Oklahoma State quarterback Alan Bowman. NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Utah-Oklahoma State to feature battle of seventh-year QBs

By Austen Bundy | Last updated Sep 18, 2024 2:00 PM ET

Saturday's college football slate is jam-packed with Top 25 matchups, but one in particular should catch fans' attention for an unusual reason.

No. 12 Utah and No. 14 Oklahoma State will face off in a massive Big 12 bout but the headlines leading up to the game will focus on a single aspect of each team's starting lineup.

Both starting quarterbacks are in their seventh year of NCAA eligibility. Utah's Cam Rising and Oklahoma State's Alan Bowman have been a staple of college football since the 2018 season.

Saturday's game will feature a combined passer age of 49 (Rising, 25, Bowman, 24). For comparison, Sunday's game between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears has a combined quarterback age of 44 (Anthony Richardson, 22, Caleb Williams, 22).

Fun fact: The combined age of the starting QBs in Saturday's Utah-Oklahoma State game is 49.

By comparison, the combined age of the starting QBs in Sunday's Colts-Bears game is 44. pic.twitter.com/cO7hLZh9Rx
— College Sports Only (@CollegeSportsO) September 16, 2024

Rising started his college career at Texas but never played for the Longhorns. He transferred to Utah in 2019 and is in his sixth season with the Utes after receiving a final year of eligibility since he sat out the 2023 campaign with injury.

Bowman is more of the journeyman in this comparison. He played three seasons at Texas Tech, essentially replacing now-Kansas City Chiefs passer Patrick Mahomes, before transferring to Michigan for two years and ending up in Stillwater, Okla. with the Cowboys in 2023.

Bowman was granted a seventh year by the NCAA after he lost the 2019 season to an injury. Both players also benefitted from the COVID year waiver allocated to players who missed significant time in the 2020 season.

Saturday will be the first time Bowman and Rising will face off in their storied careers. The Top 15 bout will be an early test for two undefeated Big 12 programs aiming for a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff.

Rising missed Utah's Week 3 win against Utah State with an injury but head coach Kyle Whittingham says his long-time starter will be "ready to go this week," via Joe Coles of the Desert News.

The game is set to kick off from Stillwater, Okla. at 4pm ET on Fox.

Austen Bundy

Austen Bundy is a journalist and sports junkie from the Washington, D. C. area

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