USC, Auburn among college football teams to make Week 1 QB decisions

As we get closer and closer to the real Week 1 of the college football season, programs such as USC and Auburn have made big QB decisions.

Out west, the Trojans and Clay Helton have tabbed incumbent JT Daniels as the starter with true freshman Kedon Slovis beating out Jack Sears and Matt Fink for the backup job.

While it is no surprise that Daniels will take the first snap under center against Fresno State, the fact that Slovis beat out Sears and Fink is a big deal. The newcomer had no experience in the system before arriving, which could signal a move to the transfer portal for former top prospects Sears, a redshirt sophomore, and Fink, a redshirt junior.

Slovis was a four-star recruit and entered USC in the spring to gain some confidence. Sears threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns last season with Fink throwing for 46 and a score.

Daniels finished last year with 2,672 yards and 14 touchdowns, throwing 10 interceptions. He will be put to the test right off the bat as the Trojans play Stanford after opening with Fresno State, with games against BYU, Utah, Washington and Notre Dame following over the next four weeks.

True freshman Bo Nix has beat out his competition at Auburn to earn the start in the opener vs. Oregon, following in the footsteps of his father, former Tiger quarterback Pat Nix. Pat played for Auburn from 1992-95.

Arriving early in January, Nix was able to hold off redshirt freshman Joey Gatewood for the job. He set Alabama state records with over 12,000 total yards in high school and 161 combined touchdowns.

If Nix can get his feet wet against the Ducks, he will have games vs. Tulane and Kent State to prepare him for his first SEC game in late September on the road at Texas A&M.

Illinois has tabbed Michigan transfer Brandon Peters as the starter against Akron, as Peters beat out freshman Isaiah Williams, sophomore Matt Robinson and redshirt freshman Coran Taylor.

At Michigan, Peters played in 10 games and made four starts, throwing for 680 yards with four touchdowns. He had his best performance in the Outback Bowl in 2018, throwing for 186 yards vs. South Carolina.

The Fighting Illini have three non-conference games to open the season before hosting Nebraska in Big Ten play.

Like Illinois, West Virginia also went with a transfer from the Power 5 school, naming former Oklahoma quarterback Austin Kendall the starter vs. James Madison.

Kendall backed up Heisman winners and No. 1 overall NFL draft picks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray with the Sooners. He will have two years to play for the Mountaineers after taking a redshirt in 2017.

In two seasons, Kendall threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns, completing 28 of 39 passes without an interception.