From now until kickoff in Arlington, Texas, we'll be counting down the days before Alabama and Michigan get the season started. Today, we move to No. 16 and what it means to UA football. See all the previous editions here.

Funny how things can change so drastically in a year's time. Case in point: AJ McCarron.

This time last year McCarron was in a battle with Phillip Sims for the starting quarterback job. Now McCarron is on the Davey O'Brien Award watch list and Sims is playing for Virginia.

McCarron came on strong in 2011-12, tossing 16 touchdowns in his first season starting under center. The then-sophomore threw for 2,634 yards and five interceptions. He completed 66.8 percent of his passes.

Entering his junior season, McCarron feels like a different and improved quarterback.

"I feel like the game has slowed down a lot," he said. "When you first get into this game you want to throw touchdowns, you don’t always take what the defense gives you. I feel like I do that, do a pretty good job of that as now, and I just have to keep doing that. Just keep growing as a leader. Coach I met with him the other day, we were just talking about the scrimmage, and just keep taking what they’re giving me, like one of our old saying, ‘Take what they give you and eventually they’re give you the game.’ Basically that’s just what I need to do."

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Year 1 vs. Year 2

John Parker Wilson

• Year 1: 17 TD, 10 INT, 2,707 yards, 57.0 completion percentage

• Year 2: 18 TD, 12 INT, 2,846 yards, 55.2 completion percentage

Greg McElroy

• Year 1: 17 TD, 4 INT, 2,508 yards, 60.9 completion percentage

• Year 2: 20 TD, 5 INT, 2,987 yards, 70.9 completion percentage

AJ McCarron

• Year 1: 16 TD, 5 INT, 2,634 yards, 66.8 completion percentage

• Year 2: ?