College Football Predictions: Power Ranking The Top QBs Heading Into 2011
While the NFL is claiming a talented group of quarterbacks this upcoming season, the college cupboard is certainly not empty.
The nation's No. 1 prospect is returning for another season and a there are many other talented signal callers waiting to make their mark on the 2011 season as well.
Some new faces will be expected to make major contributions in the face of their predecessor's departure, while other household names will look to keep performing at high levels.
Quarterbacks abound; lets take a look at the top 25 quarterbacks for the 2011 college football season.
Note: Quarterback's class listed for next season
25. Tyler Wilson, Arkansas
1 of 25
The young junior has only thrown 109 career passes to date for the Razorbacks.
Playing behind Ryan Mallett, Wilson so extended action only once but threw four touchdowns and two interceptions a solid performance against the National Champion Auburn Tigers.
He's thrown seven touchdowns and seven interceptions so far in his career.
Wilson possesses good size for the position, 6'3"; 215 pounds, and looks very capable of taking over for Mallett this upcoming season.
24. E.J. Manuel, Florida State
2 of 25
The Florida State junior earned some much needed playing time this season when senior quarterback Christian Ponder was injured.
Tossing four touchdowns and four interceptions, while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes; Manuel was 2-1 as the Seminole starter.
He has great size at 6'4", 225 pounds and should only get better with more time this season.
The Seminoles are the early favorite to win the ACC this season with Manuel under center.
23. Bryant Moniz, Hawaii
3 of 25
The two-year Warriors starter throws the football a lot.
Moniz threw for over 5,000 yards and 39 touchdowns in 2010 while leading his team to a 10-3 record on the season.
He lacks ideal size for the quarterback position at 6'0", 200 pounds, but he slings the football around.
Hawaii has to be considered the early season favorite for the WAC Conference with Boise State out of the way.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
22. Denard Robinson, Michigan
4 of 25
It remains to be seen what impact Denard Robinson will have next season under new coach Brady Hoke.
The Wolverines oft-injured starter was more like a running back in Ann Arbor this season, rushing for over 1,700 yards while passing for 2,570 yards, 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Robinson's playing style does not bode well with his lack of size, 6'0", 195 pounds, and he will have to be smarter this season with the amount of hits he takes.
Robinson plans on staying at Michigan despite the coaching change and his natural ability on the football field will still make him a threat, even if the Wolverines are not that good next season.
21. Garrett Gilbert, Texas
5 of 25
Garrett Gilbert's 2010 season was like a nightmare.
The junior quarterback tossed only 10 touchdowns and 17 interceptions for the Longhorns and he led them to a disappointing 5-7 record with no bowl appearance.
Gilbert has all the tools necessary to succeed, prototype size—6'4", 220 pounds—and simply cannot play much worse than he did last season.
The Longhorns started using Gilbert's athleticism to his advantage late in the year and we should look for him to be more effective as both a runner and a passer in 2011.
20. Zach Collaros, Cincinnati
6 of 25
The Cincinnati senior was not as effective in 2010 as the full time starter as he was stepping in for injury in 2009, but he still showed he has the ability to effectively win football games.
Collaros threw 26 touchdowns on a Cincinnati team that only four games this past season and was one of the few bright spots that the Bearcats could hang their hats on.
He has above average athleticism that he uses to his advantage and while he lacks size, only 6'1" and 215 pounds, he makes up for it with the rest of his game.
Cincinnati is a viable threat to win football games with him under center.
19. Ryan Lindley, San Diego State
7 of 25
The senior quarterback has consistently gotten better each year as the starter at San Diego State.
A three year starter, Lindley brings as much experience as any other quarterback in the nation to his team this season; that will be important after the departure of their coach.
Lindley tossed 28 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and was only sacked nine times last season leading his team to a bowl win over Navy.
Possesses good size for the position at 6'4", 215 pounds, and will be the Aztecs biggest weapon next season.
18. Taylor Martinez, Nebraska
8 of 25
After the first month of the season we could have debated Taylor Martinez's Heisman candidacy; it didn't last.
Martinez is more of a running threat than anything and will need to improve as a passer if he wants to be considered a true dual-threat quarterback; only once did he throw multiple touchdown passes in a game.
He is small, 6'1", 205 pounds, and is only a sophomore.
He will certainly continue to grow as a player but will need to mature quickly as the Cornhuskers enter their first season in the Big Ten.
17. G.J. Kinne, Tulsa
9 of 25
Tulsa's high-powered offense is led by G.J. Kinne's arm.
The junior quarterback has improved steadily in his first two seasons as a starter and threw 31 touchdown passes and only 10 interceptions; over the last two seasons he has thrown 53 touchdown passes and only 20 interceptions.
Kinne is also a threat on the ground and ran for 561 yards and seven touchdowns in 2010.
Tulsa will be a fun team to watch in 2011 with him at the helm.
16. Stephen Garcia, South Carolina
10 of 25
Stephen Garcia can look great at times and led the Gamecocks to an SEC Championship game berth.
He also has the ability to look terrible at times and is not even guaranteed the starting job next season.
In 2010 he threw 20 touchdown passes, but also had 14 interceptions.
Coach Spurrier noted that he will give backup Connor Shaw a chance to compete for the quarterback job.
If Garcia, a senior, does start under center, and plays the way he is capable of playing, he could very well lead the Gamecocks to another SEC East title.
15. Geno Smith, West Virginia
11 of 25
The junior Mountaineer is ready to be a big time quarterback this season and he will need to be with the players West Virginia loses to the Draft.
In 2010, the 6'3", 210 pound quarterback tossed 24 touchdowns and only seven interceptions; he threw multiple interceptions in only one game.
Smith completed nearly 65 percent of his passes leading his team to a 9-4 record, but lost to N.C. State in the Champs Sports Bowl.
The Mountaineers are the early favorite to win the Big East next season and Geno Smith is a big reason why.
14. Kirk Cousins, Michigan State
12 of 25
The Spartans' senior signal caller will be entering his third season as the starter.
Michigan State a was big surprise in 2010, losing only to Iowa during the regular season and getting a share of the Big Ten title.
Cousins put together his best season in East Lansing tossing 20 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions; he completed nearly 67 percent of his passes as well.
At 6'3", 205 pounds, Cousins possesses solid size for the position and should continue to get better into next season.
13. Russell Wilson, N.C. State
13 of 25
Wilson burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2008 and has rolled ever since.
In 2010 he put up 28 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while leading his team to a 10-3 record including a win over West Virginia in the Champs Sports Bowl.
Wilson has a big arm, but is small for the position at 5'11", 205 pounds.
He is also a threat on the move and while he does not scramble for a ton of yards, he is effective on the ground and knows how to find the end zone.
Wilson also has the potential to be a baseball star as well.
12. Robert Griffin III, Baylor
14 of 25
The junior quarterback bounced back from knee surgery in 2009 with a solid 2010 campaign; the Bears were in a fight for the Big 12 before losing the final three games of the regular season.
Griffin possess big play ability in both the air and on the ground.
He threw 22 touchdowns with only eight interceptions and ran for 635 yards and eight touchdowns as well.
He completed 67 percent of his passes and rarely makes mistakes with the football.
The Bears are always a threat to a win football game when Griffin is on.
11. Aaron Murray, Georgia
15 of 25
The sophomore quarterback turned in a stellar freshman campaign in 2010.
Georgia was not the typical force we are used to seeing, but Murray proved to be the real deal.
24 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 61 percent completion highlighted what should be the start to a big career.
Murray's not big, 6'1", 210 pounds, but is an extremely talented player.
The Bulldogs will be better next season as Murray continues to grow.
10. Dan Persa, Northwestern
16 of 25
The senior from Northwestern will be coming back of a late season injury that knocked him out for the final three games.
Persa threw 15 touchdowns and only four interceptions prior to the injury and led his team to a 7-3 record before going down.
Persa completed nearly 75 of his passes and has the ability to make things happen on the ground as well.
He is not big, 6'1", 205 pounds, but is a smart and effective player that knows how to run his offense.
9. Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State
17 of 25
The uber-productive Cowboy returns for his senior season along with his top target, Justin Blackmon.
Weeden has great size at 6'4", 225 pounds and throws a lot of footballs.
He threw 34 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and completed 67 percent of his passes in 2010.
Over 4,000 yards in the air, the Pokes offense was one of the best in the country and Weeden was a big reason why.
Oklahoma State was 11-2 last season, Weeden will look to continue their winning ways in the Big 12 in 2011.
8. Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State
18 of 25
The super-talented Pryor will be suspended for the first five games of 2011.
His ability though, is unquestioned and he is the engine of the Buckeye offense.
A three-year starter, Pryor's senior season will be important for him.
65 percent completion percentage, 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions were the best numbers of his career and the Buckeyes finally won a BCS Bowl with him under center.
His dual-threat ability is as good as most in the nation and at 6'6", 235 pounds, his athleticism is tremendous.
7. Case Keenum, Houston
19 of 25
The Cougar senior was granted a sixth year of eligibility after a season ending injury wiped out his 2010 campaign.
6'2", 210 pounds, Keenum has decent size for the position and an arm that slings the ball all over the field.
In his two previous healthy seasons he threw for 88 touchdowns, 26 interceptions, and almost 11,000 yards.
Keenum completes nearly 68 percent of his passes is accustomed to thrown the football a ton.
Pending his healthy return to form, Keenum should be back in force in 2011.
6. Nick Foles, Arizona
20 of 25
The senior signal caller for Arizona has a bright future ahead of him.
An NFL arm and ideal size (6'5", 245 pounds) have the Wildcat on the map.
His team fell apart down the stretch after starting the season 7-1 and lost five straight to close the season.
Foles will look to bounce back strong in 2011 after throwing 20 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and over 3,000 yards in 2010.
5. Matt Barkley, USC
21 of 25
The USC junior continues to get better with each passing year.
26 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 62 percent completion percentage in 2010 were a solid jump from his freshman campaign.
He has decent size at 6'2", 220 pounds, and is now engrained in the USC offense.
USC was 8-5 this past season, but should improve on that mark in 2011.
Barkley will be very good next season.
4. Darron Thomas, Oregon
22 of 25
The Ducks starting quarterback will be back and hungry for action in 2011 following the BCS Championship Game loss to Auburn.
Thomas was extremely efficient running the Ducks' uptempo offense and threw 30 touchdowns and only nine interceptions.
He's a threat on the ground and can buy time for his receivers to get open easily.
Thomas will continue to improve and with defenses focusing on LaMichael James at running back, Thomas should thrive again next season.
3. Landry Jones, Oklahoma
23 of 25
The junior Sooner will be back with nothing but a national championship on his mind in 2011.
His top target, Ryan Broyles, is back in Norman and the two will be a lethal combination.
Jones threw for over 4,700 yards last season, 38 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
At 6'4", 220 pounds, he stands tall in the pocket and is efficient with the football.
Oklahoma is an early favorite to win the national championship next season with Jones under center.
2. Kellen Moore, Boise State
24 of 25
The Broncos senior quarterback loses some talent on the outside with the departure of Titus Young and Austin Pettis, but Kellen Moore will still be Kellen Moore.
Extremely efficient with the football, Moore completed over 70 percent of his passes and threw 35 touchdowns and only six interceptions in 2010.
Over the past two seasons he has thrown 74 touchdowns and only nine interceptions.
He may be undersized at 6'0", 188 pounds, but he can throw the football.
One of the early favorites for the Heisman Trophy.
1. Andrew Luck, Stanford
25 of 25
The nation's top prospect is back on the farm and no one is as good as him in the country.
Luck has prototype size, above average athleticism, and is extremely smart with the football.
He threw 32 touchdowns and only eight interceptions on the season.
The junior led his team to a one-loss season while his former coach is gone to the NFL, Luck will dominate the college ranks for one more season before moving on.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
