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The SEC is perceived as the benchmark in college football. The league has won eight of the past 10 national championships. Its produced 47 first-round picks over the last five years, nearly twice as many as any other conference. And yet, when it comes to quarterbacks, the SEC has fallen behind the curve.Of those 47 first-round picks, guess how many were quarterbacks? One. Johnny Manziel was the lone SEC signal caller to be taken in the first round since 2011. In that same time period, the Big 12 and Pac-12 each have had three chosen in the first round.Cam Newton, last years NFL MVP, is an obvious success story. And Matthew Stafford has carved out a solid career. But for every Newton and Stafford, there seem to be more who havent translated to the next level.Why hasnt the SEC produced more elite quarterbacks?Im not sure, Florida coach Jim McElwain said. I know those two you mentioned [Newton and Stafford] - theyre pretty damn good.But that doesnt really answer the question. And this year, outside of a couple spots, there is more uncertainty at the position than ever.When ESPN ranked the top 100 players in the country earlier this month, only two SEC quarterbacks -- Chad Kelly and Joshua Dobbs -- made the cut. And neither Kelly nor Dobbs made Mel Kiper Jr.s most recent Big Board or Todd McShays Way-too-early 2017 NFL Mock Draft.It was also telling that there were only three quarterbacks - Kelly, Dobbs and Texas A&Ms Trevor Knight - at this years SEC media days. Compare that to 2013 when nine quarterbacks attended the leagues media days.Again, where are the elite quarterbacks in the SEC?Thats a great question, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. Im really not for sure.Good is good enoughDo SEC teams really need elite quarterbacks to succeed? Alabama has won four of the last seven national championships, and not of one those title teams had a quarterback that was taken in the first three rounds of the NFL draft.Nick Saban has found a way to win without a star under center.The quarterback is not the centerpiece of the offense, former Alabama signal caller Greg McElroy said. The quarterback is a facilitator. And thats not to water down what the quarterbacks job is. The quarterbacks job is to make every other one of the 10 guys on the field with him better. That is the job of the Alabama quarterback.A lot of people say, They dont put up numbers. Anybody can play there. Thats not really true because some people dont maximize the talent of the people around them.The other key stat that stands out about all three of Alabamas championship-winning quarterbacks is the amount of interceptions they threw. McElroy threw only four in 2009. A.J. McCarron threw five in 2011 and just three the next year in 2012. Jake Coker threw eight last year, but he only threw one in the teams final seven games.SEC quarterbacks might not always have the perfect builds or the strongest arms. But on almost every one of the leagues best teams over the years, there was a Connor Shaw or an Aaron Murray or a James Franklin who knew how to take care of the football.If every drive ends in a kick then you have a real chance in winning the game, McElroy said. Whether that be a punt, an extra point or a field goal, as long as the other team has to go the length of the field, then you have a chance.The game is changingIs Nick Marshall an elite quarterback? In terms of NFL ability, he wasnt even close. He went undrafted, and eventually made the Jacksonville Jaguars as a cornerback.But ask any SEC coach, and hell sing a different tune. Thats because most of those coaches were shredded by Marshall and the Auburn offense. He could beat you with his arm. He could beat with you his legs. And when the play broke down and you thought you had him, thats when he was at his best.Sometimes, thats exactly what SEC teams need at the quarterback position.I know that week in and week out in this league, youre going to play against the best defenses, the best defensive lines, Malzahn said. In this league, things break down probably more than other leagues, maybe more than all [other leagues] combined. And youve got to have a guy that can make plays on his own when things break down and protect the football.Look around the SEC. How many true pocket-passers are there? Every team is looking for more of a dual-threat quarterback. Kelly and Dobbs, the leagues top two players at the position, can both make plays with their feet. Brandon Harris has that ability at LSU. And so do all three of the quarterbacks competing at Auburn. Even Alabama is giving a hard look at true freshman Jalen HurtsThe only problem is that dual-threat quarterbacks dont always translate to the NFL level, at least not yet. Jared Goff and Carson Wentz werent taken No. 1 and No. 2 in Aprils NFL draft because of their ability to run. They were taken because theyre 6-foot-4 or taller and they can make just about every throw on the field.Regional differencesWhere do the SEC quarterbacks from? Kelly hails from New York. Jacob Eason, the freshman phenom who is competing for the starting job at Georgia, arrived in January from the state of Washington. And the three quarterbacks in the mix at Alabama - Hurts, Cooper Bateman and Blake Barnett - come from Texas, Utah and California, respectively.Now thats not true of every school in the conference, but more times than not, teams have to go outside their region to grab a quarterback.Just look at the numbers. Since ESPN expanded its recruiting rankings to 300, there have been 120 quarterbacks ranked in the ESPN 300. Of those 120, only 38 played high school football in the Southeast.Of the 38 from the Southeast ranked in the ESPN 300, 20 were pocket-passers. California alone has had 18 pocket-passers ranked in the ESPN 300 since 2013.Some of that goes back to style of play. In the Southeast, more so than anywhere else, high school coaches tend to take the best athlete on the team and make him the quarterback. Its why ESPN scouts had to create the athlete position when it came to evaluating recruits. But in almost every case, these quarterbacks end up playing a different position at the college level.So while the Southeast might have the best overall athletes of any region, other states like California and Texas typically produce the best quarterbacks.What does the future hold?At first glance, it doesnt look good. The QB play across the SEC has been trending in the wrong direction for a couple years now, and this years crop of quarterback doesnt elicit much confidence that its going to be any different in 2016.It also doesnt help that a handful of the SECs promising young quarterbacks transferred out of the league this offseason. Texas A&M alone lost two former ESPN 300 signal callers in Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray. And Florida (Will Grier), Kentucky (Patrick Towles) and South Carolina (Connor Mitch) all saw former four-star recruits leave the school as well.But lets not forget that Alabama won a national championship just last year with a transfer (Coker) at quarterback. Plus, both Knight at Texas A&M and recently-named Florida starter Luke Del Rio transferred in from other schools.Incoming transfers arent going to change the narrative, though. If anything, it highlights that SEC havent been able to develop elite quarterbacks.The conferences best hope might be in the form of two freshmen - Eason at Georgia and Shea Patterson at Ole Miss. Both were highly sought after coming out of high school, and both have shown abilities that could translate to the NFL. Its still way too early to say for sure, but theres potential there. And maybe that means theres potential for the SEC.Colin Kaepernick Jersey .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. Cheap 49ers Jerseys Authentic . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. http://www.cheap49ersjerseysauthentic.com/ . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. Patrick Willis Jersey . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. Cheap 49ers Jerseys China . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals.MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- A marquee matchup turned into a lopsided win for Oklahoma, and the Sooners now only have rival Oklahoma State in the way of back-to-back Big 12 titles.Those playoffs hopes? Still a long shot for Oklahoma.Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores and No. 9 Oklahoma scored four times off turnovers to beat No. 14 West Virginia 56-28 on Saturday night.In the first meeting of Top 10 teams in the Big 12 this season. Oklahoma (9-2, 8-0 Big 12, No. 8 AP) dominated from the start, building a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter before the Mountaineers tried a late comeback.It was really a good way to come out, really focused, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. Thats how you want to start an important game on the road.Now the Sooners have two weeks to prepare for the 13th-ranked Cowboys. The title will be decided in Norman on Dec. 3.It will be exciting to be on our field playing for a Big 12 championship, Stoops said. Its as good as it gets.West Virginia (8-2, 5-2, No. 10 AP) was eliminated from the conference race. The Mountaineers entered the game with the leagues top scoring defense but had too many weapons to cover and made far too many miscues.Samaje Perine ran for 160 yards and two TDs, Joe Mixon had 147 yards and a score, and Dede Westbrook had 100 yards receiving, including a 75-yard TD. After Oklahomas hot start, the Sooners kept the ball mostly on the ground. Mayfield finished 9 of 15 for 169 yards, all season lows.West Virginias Justin Crawford rushed for 331 yards, the third-highest total in school history. Skyler Howard threw for two TDs and ran for two more scores. His 37-yard TD toss to KaRaun White pulled the Mountaineers within 41-28 with 10 minutes left in the game. But West Virginia got no closer.I thought we were ready to play, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorseen said.dddddddddddd You cant make mistakes against a good football team.THE TAKEAWAYOklahoma: The Sooners improved to 2-2 against ranked opponents. Whether or not they make a move in the playoff standings after the convincing win remains to be seen, although the leagues top prize remains theirs for the taking.Obviously, it will be good to have a little rest, get a little time off, get everybodys bodies right before that big game, Mayfield said. Were right where we want to be right now.West Virginia: With a chance to make a statement against the first ranked team theyve faced this season, the Mountaineers came out flat on both sides of the ball and never recovered.I dont know if it was too big of a game and too much hype into it that our guys just ... I dont know, West Virginia defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said. I dont know if everybody was just trying to make a play instead of playing defense.TURNOVERS APLENTYWest Virginia made too many errors to give itself a chance. After the opening series, Gary Jennings couldnt handle a punt in a swirling wind that may have hit a teammate first. Oklahoma recovered at the Mountaineers 34 and eventually scored.Crawford and Howard fumbled the ball away inside the Oklahoma 5 on consecutive second-quarter series. The Sooners went the length of the field to score touchdowns after both turnovers.Oklahomas Jordan Evans returned an interception 80 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter. A week ago he had two interceptions in a win over Baylor.UP NEXT:Oklahoma: Bedlam on Dec. 3. Both the Sooners and Oklahoma State are off next weekend.West Virginia: Plays at Iowa State next Saturday, followed by the regular-season finale at home against Baylor.[url=http://wm on Dec. 3. Both the Sooners and Oklahomll Jerseys[/url] ' ' '