Ricky Jean Francois: Andrew Luck Wouldn't Be the No. 1 Pick if he Played in the SEC

Well gag me with a spoon.

San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois, who went to LSU, doesn't like the chances of a Stanford-LSU BCS national title game. (The BCS bowls would pit 10 SEC schools against each other if Francois had his druthers.) The third-year pro also doesn't think Andrew Luck could measure up to those big, bad SEC defenses.

"If he plays an SEC team, his stock will fall. I ain’t got nothing against him. He’s a Pac-12 guy. I’m not a Pac 12 fan at all, I’m an SEC guy. But if he ever plays against an SEC school, Alabama, LSU, that draft stock is going to fall. That will be one game they just don’t show the scouts."

Francois uses Brady Quinn - -Brady Quinn! -- as an example of a hyped QB whose draft stock plummeted after a poor performance against LSU in the Sugar Bowl. He also uses Jamarcus Russell as an example of a QB whose stock rose thanks to his strong play against SEC defenses. Yeah, how'd that work out?

Here's a quick breakdown of the top 10 QBs in the NFL this season (based on QB rating) and where they went to school:

• SEC (2) - Matthew Stafford and Eli Manning
  
• Big 10 (2) - Drew Brees and Tom Brady
• Pac 10 (1) - Aaron Rodgers
• ACC (1) - Matt Schaub
• Other (4) - Ryan Fitzpatrick (who cut his teeth against the brutal defenses of the Ivy League), Ben Roethlisberger, Tony Romo, and Alex Smith (!)
  

And here's the breakdown from last season, when a healthy Peyton Manning slipped in at No. 10 and carried the flag for the rest of the SEC:

• ACC (3) - Philip Rivers, Michael Vick, and Matt Schaub
• Pac 10 (2) -Matt Cassel and Aaron Rodgers
• SEC (1) - Peyton Manning
  
• Big 10 (1) - Tom Brady
• Big 12 (1) - Josh Freeman
• Other (2) - Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger

Please let Stanford play LSU in the BCS Championship.