Note to the SEC’s championship hopefuls: Find your alpha dog QB

Spring football is here for some and on the horizon for everybody else, and after the Christmas morning-like vibe of Signing Day, hopes turn to the 2017 season. Everyone is undefeated now. But as those teams with a realistic shot at bringing home the CFP hardware start to assess the season, here’s one question they will have to answer.

Do you have your alpha dog under center?

Pro and college football each went through their own revolutions away from hero-driven offensive football to grinding, power and strength led marches. QBs didn’t have to be stars, just “game managers.” Think Baltimore Ravens with Joe Flacco. Think Alabama with a young A.J. McCarron. The coaches who designed these systems wanted to capitalize off brutal defenses, stout offensive lines and powerful backs. The quarterback was almost an afterthought. But things have changed.

How they have changed. Clemson had a fair share of star power in January, but seemed destined to fall short of Bama in the trenches. Sure, part of the upset was keyed by a rowdy group of Clemson linemen, but at the end of the day, the national championship was won by Deshaun Watson, the alpha dog QB. He was the best player on the field, he was in control of the most pivotal moments of the game and he would not be denied.

Early in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI, the Patriots’ hopes were deader than those of the Clemson Tigers had ever been. Bill Belichick, like Nick Saban, talks about a process and a system, and both guys clearly have made their living putting their money where their mouths are. But when push came to shove, how did New England get into, much less win, SB LI? With Tom Brady, the alpha dog QB. Did any victory drive ever feel as pre-destined as Brady’s overtime jaunt to end the game? Poor Matt Ryan lost the game when he lost the coin toss. Because you can’t give the alpha dog the last possession.

Now, one of the many ironies of the game is that the losers each sported their own pretty darn fine alpha dogs. Matt Ryan and Jalen Hurts were phenomenal football players, albeit in very different ways. But neither had played for all the marbles, and neither could grasp control of the game when it mattered. Blame some unusual play calling from the Falcons or the Tide. Blame inexperience, or blame poor execution. But Ryan and Hurts, while each was one of the best QBs in their sport, weren’t the alpha dogs in the title game.

So as the SEC’s hopefuls prepare to open 2017, they need to make sure they have their alpha dog. Bama? Sure, Hurts could well ricochet into a title off the stunning loss this past season. A year of answering the bell certainly won’t hurt his chances to exert his will over the 2017-18 national title picture. If you’re an Auburn fan, what are you thinking? Probably that Jarrett Stidham could be the answer. And why not? The Tigers found a one-and-done alpha dog QB not so long ago who led them to national title glory.

What about Georgia? Well, Jacob Eason’s stats were impressive for a freshman, but middle-of-the-pack overall. But it’s not always numbers. Witness Alabama’s McCarron, a slow-but-steady type who emerged as a clutch player and a somewhat unlikely alpha dog. Eason showed the right stuff in leading a comeback win at Missouri and a tie-breaking drive to win at Kentucky. How many true freshmen QBs lead last-minute drives to win two road games in their league? UGA has had a number of talented QBs (David Greene, Matthew Stafford, Aaron Murray, etc.), but never found the alpha dog. Eason could be the man for 2017.

So who is hurt by the alpha dog theory? Mainly LSU. Their recent struggles certainly support the theory. Leonard Fournette could have played out his career in a Superman cape, but with Brandon Harris and Danny Etling failing to set the world on fire, it didn’t carry the Tigers far. Could Etling be the man? Seems unlikely. Matt Canada, the new OC? Who knows? East contenders Florida and Tennessee are also trying to choose between serviceable, but very un-alpha-dog QBs like Luke Del Rio and Quentin Dormady or talented but risky youngsters like Feleipe Franks or Jarrett Guarantano. When the chips are down, that’s a precarious position.

But it’s all very early. Nobody would’ve thought Hurts would take over the helm at Alabama at this time a year ago. But as spring football rolls along, when the championship dreams come up, remember to ask if the QB can emerge as an alpha dog. From Baton Rouge to Gainesville, Lexington to College Station, this spring practice period is hunting season. Alpha dog hunting season.

Joe Cox

Joe Cox is a columnist for Saturday Down South. He has also written or assisted in writing five books, and his most recent, Almost Perfect (a study of baseball pitchers’ near-miss attempts at perfect games), is available on Amazon or at many local bookstores.