Bumped. Lot of good points here from hicalliber. GO BRUINS. - N

I never thought I'd write a post with that headline, but just hear me out. First, I want everyone to know that I think very highly of both Kevin Craft and Richard Brehaut (for different reasons). Not only that, but I trust that CRN and Norm Chow will make the right decision about who will start on Saturday. That being said, I think Kevin Craft is the right decision. Here are my reasons:

1. KC has more experience...he started all 12 games last year and this is his 2nd year in the program. He understands the schemes and will undoubtedly be better than he was last year. How could he possibly regress?

2. Kansas State is (arguably) our easiest opponent this season outside of SD State and Washington State...no disrespect to those programs. We don't need an all world QB performance. We need someone who can manage the game and make good decisions. KC's experience will help with that.

3. Our offensive line is much improved over last year...at least 5 picks last year were the result of KC being hurried or hit. Our running game was anemic as well, which put more pressure on KC. His stats don't tell the whole story.

More after the jump including a poll on who should get the start.

4. There is no reason to throw Brehaut into the fire. He has played spring ball, fall ball, and watched two regular season games with limited action...he is a true freshman and his time will come. Let's be patient and use him when we are (hopefully) blowing teams out so that he can learn to play and develop chemistry in a low pressure environment first. Barkley and Tate Forcier are exceptions (not the rule) when it comes to true freshmen performances.

5. KC is ready for redemption. Don't underestimate the power of motivation....he will play the game with a chip on his shoulder and hopefully channel that into good decision-making and inspired play.

6. What if Brehaut plays poorly? His confidence will be lowered...we will probably need him to step up at some point this year in conference play, so we need him to feel confident and strong. Right now, Brehaut is 2/2 and feeling alright about his ability to play Div. I football. KC was a victim of that scenario last year...he was unprepared for a collegiate game, and his confidence got crushed. More practice reps can't hurt.

One last point...it's no secret that Brehaut has much more upside than KC. Brehaut is part of the future at the QB position at UCLA, and a start in this game COULD go a long way towards building that future. But I see much more risk in that decision because of his youth. The right decision is to start KC, and then give Brehaut some reps IF the game is in hand. Right now it sounds like they will split time with KC getting the official start, although I have no idea how that would work. Please go easy on me in the comment thread...I promise I'm perfectly sane ;)