Preseason College Football Power Rankings: Big Ten Quarterbacks

The long summer football drought before the storm of games in the fall is brutal for hardcore college football fanatics.

Fans are chomping at the bit for any little piece of new information about players and teams they can find.

This is the time of year when writers start interviewing janitors that work with relatives of players for any hint of something unique to write.

It's also when bloggers and publications start compiling their power rankings and Top 25 predictions.

With less than 100 days before the start of the 2010 college football season, power rankings will begin peppering the sports web. Position rankings, conference rankings, hottest mother rankings, you name it.

My brand of pepper is called The Ridiculously Early 2010 Big Ten Preseason Quarterback Power Rankings.

14. Nathan Scheelhaase, Illinois

Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase is at the back of the list.

He is new, his last name is hard to pronounce and he has a cheesy website. It's hard for me to give Scheelhaase the benefit of the doubt.

Let's just call this hazing the new guy.

Image via NathanScheelhaase.org

13. Kevin Newsome, Penn State

Penn State's offensive line will have to step up to help sophomore Kevin Newsome this year.

Newsome is more of a runner than a passer, which could be one reason it's currently being rumored that the coaching staff might move him to wide receiver.

Still, he saw action last year, going 8-11, and should be the favorite to replace Clark at quarterback.

12. Robert Marve, Purdue

Robert Marve could end up being one of the better quarterbacks in the Big Ten, but as a newbie to the conference coming off year where he saw no playing time because of an injury, he is going to have his work cut out for him.

Marve tore his ACL in summer workouts last year, after transferring from Miami as the result of an arrest and two suspensions. His first game back in action is Purdue's opener against Notre Dame.

In 2008, Marve had 116 completions in 213 attempts (54.5%) for 1,293 yards with nine TDs and 13 INTs.

Obviously he has a few things to work out before he becomes an elite QB in the Big Ten.

11. MarQueis Gray, Minnesota

Minnesota backup quarterback MarQueis Gray saw action as both a quarterback and wide receiver during his freshman season last year.

Gray had a breakout game against Ohio State, going 5-of-6 passing for 51 yards and passing for his first touchdown.

Gopher fans are eager for Gray to take over.

10. Dan Persa, Northwestern

The Northwestern offense shouldn't miss a step in their transition to quarterback Dan Persa, who replaces Mike Kafka as starter.

Last year Persa completed 20-of-34 passes for 224 yards last season to go along with his two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Although his time was limited last year, he made the most of it and should move his way up the power rankings as the season progresses.

9. James Vandenberg, Iowa

Anyone that doubts James Vandenberg's place on this list needs to re-watch the Iowa-Ohio State game a few more times.

In his first career start, he led the Iowa Hawkeyes into overtime...in Columbus. That's nearly impossible for three-year starters to do, let alone a backup making his first start.

Ricky Stanzi's heir-apparent will have to wait another year to get his turn, but he should see more playing time this season.

8. Denard Robinson, Michigan

Denard Robinson saw action at quarterback in all 12 of Michigan's games last season, connecting on just 45 percent of his 31 passes and throwing five interceptions along the way.

That said, Robinson is fast, really fast. And his perfectly thrown 97-yard pass to Roy Roundtree during Michigan's Spring game certainly made things interesting for the Maize and Blue fans heading into the upcoming season.

7. Tate Forcier, Michigan

Although he appeared on the second-string offense during the Spring game, Tate Forcier started all 12 games at quarterback for Michigan last season as a true freshman.

He put up some impressive numbers in the process. Forcier completed almost 60 percent of his passes for 2,050 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Forcier's experience gives him a slight edge over Robinson in the rankings.

6. Ben Chappell, Indiana

Ben Chappell returns for his senior season at Indiana and hopes to improve upon last year's performance.

Chappell completed 63 precent of his passes for 2,941 yards,17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He isn't known for his mobility, but he has a good arm.

5. Adam Weber, Minnesota

Minnesota's Adam Weber returns for his senior season, but he won't have his favorite target Eric Decker this season.

Weber is a three-year starter in the Big Ten, and should be able to capitalize on that experience this year. Or so head coach Tim Brewster hopes.

4. Kirk Cousins, Michigan State

Kirk Cousins was a solid performer for Michigan State last season, completing 60 percent of his throws for 2,680 yards, 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Cousins was 10-of-15 for 254 yards and a touchdown in the Spartan spring game.

3. Scott Tolzien, Wisconsin

Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien completed a Badger-record 211 passes for 2,705 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Tolzien should have the odds stacked in his favor in 2010, with a strong offensive line blocking for him and a great running back helping take some of the pressure off of his shoulders.

2. Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State

Terrelle Pryor completed 57 percent of his passes last season for 2,094 yards, 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also ran for almost 800 yards.

Pryor has a Rose Bowl victory, he's incredibly fast, unusually tough and has been improving his passing abilities year after year.

That said, he was No. 10 in the Big Ten in average passing yards per game (160.5) and No. 9 in pass efficiency rating (128.81).

It was a very tough call, but heading into the season Pryor has the No. 2 quarterback ranking in the Big Ten.

1. Ricky Stanzi, Iowa

Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi completed 56 percent of his throws last year for 2,417 yards and 17 touchdowns. Solid, but nothing too lavish.

He also threw 15 interceptions, four of which were returned for a touchdown.

So why is he No. 1?

As Phil Steele points out, Stanzi has an outstanding 67 percent passing completion in the fourth quarter of play. That equates to a pass efficiency rating of 200.2 in arguably the most important quarter of football.

His fourth quarter statistics are a huge reason for his 19-4 record as a starter. Two of those wins were back-to-back bowl victories (Outback 2008, Orange 2010).

Before the "homer" label flies in the comments, think about this: if Terrelle Pryor threw five interceptions in a game, would he still be able to lead his team to a come-from-behind victory in the fourth quarter?