On the "Andy and Ari Show" for On3 Sports, Andy Staples posed a timely trivia question to cohost Ari Wasserman.
"How many times in the past 20 seasons has a first-time, first-year starting quarterback won a national championship?"
Something good to know, given that it's a season of change around college football. At least a dozen teams in the AP Top 25 have a first-time starter at quarterback or a guy with limited experience. Texas, Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Georgia and Oregon all fall in that category.
"Is it two?" Wasserman asked, guessing low. Seat -of-the-pants logic would suggest it has to be a low number. Experience at quarterback is often cited as a title contention prerequisite, a big reason why Penn State and Clemson are among the favorites this preseason.
I blew @AriWasserman’s mind with a QB stat on today’s show.
— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) August 12, 2025
It should make Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon, Ohio State and Texas fans VERY happy. pic.twitter.com/RsejkeQTgm
Arch Manning has started two games at Texas. Ohio State's Julian Sayin has thrown 12 career passes. For the Wolverines, Bryce Underwood is a true freshman with one spring game under his belt. In Tuscaloosa new Tide starter Ty Simpson has thrown just 29 passes in three seasons.
At Oregon Dante Moore made five uneven starts for UCLA in 2023, but he's sat out a year to reclaim the promise he had as a five-star recruit out of Martin Luther King High School in Detroit.
Inquiring minds from all over the country want to know: Just how hard is it to win a title with an inexperienced starter?
Staples revealed that over the last 20 seasons, it's actually happened nine times, 10 if you count Tua Tagovailoa coming off the bench, 11 if you add Stetson Bennett of Georgia in 2021, coming off five starts in 2020, similar to Moore, who appeared in a total of nine games for the Bruins, 216 pass attempts, 1,610 yards, 11 touchdowns.
Quarterbacks who've won a national title in their first full year as a starter, per Andy Staples of On3, since 2005:
1. Mac Jones, Alabama
2. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
3. Jake Coker, Alabama
4. J.T. Barrett/Cardale Jones, Ohio State
5. Jameis Winston, Florida State
6. AJ McCarron, Alabama
7. Cam Newton, Auburn
8. Greg McElroy, Alabama
9. Matt Flynn, LSU
Dante Moore has a longer resume than several past national championship winners, even if it isn't free of blemish. The remaining question about him is how much he's learned from his mistakes, plus a year of reset and advanced quarterback training.
Even with a couple of setbacks in the wide receiver room, he has the supporting cast necessary for a very good season, beginning with a veteran offensive line, a sound running game and a good defense. If Moore's learned to reduce his mistakes, that's enough.