A quarterback controversy, and the overwhelming speculation and fan interest that comes with it, awaits all four of last year's College Football Playoff qualifiers: Ohio State, Florida State, Alabama and Oregon. New head coaches dot all five power conferences, and some of the most talented NFL draft prospects in the game will try to rebound from season-ending injuries in 2015.
College Football 24/7 takes a look at the storylines that will dominate fall camps, which open this week around the country:
Quarterback battles
The best: Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett will vie for the Ohio State job after each had an impressive impact on last year's national championship season. They bring two different styles to a diverse offense that can adjust to and emphasize the strengths of either. Last week, coach Urban Meyer suggested the battle might not have a loser, saying at Big Ten Media Days that both could play.
The next: Everett Golson's move from Notre Dame to Florida State was the most notable transfer of the offseason, and as a graduate transfer, Golson doesn't have to sit out a season. With a reputation for both big plays and turnovers following him to FSU, Golson steps into a big pair of cleats vacated by Tampa Bay Buccaneersfirst-round pickJameis Winston. His primary competition: junior Sean Maguire.
The rest:If hype and expectations were enough to win the quarterback job at Oregon, former FCS star Vernon Adams would already have the gig. Jeff Lockie won't concede one of college football's most high-profile positions quite that easily. Alabama (Jacob Coker vs. David Cornwell), Georgia (Brice Ramsey vs. Greyson Lambert), Oklahoma (Baker Mayfield vs. Trevor Knight) will all have quarterback questions to answer as well. Sign of the times? Five of six quarterback battles listed here include a transfer: Golson (Notre Dame), Adams (Eastern Washington), Coker (FSU), Lambert (Virginia) and Mayfield (Texas Tech).
New coaches
The best:Nobody made a bigger splash than Michigan in landing one of the Wolverines' favorite sons in Jim Harbaugh. His success at Stanford is a better tell of what is to come at UM than his unsuccessful finish and awkward exit from the San Francisco 49ers. He has more than a one-year turnaround on his hands, but in an East Division that is light on challengers to Ohio State and Michigan State, Harbaugh could have the third-best team in the East in his first season.
The next:Watching Jim McElwain evolve from an offensive coordinator to a turnaround engineer at Colorado State to an SEC head coach has taken only three years. Can he turn UF around as fast as he did CSU? Doubtful. But his first year will tell a lot about how long the journey will be.
The rest:Three other new hires will be interesting to follow in year one: Paul Chryst at Wisconsin, Pat Narduzzi at Pittsburgh and Mike Riley at Nebraska. Narduzzi will face the most reasonable expectations of all listed here, but he also inherits a program that has been perpetually dismal with 27 losses in the last four years, and 39 in the last seven.
Injury rebounds
The best:There might not be a more inspiring comeback story in the country this year than BYU quarterback Taysom Hill's. He's spent about 10 months rehabbing a horrific injury suffered against Utah State, in which he not only fractured his leg, but tore knee ligaments as well. He had BYU at 4-0 entering the Utah State game and had posted numbers worthy of Heisman Trophy consideration before the injury. If Hill returns to 2014 form, the Cougars will be very dangerous.
The next:Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell is back to bury the memory of a broken leg that marked the turning point for the Rebels' 2014 season. All indications are that the gifted junior, who lacks blazing speed but overwhelms cornerbacks with his size and physical style, will open camp ready to go full speed.
The rest:Utah State QB Chuckie Keeton, Clemson QB Deshaun Watson, Auburn DE Carl Lawson, Oregon WR Bralon Addison and Virginia Tech CB Brandon Facyson, all prolific talents, will look to show pro scouts that they are fully recovered and as effective as ever.
Coordinator campfires
Here is a look at one coordinator in each of the Power Five conferences that will be worth watching in the preseason:
1. Pac-12: From purely a pro potential standpoint, Cal offensive coordinator Tony Franklin might have the best quarterback prospect in the country on his hands in Jared Goff. With the pressure of 18 losses over the last two seasons, how does Franklin exploit Goff's prolific talent without overexposing him to pass rushers that don't fear Cal's meager running game?
2. SEC: New Texas A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis is the best in the business, but he takes over a swiss-cheese Aggies defense that could be two years away from a Chavis-worthy stamp.
3. Big 12: Lincoln Riley brings his pass-happy attack from East Carolina to an Oklahoma offense that is at its best with a power rusher, Samaje Perine, playing downhill football.
4. ACC: After last year's Louisville defense placed half a dozen starters in the NFL draft, how does Todd Grantham pick up the pieces?
5. Big Ten: Wisconsin fans have come to expect dominant rushing attacks. New offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph, who came with Chryst from Pittsburgh, should oblige. Last year, Rudolph rode James Conner for 1,765 yards and an ACC-record 26 rushing touchdowns.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
