The Top Five Big 12 Quarterbacks To Watch in 2010

The 2009 season marked the end of incredible college careers for a lot of Big 12 quarterbacks, including Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Zac Robinson, and Todd Reesing.

This means it's time for younger guys to step up.

While spring football hasn't quite started, I've put a list together of the top five Big 12 quarterbacks who will be pleasant surprises in 2010. All of them have seen the field earlier in their careers, but 2010 should be when they make their true marks on the conference.

5. Robert Griffin III (Baylor)

When so much of your season is riding on the shoulders of one player, if he goes down with an injury, things probably aren't going to turn out so well.

That was the case with Baylor last season when Robert Griffin tore his ACL in the Bears' game against Northwestern State.

As a freshman in 2008, Griffin was a star for new head coach Art Briles, throwing for over 2,000 yards while throwing 14 touchdowns and only three interceptions. He also led the team in rushing scores with 13 accumulated 846 yards on the ground.

For all intents and purposes, Griffin is Vince Young playing in Waco. A healthy Griffin could lead to a successful Baylor team...Now, only if their schedule wasn't so tough.

4. Tyler Hansen (Colorado)

With Dan Hawkins' job being on the line in Boulder, 2010 has to be the end of playing the coach's kid. Cody Hawkins looked promising as a redshirt freshman, but has since regressed, becoming more of a liability than anything else.

Last season, Hansen accumulated 1,440 yards passing, eight touchdowns and seven picks in the final eight games of the season after riding the sidelines the first four. Against Iowa State and Nebraska, he was able to put up more than 250 yards passing but held a 1:1 touchdown to interception ratio in both games.

With solid starter experience under his belt and the mobility to leave the pocket when he needs to, Hansen should be ready to go when the Buffs kick off the season with Colorado State in Denver. If he's not, Hawkins should start looking for a new job.

3. Brandon Weeden (Oklahoma State)

Think Chris Weinke, just not quite as talented yet. That's OSU's Brandon Weeden.

The 26-year-old junior-to-be had what might have well been an open tryout for the Cowboys' starting spot on Nov. 19 when he came off the sidelines as the third string quarterback to lead the Pokes to a comeback victory over Colorado at Boone Pickens Stadium on Senior Night.

Against the Buffs, Weeden completed 10 of his 15 pass attempts for 168 yards and two scores.

Weeden is the quarterback the Cowboys needed all of last season as it was obvious that Zac Robinson didn't know how to be a star without Dez Bryant catching his passes. He's a former pro baseball player and prep star in the state of Oklahoma. He's who Mike Gundy needs under center.

2. Garrett Gilbert (Texas)

As an editor, to help my new reporters who might be a little tentative about talking to college coaches or athletes, I don't hold their hands—I get them a press pass, throw them in the water, and tell them to swim.

This is pretty much what Mac Brown had to do with freshman quarterback Garrett Gilbert in the BCS national championship game against Alabama when Colt McCoy was sidelined due to injury.

While his statistics in the game were horrible overall, the first and second halves were like night and day, as he seemed to get the feel of things.

If I were a Texas fan, as much as I'd hate to lose that game, I would have taken solace in the fact you just earned a year and a half of maturity in your next year's starter with his experience at the Rose Bowl.

He's a native of Austin and was the top quarterback recruit in the country coming out of high school. Gilbert will be just fine.

1. Kale Pick (Kansas)

Sure, "Pick" isn't the best last name for a quarterback, but if you have the skill to back it up, who cares?

Pick originally committed to Arkansas until the whole fiasco happened with the coaching situation there, and who can blame him?

A native of Dodge City, Kan., Pick was rated as the No. 13 dual-threat quarterback in the country from the Class of 2008 by Rivals.com.

While he only threw five passes for the Jayhawks as a redshirt freshman last season (completing four of them), he did rush for 167 yards on only 14 carries. I'll help you out with the math—that's 11.9 yards per carry.

With KU fans getting tired of Todd Reesing as the season started coming to a close, it was a shame Pick didn't see more playing time. But with a new head coach in Lawrence, look for No. 7 to start an impressive career in the crimson and blue.