Two years ago, USC was limping through its first three games at 1-2. The incumbent, Max Browne, wasn’t terrible throwing for 474 yards while connecting on 63.2 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Trojans opted to bench Browne for the redshirt freshman Sam Darnold and, after losing the next game, USC reeled off nine-straight wins to end the year, culminating in a 52-49 Rose Bowl win over Penn State.
You can find these situations across the country. It was most prominent during last season’s national championship game when Nick Saban benched Jalen Hurts, who had led Alabama to within a half of winning the title, for Tua Tagovailoa.