For more than a half-century, nearly every one of college football's national champions had one key ingredient in common: consistency at quarterback from start to finish.
"Those guys have the ball in their hands on every snap," former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer said. "In today's game, they're 90 percent of the offense. With the quarterbacks throwing the football and running it as much as they do, they're the most important player on the field. That's why they get to win the Heisman."
Whether it was Texas' Vince Young, Auburn's Cam Newton or Florida's Tim Tebow, national title-winning teams typically had the same voice in the huddle from season's beginning to end.