A few of the quarterback matchups in Week 2 of the NFL season might be of particular interest to college football fans.
At 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals will square off with the Jacksonville Jaguars, marking the second time Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow have started against one another in the NFL since the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship game. Then, on “Sunday Night Football,” the Atlanta Falcons will meet the Minnesota Vikings — marking 2024 CFP National Championship starting quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy‘s first showdown as professionals.
McCarthy and the Michigan Wolverines took down Penix Jr.’s Washington Huskies in their national title game battle, 34-13, which is good news for Vikings fans. The winning starting quarterback in college has a solid — if not perfect — record in professional rematches as well.
Here’s a look back at how the NFL rematches of BCS and College Football Playoff-era starting national championship quarterbacks went.
Joe Burrow vs. Trevor Lawrence
Rematch year(s): 2021, 2025
Rematch of: 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship
Burrow, whose LSU Tigers won their national championship matchup, also came out on top in their first NFL meeting, throwing for 348 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Bengals to a 24-21 win.
Rematch year(s): 2024
Rematch of: 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship
Watson led the Clemson Tigers past Hurts’ Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2017 title game in college, but the roles reversed in their first matchup as professional starters. Hurts threw for 264 yards and a pair of scores as the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Cleveland Browns 20-16 at home.
Rematch year(s): 2024, 2021
Rematch of: 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship
Lawrence’s Clemson squad was dominant in its 2019 national championship win over Tagovailoa and the Crimson Tide, winning 44-16. Things have been much closer in their two meetings as NFL starting quarterbacks, however. They’ve each won one apiece, with both games being decided by three points (Lawrence and the Jaguars won 23-20 in 2021, while Tagovailoa and the Dolphins won 20-17 in 2024).
Rematch year(s): 2022
Rematch of: 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship
Soon after Jones and Alabama blew out the Fields-led Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2021 national championship 52-24, the two faced off professionally as starters. It was Fields who came out on top this time, though, helping the Bears to a 33-14 win. Jones was replaced by Bailey Zappe early in the game.
Rematch year(s): 2021
Rematch of: 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship
While Alabama’s win in the 2018 national championship is best remembered for who ended the game at quarterback for the Crimson Tide (Tagovailoa, who replaced the starter Hurts at halftime and went on to throw the winning touchdown pass), Hurts was firmly in control when he faced off with Fromm at the professional level. Fromm — making his first NFL start — was benched midgame, as Hurts’ Eagles dominated the second half in a 34-10 win over the New York Giants.
Vince Young vs. Matt Leinart
Rematch year(s): 2009
Rematch of: 2006 BCS National Championship Game
Young’s touchdown run with 19 seconds remaining secured the Texas Longhorns a 41-38 lead over Leinart’s USC Trojans, bringing the national title back to Austin. The former Longhorn would come out victorious in his and Leinart’s lone meeting as NFL starters as well, albeit in a lower-scoring game, as the Tennessee Titans defeated the Arizona Cardinals 20-17.
Ken Dorsey vs. Craig Krenzel
Rematch year(s): 2004
Rematch of: 2003 BCS National Championship Game
The 2003 national title matchup was a thriller, going to double overtime before Krenzel and Ohio State eventually came out on top over Dorsey and the Miami Hurricanes. The pair’s only meeting as NFL starters was considerably less thrilling — Krenzel was the victor once again, with the Chicago Bears returning a late Dorsey interception for a touchdown to seal a 23-13 victory.
Michael Vick vs. Chris Weinke
Rematch year(s): 2002, 2006
Rematch of: 2000 BCS National Championship
Weinke threw for 329 yards and the Florida State Seminoles put up 46 points en route to a 46-29 win over Vick and the Virginia Tech Hokies in the 2000 title decider. Vick and Weinke would meet twice in the NFL as opposing starters, splitting the two games — Vick helped the Falcons to a 30-0 win over the Carolina Panthers in 2002, while Weinke scored a 10-3 win in a 2006 trilogy.
