There was a sort of exodus at the QB position among top 1994 guys, but TCU back then was completely irrelevant. I may be subjective here, but you could see what Wuerffel did splitting time with Dean in '94, know Dean was gone, and what kind of offense Spurrier ran and come up with a healthy QB season at a top 10 program.
I don't think projecting Knake sold any more magazines, either. Meh, I guess I should've just been glad they didn't have FR Ron Powlus for ND their 1st-team AA before throwing a pass. Remember how Beano Cook had him winning 3 Heismans?
Challenge: Name one person, place, or thing more irrelevant than mid-90s Beano Cook.
So looking back, here’s the logic I see them trying to use. It’s not good logic, but it is what it is.
Knake was 12th nationally in yards, fifth in TDs, had a 24-7 TD-to-INT ratio. They’d just made their second bowl since the mid-60s and gone from 2 to 4 to 7 wins. So I’m guessing some wise guy said this could be different (maybe there was an updraft of TCU hype? No idea)
Now we go about knocking down the other three.
Danny: To this point, he’d twice split the job, and perhaps there was worry some new hot shot would split it again
Frazier: he’d played four games the year before and had like 60 yards in the bowl game. Only one Neb QB had been AA since a pro-style guy in the mid-70s. So perhaps the option put a cap on that, especially with an possible 2,000-yard tailback.
Manning: He’d just thrown back for 1,151 yards and 11 TDs in an offense the three team’s wife as much as much as it ran. Not that his hype wasn’t wasn't great, but I could see someone’s trying I be friends oy and not putting him there.
Anyway, I don’t know know what sold more magazines. Im guessing it was such a captive market, you could be weird just to do it and be fine.
