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Florida head coach Urban Meyer has said that Tebow is the perfect quarterback to run the spread, at least the way Florida runs it. Last season the marriage worked to perfection as the prized pupil finished second in the nation in passing efficiency, throwing for 3,286 yards and 32 touchdowns with six interceptions, while rushing for 895 yards and 23 scores. And it's not like Tebow was doing this against the Little Sisters of the Poor on his way to becoming the first FBS quarterback to run and throw for more than 20 touchdowns in the same season (although Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour ran for 19 touchdowns and caught one, to go along with 27 touchdown passes).

Meyer made Josh Harris an all-around statistical superstar at Bowling Green, and then coached Alex Smith into an unbelievable 2004 campaign at Utah with 32 touchdown passes, four interceptions, 563 rushing yards, and 10 TD runs on the way to becoming the No. 1 pick in the draft. Now, after over a decade in the making, the spread has found a player in Tebow who has become the ultimate weapon and the prototype for the new wave of offensive stars.

While Tebow might seem like the be-all-end-all, he would be successful in any college offense. He has the size, the arm, and the running ability to be a star in a pro-style attack (at least at the collegiate level), a wishbone, and everything in between, which is basically what the spread is. He might be just the beginning of an onslaught on the record books as more and more high schools are running some version of the spread offense, meaning more and more young players are hitting college ready to roll rather than learning the new scheme after getting off the bus.

So while Tebow is the king, there are several others who have thrived in the spread and are about to have unbelievable seasons. Here are the 10 best spread quarterbacks not named Tebow, at least statistically, who'll put up the big numbers week in and week out.

		Under Meyer, Tebow shows what spread can do Pete Fiutak / CollegeFootballNews.com 99 days ago   Along with Michael Phelps and "Jet" Favre, the hottest topic in the sports world over the summer has been the spread offense and its infiltration of college football. The spread was always a nice novelty used by the moderately talented to pile up big numbers, but not always a lot of big wins, but with Florida's Tim Tebow winning the Heisman as a sophomore, Appalachian State upsetting Michigan, and the continued success of Texas Tech's passing game, everyone wants a piece of the attack in some way. The spread has several different forms. In the NFL, New England has created its own spread to get four and five receivers on the field to let Tom Brady choose what he wants to do and to get the ball deep. But for now, the spread is more of a college attack that relies on shorter, quicker throws. From the Mike Leach/Texas Tech juggernaut that's about to average around 500 passing yards per game, to the Spread Option, run at places like West Virginia and Illinois, which spreads defenses out to create bigger lanes to run through, there are several different variations on the same idea: spread the defense and create mismatches. If you're not using the spread, you might as well be running the Wing T. Before their time 20 quarterbacks who would've gone ballistic running the spread offense: 1. Roger Staubach, Navy 2. Charlie Ward, Florida State 3. Michael Vick, Virginia Tech 4. Steve McNair, Alcorn State 5. Davey O'Brien, TCU 6. Rick Leach, Michigan 7. Steve Young, BYU 8. Kordell Stewart, Colorado 9. Tommie Frazier, Nebraska 10. Donovan McNabb, Syracuse 11. Michael Bishop, Kansas State 12. Rick Mirer, Notre Dame 13. Major Harris, West Virginia 14. Rickey Foggie, Minnesota 15. Don McPherson, Syracuse 16. Archie Manning, Ole Miss 17. Jim Plunkett, Stanford 18. Turner Gill, Nebraska 19. Fran Tarkenton, Georgia 20. Daunte Culpepper, UCF
		Story Tools:  Print   Email   Blog This  • They said it (about the BCS) • 18 teams eligible for BCS bowl games • BCS has a strong lobby • Keep college football as it is • BCS moving to ESPN in 2011 • Sooners take over No. 2 spot in new BCS standings • No. 3 Oklahoma pulls away from No. 11 Oklahoma St. • No. 1 Alabama blanks Auburn • No. 2 Florida pounds No. 23 Florida St. • No. 4 Texas routs Texas A&M • No. 5 USC crushes Notre Dame • No. 7 Texas Tech edges Baylor • No. 9 Boise St. blasts Fresno St. • Kansas upsets No. 12 Missouri View More Products The BCS Tailgate It's championship week at FOXSports.com's parking lot party. Join the BCS Tailgate for a preview of a couple of sequels and an unlikely underdog. More BCSFootball Video • BCS Rankings: Week 7 • Highlights: (3) Oklahoma - (11) OSU • Highlights: (2) Florida - (23) FSU • Highlights: Notre Dame - (5) USC • Highlights: Kansas - (12) Missouri • Highlights: Maryland - (20) BC • Highlights: Texas A+M - (4) Texas Video Home