0Pre-Snap Read, a pretty good blog on college football, came out with its list of the top non-BCS quarterbacks coming back next year.
A couple of Sun Belt players -- Arkansas State's Ryan Aplin and Louisiana-Lafayette's Blaine Gautier -- made the cut.
UNT's Derek Thompson did not.
Here's the list: Top non-BCS QBs
I don't have a problem with that. It just further illustrates where the programs in the Sun Belt stand as we head into the dead time between bowl season and spring practice.
Thompson threw for 1,759 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, despite not having a star-studded batch of guys to throw the ball to. Brelan Chancellor and Chris Bynes are solid Sun Belt players. UNT's third-leading wide receiver Ivan Delgado was a walk-on last season.
UNT signed a couple of high school players in Roderick Lancaster and Nick Schrapps and has Chaz Sampson coming off a redshrit year.
I have a feeling that Sampson might be one of those under-the-radar additions who makes a difference next year.
Andrew Power is also back at tight end.
The question is will Thompson have enough around him in the passing game to elevate him to elite status in the Sun Belt with Aplin and Gautier?
Maybe.
UNT had better hope the answer is yes, because it just lost the basis for its entire offense in Lance Dunbar to graduation.
One other aspect of the list that is interesting -- Aplin and Gautier are seniors next year. Thompson still has two years left.
It's just another reason to think that UNT's window of opportunity to end the Macaulay Culkin era (being left home for the holidays/bowl season) might be in 2013. Thompson will be a senior that year and UNT won't be lined up to play LSU, Kansas State and Houston (three teams that on paper should drill UNT) on the road like it is next year
Don't sleep on Houston just because Case Keenum is gone. David Piland threw for 2,641 yards and 24 touchdowns as a true freshman while Keenum sat out with a knee injury. Piland redshirted last season and should start for Houston next year.
Piland made Pre-Snap Read's list of top non-BCS QBs as well
In a side note, I am still waiting for all those people who screamed at me that there was no way UNT was going to go to Houston next year to acknowledge that, well, UNT is going to Houston next year.
And finally, it was a tough break for Brian Waters last night in the Super Bowl. The former UNT standout finally gets there with the Patriots, who couldn't quite get it done against the Giants.
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Aplin is clearly the class of the QB's in the Sun Belt, but Gautier really isn't terribly impressive. I think you will see Thompson pass Gautier this year.