Ray Glier

Ohio State traded quarterback Troy Smith, a Heisman Trophy winner, for Todd Boeckman, a reserve who had thrown 10 passes in two seasons.

LSU traded JaMarcus Russell, the first player picked in the 2007 NFL draft, for Matt Flynn, who had been a career backup.

The Buckeyes and Tigers made it to the BCS title game.

Don’t scratch your head over that one. You know the answer.

Quarterbacking is an over-valued position.

If you don’t believe it, just look at the smoldering ruins of Hawaii’s Colt Brennan being carted off the Superdome floor Tuesday night as Ohio State and LSU were moving into town for the title game.

If you don’t believe it, just look at Florida with Tim Tebow, which lost four games this season. The Gators’ defense has more holes than a blanket you would buy at a yard sale. A great quarterback got them nowhere because of that defense.

If you don’t believe quarterbacking is over-valued, look at the impact Boeckman and Flynn had in their team’s biggest games of the season.

Boeckman and his late-season slump scared Jim Tressel so much the Ohio State coach ordered up just two passes in the second half of a 14-3 win over Michigan.

LSU, meanwhile, beat Tennessee in the SEC championship game with Flynn on the sideline with an injury.

So, will these guys be irrelevant Monday night in the BCS title game?

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Not quite. In a modest kind of way, Boeckman and Flynn still carry enough influence to decide the national champion.

For most of the season, Boeckman was throwing the deep ball accurately and finding targets. Defenses got stretched because of a bonafide threat to get beat with the long ball. Ohio State then came charging with running back Beanie Wells as defenses had to balance up against the pass.

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Boeckman, who is 6-foot-5, gets some air under the ball and can hurl it deep to Brian Robiske and Ray Small. That threat should keep LSU’s defense a little softer against the run.

Flynn, meanwhile, has to do two important things. First, he has to bark at his teammates in the huddle to behave. LSU was maddeningly undisciplined this season and ranked 118^th among 119 teams in penalties per game.

Second, Flynn has to accurately read the audible routes of slot man Early Doucet, who is the Tigers’ best player on offense. He catches it; he runs with it. His yards after catch are valuable to LSU, and Flynn has to make those short throws.

What Ohio State has to do is make Flynn throw down field. Alabama did that and the Crimson Tide picked off three passes and nearly upset the Tigers. Flynn’s value is throwing short routes to receivers who have scared off defensive backs with their speed.