Big Ten: Ranking the Conference's 11 Starting QBs for 2010

The Big Ten hasn't typically been a QB's league for awhile. But the conference did produce Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees, and there is some talent in the pool.

Many of the QBs for this season are returning once again, proving that the talent pool from a signal caller position is pretty deep.

And in a conference that seems to be in an upswing after beating four top-15 teams in the bowl season, the play from the QB position should be some of the best that we have seen in some time.

Here is the list of the top QBs in the Big Ten for 2010.

11. Eddie McGee—Illinois

2009 Stats: 29-55, 444 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT

It seems as if Juice Williams has been at Illinois forever.

But with Williams graduating, the keys to the Illini offense should be turned over to Eddie McGee.

McGee was frequently used as a spell QB to Juice because of how often the QB ran the football.

But he does not have much of a track record as a passer, something the Illini need to get the ball down the field to their WRs.

Challenging McGee for the starting job will be Nathan Scheelhaase and highly-touted freshman Chandler Whitmer.

10. Dan Persa—Northwestern

2009 Stats: 20-34, 224 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT

Mike Kafka was one of the Wildcats' best QBs in recent memory, and it is tough to replace his heart and will to win.

But it will be up to Dan Persa to pick up the slack.

Persa is similar to Kafka in his style of play and he has a big arm, along with seeing some minutes which should help him ease into the starting job.

Northwestern lacks the outstanding athletes that most of the top schools possess, but they have hard-workers who want to win.

Persa fits that mold perfectly, so Wildcat fans have something to look forward to.

9. Ben Chappell—Indiana

2009 Stats: 268-428, 2941 yards, 17 TD, 15 INT

Chappell took the starting job in 2009 after Kellen Lewis was dismissed for team violations and played fairly well for the Hoosiers.

But Indiana struggled in the Big Ten, beating only Illinois in 2009 despite having some talented WRs in Terrance Turner and Tandon Doss.

Chappell has most of those pieces returning for 2010, but he needs to work on being more efficient and cutting down on turnovers.

The offense should be fine, but the defense needs to help their QB out.

8. Adam Weber—Minnesota

2009 Stats: 191-367, 2582 yards, 13 TD, 15 INT

Adam Weber is another one of those QBs who seems to have been around forever.

And Weber has put together a decent career at Minnesota, but not as good in 2008 when the Gophers ran the spread offense.

But he will not have Eric Decker, his favorite target for many years, which could cause his numbers to plummet.

2010 will be Weber's final tour around the midwest, and he has been a pretty good player during his tenure at Minnesota.

7. Kevin Newsome—Penn State

2009 Stats: 8-11, 66 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT

Newsome steps into the trigger position of the Spread HD offense, replacing the talented Daryll Clark.

Newsome came out of high school as a talented dual-threat QB, and has plenty of weapons to help him develop, including RB Evan Royster.

He seems to have the inside track to the starting job as a true sophomore, but he will be competing with two top-10 freshman, Robert Bolden and Paul Jones, for the job.

But with the ability to run and throw very well, Newsome has the tools to be the next star in the Spread HD for the Nittany Lions.

6. Robert Marve—Purdue

2009 Stats: Sat out due to transfer rules

Marve transferred from Miami after Jacory Harris emerged as the top guy for the Hurricanes.

So Marve found his way north to Danny Hope and the Boilermakers, who had a solid 2009 season, including an upset of Ohio State.

Marve has the tools to be the next stud at Purdue with dual-threat capabilities, something few Boilermaker QBs have had in the past.

However, the starting job is not a guarantee for Marve, as he will compete with Caleb TerBush for the position.

But the experience of Marve should give him the edge to lead Hope's spread attack in 2010.

5. Kirk Cousins—Michigan State

2009 Stats: 198-328, 2680 yards, 19 TD, 9 INT

Michigan State started 2009 with a two-QB system, but it ended shortly when Kirk Cousins won the job outright.

And what he did was be an efficient leader of the Spartan offense in 2009, though the team struggled to make a bowl game.

But Cousins, like most QBs, had growing pains trying to figure out the college game in 2009.

With a full year under his belt, and a solid group of WRs, MSU could be on the way back to another big season in 2010.

4. Tate Forcier—Michigan

2009 Stats: 165-281, 2050 yards, 13 TD, 10 INT

Few QBs took the nation by storm at the start of his career like Forcier did in September at Michigan.

He led the Wolverines to a 4-0 start, more wins in one month than Michigan had in all of 2008.

But they had a rough collapse as Big Ten play began, winning only one game in the Big Ten in 2009.

Forcier was the triggerman behind the Big Ten's top offensive unit, along with backup Denard Robinson.

And with a year under his belt, Forcier should have Michigan primed for a good 2010 as long as the defense helps their offense out.

3. Scott Tolzien—Wisconsin

2009 Stats: 211-328, 2705 yards, 16 TD, 11 INT

Wisconsin's struggles in 2008 were mostly a result of poor QB play despite a great running game.

But with Tolzien at the helm of an offense where he only had to manage games.

And he did a great job of that and protecting the football pretty well as most of his passes came off of play action.

Having John Clay in the backfield helped to keep the pressure off of Tolzien, who had a good game in the Champs Sports Bowl, beating Miami 24-17 in upset fashion.

2010 could be a big year for Tolzien, and a big year for Wisconsin if they want to challenge Iowa and Ohio State for the Big Ten title.

2. Ricky Stanzi—Iowa

2009 Stats: 171-304, 2417 yards, 17 TD, 15 INT

Stanzi's stats might not be the best in the country, but there was no QB as clutch as No. 12 for the Hawkeyes.

And it's no coincidence that despite the low TD-INT ratio, Iowa was unbeaten for most of the season and came very close to dethroning Ohio State for the Big Ten title.

But his injury kept him from reaching the Rose Bowl, as the Hawkeyes dropped two games in his absence.

The Hawkeyes were happy to have him back in the Orange Bowl, and the junior responded, leading Iowa to a 24-14 win over Georgia Tech.

With one more year left, Stanzi has one final shot to take the Big Ten title from the Buckeyes from Stanzi's home state of Ohio.

1. Terrelle Pryor—Ohio State

2009 Stats: 167-295, 2094 yards, 18 TD, 11 INT

The top-ranked player in 2008 recruiting was given the keys to the OSU offensive automobile for the full 2009 season with no true capable backup.

And though he suffered many bumps in the road, including the loss at Purdue, Pryor kept improving as a QB and has become one of the best QBs in the country.

His performance in the Rose Bowl earned him MVP honors, as he played on a torn PCL, but led the Buckeyes to a 26-17 win over Oregon.

With a big arm and incredible speed, Pryor has all the tools to be an elite QB, and now he has the experience.

And as a potential Heisman candidate, 2010 is Pryor's year to be a Buckeye legend.

But he has the entire conference gunning for him, and trips to Camp Randall and Iowa City will make the road back to Pasadena very difficult.

And if they are able to win the conference and both games, that could cement Pryor's legacy as one of the best QBs in OSU history.