[xzins]

I would call it a drop-off in experience. Saban doesn’t recruit junkyard at Alabama and waste a scholarship. JMHO. Sure, someone’s going to win the starting job, but freshmen and sophomore linemen can’t be chopped liver. They’re the future gaining experience.

[mmichaels1970]

I've been itching to jump into the injury conversation. Another thing about withstanding injuries is having a team like Ohio State who can lose their starting QB Braxton Miller on several occasions only to have another top conference QB in Kenny Guiton to take his place.

Heck there have been occasions where Meyer admitted to thinking about starting Guiton over Miller.

Injuries at the college level can also reflect the depth of the overall program. Maybe a team goes from world-beaters to mediocre based on an injury or two. But a national championship caliber team simply reloads when a starter goes down.