The college football season begins on Sept. 2 for 12 of the 13 FBS teams in the state of Texas. The lone exception in the Lone Star State is UTEP, which face Jacksonville State in Week 0 to begin Conference USA play. 

As we approach the start of another season, we’ll countdown the 50-most important players in college football. We’ll go one-by-one until Sept. 1 as we enter the top 20. 

Previous rankings: 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21

No. 20: NORTH TEXAS QB CHANDLER ROGERS 

The History

The junior from Mansfield Lake Ridge is back in the Lone Star State and hoping to lead Eric Morris’ first offense in Denton, America. Rogers spent two seasons at Louisiana-Monroe, starting 18 of the 24 games he played in beginning in 2021. Rogers passed for 3,704 yards and 24 touchdowns with 10 interceptions while completing 66 percent of his passes. He’s also a capable runner. Rogers began his college career at Blinn Junior College. 

The Importance 

Morris might plan on calling more run plays than he’s used to because of the talent in the running back room and the makeup of the offensive line – a bunch of shorter, guard-like bodies built to mash rather than protect – but that doesn’t mean the offensive success won’t be dictated by play at the quarterback position. The outlook for the Mean Green is brighter if Rogers wins the job and plays a consistent brand of football. 

The Outlook 

The schedule sets up for North Texas to build some chemistry and consistency before the meat of the first AAC voyage. A home game against Cal in Week 1 might prove tough, but the next five games are winnable. Rogers was brought in to start and engineer the offense. His ability to scramble might be the key to his success as the offensive works out the kinks. Rogers looked great in game action at the spring game last April.