QB Drama within the Colorado Buffaloes in College Football

Like any other stuff in football, be it NFL Football or NCAA College Football, the Colorado Buffaloes have a soap opera of their own.

Only this time, it's not a wide receiver but a quarterback. The soap opera that is the Colorado Buffaloes' quarterback situation took another startling twist when junior Brian White informed coach Dan Hawkins he was leaving the team.

''He didn't give a reason. He just rolled right in and said he was quitting; that was that,'' Hawkins said at the conclusion of one of the team's late-afternoon practices.

White's exit came one day after the Buffs' 14-10 loss to Colorado State, the second game in which he did not take a snap. Listed as co-No. 1 with junior Bernard Jackson when preseason camp began, White also stood entirely on the sidelines for CU's 19-10 opening loss to Montana State.

Hawkins said Jackson, who started the CSU game in place of senior James Cox, also will start Saturday against No. 22 Arizona State. ''We'll go with 'B Jax' and try to get it rolling,'' Hawkins said.

That pronouncement came as a surprise to Cox, who had rallied from No. 3 on the preseason depth chart to overtake White and Jackson and was named the Game 1 starter.

''I know (the coaches) are trying to do what's best for the team. I can't be mad about it,'' Cox said. "I definitely wouldn't have planned it this way, but 'B Jax' is like a brother to me and I'm excited for him.''

No matter the QB, NCAA Football statistics this week tell a perturbing story of how ineffectual CU has been offensively. CU ranks 117th out of 119 Division I-A teams in total offense, averaging 181 yards a game. In scoring offense, the Buffs are No. 105, averaging a meager 10 points (two touchdowns, two field goals) in two games.

Neither Cox nor Jackson had an extensive conversation with White, whose performance in relief of Cox in the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl was seen by many as giving him a leg up in the 2006 QB battle.

''I was surprised,'' Jackson said of White's departure. ''Me and Brian are really close. I just say, 'Best of luck' to him.''

Here are some odds from Bodog on who will win the NCAA College Football BCS Championship:

Oklahoma Sooners 6/1

USC Trojans 8/1

Texas Longhorns 8/1