College Football 2011: A Look at the Top Quarterbacks of the PAC-12

The conference of champions.

The new look Pac-12 is guaranteed to give us lots of excitement this year. With the expansion of Utah and Colorado comes a conference championship game.

The only potential problem I see coming into the season is the way the conferences were aligned.

Standford and Oregon headline the northern division, while USC and Arizona State are the top dogs in the south. This normally wouldn't be a big deal, but with the sanctions on USC (cannot participate in bowl games or conference championships), are we looking at ASU, Utah, and Arizona battling it out for second place in their division and a spot in the conference championship?

I'd much rather watch Oregon and Stanford duke it out again.

Anyway, here's a quick look at the top quarterbacks from the Pac-12:

1. Andrew Luck, Stanford, Junior

The man that turned down being the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. Luck has pretty much everything you look for in a quarterback. He finished third in the NCAA in passing efficiency last year and should be in the top three this year, too. Stanford did lose its top two receivers, plus three starters on the O-line, including first-team All American center Chase Beeler.

2.  Matt Barkley, USC, Junior

It seems like almost every year the Trojans have one of the top quarterbacks in the country, and this year is no different. In the last decade, five USC quarterbacks have been taken in the NFL draft and two have won the Heisman Trophy. While I don't see Barkley winning the Heisman, he will benefit from the return of three starters on the O-line and his top receiver. I think he will have a big year as this is probably his last year in college.

3. Nick Foles, Arizona, Senior

Another potential first-round draft pick, Foles faces a tough challenge early on as Arizona has an entirely new O-line. While this wouldn't be as big of a problem for a more mobile quarterback like Andrew Luck or Darron Thomas, Foles is more of a pure pocket passer. One thing that does point to success for Foles, a Michigan State transfer, is the fact that his top four receivers from last year are all back.

4. Darron Thomas, Oregon, Junior

The quarterback for the national runners-up, Thomas threw for more than 2880 yards last year, while adding 570 yards on the ground. Thomas appears more seasoned this year and I look for him to put up improved numbers. The season opener versus LSU will give the Oregon receiving corp a test early on.

5. Ryan Katz, Oregon State, Junior

Going into his second year as a starter, I expect Katz to show great improvement. Oregon State quarterbacks almost always show amazing improvement in their second years as starters (see Derek Anderson, Matt Moore, Sean Canfield). Katz will be working with a veteran O-line and gets his favorite four targets back.

Best of the Rest:

Jeff Tuel, Washington State, Junior
-Apparently I "failed" big time when I didn't mention him the first time this article was published. Despite playing for a team that has gone 3-21 in the last two years, he had a good sophomore season. Should be one of the more underrated QB's this season.

Jordan Wynn, Utah, Junior
-Durability issues, but should show great improvement going into Utah's first year in the Pac-12.

Brock Osweiler, Arizona State, Junior
-Committed to play basketball at Gonzaga as a high school senior. The big, 6'8" quarterback focused exclusively on football this offseason and it should show in his game early on. 

Matt Scott, Arizona, Senior
-Would start on many other teams in the country; thinking of redshirting this year.