For football fans, there's nothing like the all-or-nothing promise of a new starting quarterback, those wild swings of hope and nervousness, optimism and dread.
Because for every John Mateer at Washington State or Ryan Blair at Whitworth a season ago, there are dozens of Ralph Walters.
Who, you ask?
Only the zero-star QB from the early 1980s who sat so far down East Valley Junior High's bench he could see West Valley's bench.
Called upon to step in for his team's injured starter on one fateful afternoon at North Pines, the raw-boned 13-year-old with a (Nerf) rocket arm promptly threw an interception, then fumbled on the next possession before being yanked in favor of anyone else. As was noted by his coach at the time, his work from that point on would be limited to the fifth quarter. (Yeah, I know.)
As we embark on another college football season in the Inland Northwest, where every team in the region is looking to replace its opening-day starting QB from a year ago, there's both confidence and concern brewing.
Mateer or Walter? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, we'll try to assuage your fears. In Thursday's print edition of The Spokesman-Review, we'll examine those fluid QB situations at WSU, Eastern Washington, Idaho and Whitworth in our annual football section. We'll also provide some context for the future with a look back at how some notable signal -callers over the past quarter century fared in their debut seasons as opening-day starters.
In an age where the transfer portal and NIL are taking wrecking balls to rosters each offseason, Thursday's special section - designed in print by Connor Vanderweyst and on the web by Taylor Newquist, with stellar photography from Colin Mulvany and Tyler Tjomsland - seems particularly timely.
Because breaking in a new starting QB seems likely to become an annual tradition from the Palouse to Cheney, to North Spokane and even Seattle, where the University of Washington also debuts a new opening-day starter, Demond Williams, Jr.
For fans, it's probably safe to say don't get too attached to those new signal -callers.
But for the quarterbacks themselves, as columnist Dave Boling writes in our football section, it's not as simple as chasing the money and moving from team to team. Boling talks with former WSU quarterbacks Luke Falk and Connor Halliday, among others, about how quickly relationships can fray if QBs and their teammates aren't on the same page.
With fall camp behind them, the new QBs get their first chance on Saturday to put their leadership abilities on full display.
At WSU, Zevi Eckhaus seems to have the inside track among four contenders to replace Mateer as QB1 after coming up big in his unexpected Holiday Bowl start last December. In Thursday's section, reporter Greg Woods takes a peek inside new coach Jimmy Rogers' quarterback room, which also includes Julian Dugger, Jaxon Potter and Ajani Sheppard.
At EWU, reporter Dan Thompson writes about the ascension of Jared Taylor as opening-day starter. If the athletic Taylor has developed his arm as he has his legs - he's rushed for more than twice as many career yards as he has thrown - the Eagles' offense could thrive.
Thompson also has a story about the dramatic turnover at the position in the Big Sky Conference, where just one team returns its opening-day starter from a season ago.
Not only will Idaho break in a new QB, the Vandals are breaking in a new coach, Thomas Ford Jr. Reporter Peter Harriman previews the arrival of Fresno State transfer Joshua Wood and the big-play potential he brings.
Whitworth reporter Greg Lee examines the pressure on new Pirates' QB Logan Lacio, who will fill the big shoes left by the graduated Blair while also trying to lead the Pirates to the Division III playoffs for an unprecedented third straight season.
And while it's not playoffs-or-bust for every local team as the season kicks off, playing in the postseason is obviously the hope.