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LSU football history is rich with quarterback battles and controversy.

In fact, the joke during the season is the most popular player in town is the second-string Tiger QB. For example, Bert Jones was platooned with Paul Lyons. Tommy Hodson was subbed out for Mickey Guidry. And around the turn of the last century, the quarterback spot was often a revolving door with names such as Booty, Nall, Mauck and Davey. But this upcoming season is something else.

The incumbent is JaMarcus Russell.

All he did was lead LSU to a 10-2 record, throwing dramatic touchdown passes and showing improvement all hurricane-plagued season. He completed 60% of his passes, 15 of them for scores. But then the 6-foot, 6-inch, 253-pound product of Mobile, Ala., who will be a junior this season, got hurt. A wrist injury and subsequent surgery kept him out of the Peach Bowl—completely. Russell did not accompany the team to Atlanta, a bewildering move by head coach Les Miles.

Enter seldom-used Matt Flynn, who took advantage of his only start to lead the Tigers to a stunning, lopsided victory over Miami as LSU finished 11-2, one of the best seasons in school history. Flynn, a 6-foot, 3-inch, 228-pound junior from Tyler, Texas, who sat patiently for two seasons, propelled himself into the mix. And sitting behind them is Ryan Perrilloux, who took a redshirt last season. The 6-foot, 2-inch, 222-pound St. James Parish native was arguably the most highly sought-after QB of the 2004 recruiting class. You can bet Perrilloux didn’t blow off Texas late in the recruiting process to ride the bench as a Tiger. One season-tested QB. One game-tested, at least for one game. Another with the best of credentials. It won’t be boring when the Tigers gather the first week of August.

So who will play? Certainly it’s Russell’s job to lose. But what if he fell out of favor with his coaches last December—remember, they left him home for the bowl trip. Russell may be No. 1, but Flynn clearly established himself as 1A. Miles made it clear last season, his first at LSU, that he’s not a two-QB guy. But who knows? Maybe this season he’ll be a three-QB coach.