2015, there was no question about who "the man" was at quarterback. Zaire was gone for the year, and Kizer was our only option.
The 2016 QB situation should have been firmly in place since day one of that season. There was absolutely no question that Deshone Kizer was the best option there, and that wasting 1st team reps on Malik Zaire was a stupid thing to do.
Right away, it set the tone for the year, where we wasted two series with Zaire at the helm against Texas. We were scoring at will against the Longhorns with Kizer at the helm, and that game should never have gone into overtime.
This year, there's also absolutely no question as to whom the better quarterback for this offense is. The difference here, is that Coach Kelly has evolved to the point where he's not going to let his personal feelings get in the way of making a logical decision. The Brian Kelly of old would have stuck with Brandon Wimbush for a longer period of time, and it would have been doubtful, at best, that we would have swept NW, Pitt, and USC.
When a coach makes a hard, firm decision like that, and sticks with it, you generally tend to see fewer rumblings among the players. That, plus going 12-0 as opposed to 4-8...