When we finalize the story of any college football season, the most important characters are generally a few quarterbacks.

Last year, Georgia won a second championship in a row as Stetson Bennett morphed into a dynamic starter. TCU, thanks to Max Duggan, ascended to become a surprise national runner-up. Michigan watched J.J. McCarthy overtake Cade McNamara and guide the Wolverines to another Big Ten crown and back to the College Football Playoff.

While many programs have a QB in place for 2023, several key teams are still working through a competition to pick a starter.

The list focuses on six programs that carry high preseason expectations for the upcoming season.

Others to Know

While the competitions at Tennessee and TCU match the "battle in name only" description, they technically remain open.

Tennessee has 5-star freshman Nico Iamaleava for the future, but there's no question Joe Milton III will start in 2023.

TCU, meanwhile, is expected to reinsert Chandler Morris. After he won the job in fall camp, an injury sidelined him for a month. But as the Horned Frogs soared under Max Duggan, Morris remained the backup.

Florida and Texas A&M aren't considered top-tier SEC teams, although a breakout QB—even as that feels like wishful thinking—can change perception. Florida is down to Graham Mertz and Jack Miller III, and Texas A&M is choosing between Conner Weigman and Max Johnson.

The same narrative applies at Oklahoma State, which has a packed competition with Alan Bowman, Garret Rangel, Gunnar Gundy or Zane Flores. The team's ability to compete in the Big 12 hinges on this answer.