2011 Bowl Schedule: Tyler Wilson and the Best Quarterbacks in Bowl Season

This year, college football fans from across the country can tune into Bowl Games and enjoy athleticism and football.

Year after year, bowl season exposes quarterbacks with greatness and gives them a stage to present their talents. Players like Andrew Luck have the chance to rise to legendary status, while others flop and show their worth is not as high as many thought it could have been.

Draft scouts, casual fans and sportswriters will be watching closely as they tune in to watch the bowl season and these highlighted players.

In honor of the matchup fans witnessed last night between Keith Price (438 yards, four TDs) and the Heisman Trophy Winner Robert Griffin III (295 yards, one TD), it’s time to look at the best quarterbacks remaining in the bowl schedule.

Case Keenum, Houston (Ticket City Bowl, Jan. 2nd)

Case Keenum is good.

Now that I’ve said that, allow me to elaborate a little bit. I think Keenum is a very good quarterback, and he should continue to play well as long as he sticks with Houston. Keenum, however, is a direct product of the offensive scheme that he is part of.

Houston is a team without a running game. They are 61st overall in rushing production, averaging only 155.2 yards per game. For the first twelve games of the season, Houston was able to survive on the heels of Keenum—going 12-0 and showcasing the most productive passing game in the country (443.8 yards per game).

All of this, however, was against an unimpressive schedule.

Houston had one ranked opponent all season: a 12-2 Southern Miss. team, and they were able to hold Keenum’s Houston team to only 28 points in a decisive victory. Keenum was intercepted twice and averaged only 5.6 yards per completion.

Regardless, his season was still undeniably impressive and should not be entirely discredited. His 45 touchdowns was the most in college football, and his 177.9 passer rating was behind only Russell Wilson and the Heisman Trophy Winner Robert Griffin.

Keenum—who also had more throwing attempts than almost everyone in college football—threw for over 5,000 yards this year. The merits of this accomplishment should not go unnoticed.

When he faces Penn State in the Ticket City Bowl, look for him to go yard.

Tajh Boyd, Clemson (Orange Bowl, Jan. 4th)

This sophomore out of Clemson is a touchdown machine, and he produced in the end zone more than some of the best names in football.

At 31 touchdowns, he was one of the best offensive weapons in the game. Boyd, however, was a constant liability to be taken down. His 28 sacks were among the highest in college football, and his ten interceptions became a bit of a liability in more crucial games. 

Boyd is young, and he has lots of room to grow into his undeniable talents.

Under his leadership, Clemson was able to defeat multiple ranked teams (4-1 vs. Top 25) including Auburn, Florida and Virginia Tech (twice).

In the bowl season, Boyd will face West Virginia (No. 23) in the Orange Bowl. 

Geno Smith, West Virginia (Orange Bowl, Jan. 4th)

Geno Smith is known around the league for his stellar production.

West Virginia averages 341.8 passing yards per game, which is in the Top 10 in the country. While West Virginia has a hard time rushing the ball, their passing attack has been above average week after week.

Against a ranked Cincinnati opponent, Smith raked in over 372 yards in a comeback victory that ensured a narrow 24-21 victory.

Smith, the junior from Miami, has been accurate (65 percent, seven INT), and strong this season. He has been a large part of the season for West Virginia’s success.

His 3,798 passing yards is a definite milestone, and in his match with Clemson, fans should look forward to a true quarterback shootout.

Landry Jones, Oklahoma (Insight Bowl, Dec. 30th)

Tonight, Landry Jones will try and show whatever’s left in his tank against Iowa. While the Insight Bowl might be a disappointment for the Sooners, Landry Jones still has a lot left to prove.

His draft stock—which now trails behind Griffin and Luck—can take a huge climb if Jones shines tonight.

For what this season has shown us, fans have every reason to believe that he will. While his two to one touchdown to interception ratio is far from what many believe he is capable of, he is still one of the most talented throwers in the league and can outperform many of the names that will also be playing in bowl season.

Jones, a junior from New Mexico, is not repeating what he did last season (38 touchdowns, 146.3 QB rating), but is still enjoying an impressive run (28 touchdowns, 142.4 QB rating).

In the Insight Bowl tonight, look for Landry Jones to have a good showcase of his many talents.

Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State (Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 2nd)

Perhaps the more impressive QB playing in Oklahoma, however, is Brandon Weeden. Weeden—who enjoys the benefits of throwing to Justin Blackmon—has had one of the most impressive quarterback seasons in college football.

His 34 touchdowns and 159.1 QB rating helps put him in a class above the rest of the league, and his 72.6 percent completion rating solidifies him as elite as only two other players. Only Kellen Moore from Boise and Dan Persa from Northwestern have comparably high numbers in accuracy.

Weeden’s 4,328 yards also are among the Top Three in football (behind only Keenum and Foles), and his production has been off the charts.

The fact that he’s throwing to the best receiver in football is certainly a very strong advantage, but there’s a reason the senior has led Oklahoma State to become the third best team in the country.

When Weeden faces Andrew Luck in the Fiesta Bowl, don’t be surprised if Weeden proves to be the more effective quarterback.

Russell Wilson, Wisconsin (Rose Bowl, Jan. 2nd)

Russell Wilson’s quarterback rating is through the roof this year: At 191.6, no one even comes close to matching his offensive production.

His numbers are unreal—31 touchdowns, 10.1 yards per completion, 72.5 percent accuracy and an ungodly low three interceptions.

Wilson, however, is human. He has been sacked 20 times, the offense runs through the running back (Heisman candidate Monte Ball), and has far fewer attempts at 284 than any one else this high on the list.

In the Rose Bowl, look for Oregon to use a similar defensive strategy that they used to stop Andrew Luck when they face Wisconsin in Pasadena. Luck, who had been stellar all season, threw for only 256 yards and two interceptions against the Ducks.

Wilson also benefits from an NFL-sized offensive line, and if Oregon is able to speed by the larger offensive linemen, than expect Wilson to face more sacks than he is accustomed to.

Russell Wilson should be slated to have a very good game in the Rose Bowl.

Tyler Wilson, Arkansas (Cotton Bowl, Jan. 6th)

Wilson is one of the sneaky-good quarterbacks in college football right now.

His quarterback rating (148.7) is very good, and he has been accurate and valuable to his team. With 22 touchdowns and only six interceptions, Wilson has been consistent all season long with a 63.1 completion percentage.

His most impressive victory came against Texas A&M, where he threw for three touchdowns and 510 yards.

Wilson, now a junior in college, has faced only two losses this season: one to LSU and one to Alabama. Both teams will be playing in the National Championship at the end of this season.

In all of his other tests, Wilson has come up stellar, handily defeating Auburn, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Miss. State.

Against Kansas State, I expect Wilson to have a monster game to win the Cotton Bowl.

Andrew Luck, Stanford (Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 4th)

Perhaps the best quarterback to come through the college system in years, Luck is one of the most elite players in college football.

You’ve read everything there is to know about the Stanford standout—he’s got the smarts, size and athleticism to succeed at an NFL level.

His 167.5 QB rating is unfathomable, his nine sacks are remarkably low for a scrambler and his 30 touchdowns and 70 percent accuracy rating help him maintain his legend as one of the best in the business.

Luck has a bright future in front of him in the NFL, and after slated to the first overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, his final test in college will be against a very strong Oklahoma State team.

For Luck, however, I would not be worried. If anybody can handle the pressures of the limelight, it’s this young superstar.

Expect Luck to go out with a bang in his final college game.