN Dec. 6, 2007. The recipient will be honored Feb. 18, 2008, at the annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

About The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award®

The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award® (The O’Brien) honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O’Brien helps to instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation provides scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.com.

Most Returning Starters

20: UCLA

19: Virginia, Utah State

18: Vanderbilt, Purdue, New Mexico, Colorado State, Buffalo, Florida Atlantic

17: South Carolina, Illinois, Arizona, UCF, New Mexico State, Louisiana-Monroe

Just Missed The Cut (16): Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Miami, Northwestern, Indiana, Duke, Boston College, USC, Oregon State, Stanford, USF, Cincinnati, Utah, Memphis, Louisiana Tech, Toledo, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State 

Fewest Returning Starters

10: Michigan, Texas Tech, Tulsa, Navy

9: North Carolina, Notre Dame

8: Florida, UAB

Just Missed The Cut (11): Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio State, Baylor, Nebraska, Iowa State, Boise State, Fresno State, Ohio

Thoughts:

One of several easy-to-spot factors Phil Steele analyzes is returning starters.  Teams with a great many returning starters tend to improve upon their win total from the previous season.  USC is the only BCS team from last year to make that list.  When we look at teams with the fewest returning starters, both BCS Championship Game participants are here in Florida and Ohio State.  Much like Super Bowl teams, I guess we can see that top college football teams can be gutted after a title run.  Overall on that list, we have five of last year's ten BCS participants.

I realize the trend is for teams without many returning starters to suffer, I hunch we'll see some improvement from that group.  Keep in mind Ohio State had but nine returning starters last year and only went on to hold the number one ranking the entire season until the title game defeat against Florida.  Good programs stay good for a reason as they can combine high expectations with good coaching and loaded rosters ready to replace departed stars.  Having a guy like Troy Smith coming back among those nine returners tends to help as well.

***
Previously:

The Turnaround Secret for 2006 

and quotes from the weekend's Trojan football action.

First up, The Insiders doesn't have a lot

of positive things to say about CSU's performance, but they do make a nice appraisal of Justin Holland's afternoon:

Perhaps nothing epitomized the game more than the look on Ram's quarterback, Justin Holland's face late in the game. The poor guy looked as if

the game could not end soon enough and to make matters worse, even when SC put in their second and third string defensive line, there was no relief in sight.

As I watched the game and looked at Holland's face after he got smashed by Manuel Wright, it was as if he asked �where did this truck come

from�.

[from TheInsiders.com]

winning streak to 16 games for the first time since winning 19 straight from 1931-33.

The Trojans' young receivers still showed signs of inexperience, but the BIG NEWS was the young OFFENSIVE LINE coming together to create gaping, fat holes

for LenDale White and Reggie Bush. Many thought it could take four games minimum for them to really show something, but 322 team rushing yards, the most

since 1990, clearly shows one of the BIGGEST questions has been undertaken by a group of freshman of which LenDale White says, "They proved they are a good

one--one of the best in the nation."

href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/football/la-sp-uscrep7sep07,1,5535259.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-coll_footb">is reporting that safety

Scott Ware could get his first action as a Trojan starter on Saturday. With Darnell Bing nursing an ailing shoulder, Ware may step in at free safety, with

Jason Leach being moved to strong.

Ware commented on having his first game-time experience coming as a starter:

"Experience is always better � but I did get to kind of step back and watch for a while, which I'm sure was good," he said. "I'm

ready."

[from the

href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/football/la-sp-uscrep7sep07,1,5535259.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-coll_footb">L.A. Times]

Date

Opponent

Location

TV

Time (PT)

8/28/04

Virginia Tech

Landover, MD

ESPN

4:30PM

9/11/04

Colorado State

L.A. Coliseum

ABC

5:00PM

9/18/04

BYU

(Lovely) Provo, UT

ESPN

7:00PM

9/25/04

Stanford

Palo Alto, CA

TBS

4:00PM

10/09/04

Cal

L.A. Coliseum

ABC

TBA

10/16/04

Arizona State

L.A. Coliseum

ABC

TBA

10/23/04

Washington

L.A. Coliseum

FSN

TBA

10/30/04

Washington State

Pullman, WA

ABC

4:00PM

11/06/04

Oregon State

Corvallis, OR

FSN

7:00PM

11/13/04

Arizona

L.A. Coliseum

FSN

7:15PM

11/27/04

Notre Dame

L.A. Coliseum

ABC

5:00PM

12/04/04

UCLA

Pasadena, CA

ABC

1:30PM