2012 All Pac-12 Picks for Quarterback: Matt Barkley Is the Conference Favorite

That article title is an understatement. USC’s quarterback Matt Barkley is actually a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy and several other awards.

Quarterbacks compete for several national awards, like the Davey O'Brien Award, a national quarterback award; the Maxwell Award for outstanding player; and the Walter Camp Award for player of the year. Of course, quarterbacks also compete for the Heisman Trophy for outstanding player.

Matt Barkley, Keith Price and Jeff Tuel are all on the Davey O'Brien national quarterback watch list, but of all the 2012 Pac-12 quarterbacks, Matt Barkley threw for the most yards last year (3,528 yards).

Washington’s Price had 3,063 and Cal’s Maynard was right behind at 2,990 yards.

If you break it down by completion percentage, Barkley leads the way again at 69.1%. Price was next at 66.9% and Oregon State’s Mannion was 64.5%.

No matter how you break it down, Barkley and Price are the top two quarterbacks in the Pac-12.

Here is a quick look at the preseason picks for the best Pac-12 quarterbacks.

Early All PAC-12 First Team:

Matt Barkley

• USC Trojans
• No. 7, 6'2", 230 lbs, Senior
• Was a Scout.com 5-star commit
• NFL: Projected First Round in 2013

Early All PAC-12 Second Team:

Keith Price

• Washington Huskies
• No. 17, 6'1", 195 lbs, Junior
• Was a Scout.com 3-star commit
• NFL: Projected Second/Third Round in 2014

Early All PAC-12 Third Team:

Jeff Tuel

• Washington State Cougars
• No. 10, 6'3", 225 lbs, Senior
• Was a Scout.com 2-star commit
• NFL: Projected Fifth Round in 2013

Early All PAC-12 Fourth Team:

Matt Scott

• Arizona Wildcats
• No. 10, 6'3", 200 lbs, Senior
• Was a Scout.com 4-star commit
• NFL: Projected Fourth Round in 2013

Early All PAC-12 Honorable Mentions:

Brett Nottingham

• Stanford Cardinal
• No. 7, 6'4", 210 lbs, Junior
• Was a Scout.com 4-star commit
• NFL: Projected First Round in 2014

Brett Hundley

• UCLA Bruins
• No. 17, 6'3", 225 lbs, Freshman
• Was a Scout.com 4-star commit
• NFL: Projected Seventh Round in 2015

Other preseason picks:

All-Pac-12 Picks for Tight Ends

All-Pac-12 Picks for Running Backs

All-Pac-12 Picks for Centers

All-Pac-12 Picks for Offensive Guards

All-Pac-12 Picks for Offensive Tackles