Big 12 Post-Spring Quarterback Rankings

There are a lot of wide-open quarterback competitions due to the talent that has left the Big 12.

But there is also an incoming group of passers who should electrify Big 12 fans.

So which schools' quarterback roster looks to be in the best shape?  Things have changed drastically from last season.

West Virginia looks green while Oklahoma State looks experienced.

What's going on here? 

10. Iowa State: Sam Richardson

The Iowa State quarterback situation has been settled all spring. 

Sam Richardson will be the starter in a new pistol offense. 

The bad news for Cyclone fans: UCLA recently tried this same quick fix, and it didn't work out too well. 

9. West Virginia: Unknown

So Geno Smith is gone, and besides the quarterback position, head coach Dana Holgorsen has 19 other starting spots to settle. 

Paul Millard has been a two-year backup, but he wasn't particularly spectacular in spring camp. Ford Childress looks promising, especially at his size (6'5", 235 pounds), but he lacks experience.

Then there's Florida State transfer Clint Trickett, who will be arriving in Morgantown this summer. He will have graduated, so he is eligible to play this fall.

Unless Trickett blows Holgorsen's socks off in fall camp, Childress figures to be the starter. Still, it's only May, and no one knows who will be igniting the Mountaineers' offense.  

8. Kansas State: Jake Waters or Daniel Sams

Kansas State has to replace Heisman Trophy finalist Collin Klein. 

Reserve quarterback Daniel Sams has had a good spring, but JUCO transfer Jake Waters will get a long look from Bill Snyder as well. Waters had some great offers and didn't come to Manhattan to sit on the bench. 

Right now it looks like a dead heat. More from The Wichita Eagle:

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“I cannot give you a distinct answer right now until we sit down and scrutinize things a little more closely in regards to this game as well as the other 14 practices,” Snyder said.

“I saw some very positive things with both of them."

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7. Texas Tech: Michael Brewer

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury hasn't named his starter, but it looks like Michael Brewer is going to be the guy to replace Seth Doege. More from ESPN's David Ubben:

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Kingsbury has been slowplaying who his starting quarterback will be in the fall, but the long-held assumption by most is that Brewer would easily win the job on a roster with not much competition. Davis Webb has made things interesting, but Brewer's performance on Saturday— just the third open practice of the entire spring—made it look like it's hard to believe he won't be the guy come fall.

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6. Kansas: Jake Heaps

BYU transfer Jake Heaps is the man to beat unless Michael Cummings throws head coach Charlie Weis a curveball this fall.

Here's what Weis had to say about Heaps, via KU Athletics. "Is (Jake) Heaps accurate, well, it’s pretty obvious that he’s accurate.''

Heaps was named the co-offensive MVP of the Jayhawks' spring game, which should answer the question of who will be the starting quarterback. 

5. TCU: Casey Pachall or Trevone Boykin

Head coach Gary Patterson is still deliberating over which experienced quarterback to tab as starter.

Casey Pachall, the quarterback who left the team last season to deal with some addiction issues? Or Trevone Boykin, the quarterback who took over Pachall's spot and did an admirable job?

It's a tough decision for Patterson.

4. Oklahoma: Unknown

The fans would love to see Blake "Belldozer" Bell start. He's the Big 12's version of Tim Tebow. 

Without the tears and promises. 

But Trevor Knight has been electric in spring practices, and he might be able to unseat Bell by fall camp. Then there's Kendal Thompson. There's so much talent in Norman, Okla.  

At this point, head coach Bob Stoops probably has already made a decision, but he is not announcing Bell as his starter just so Knight and Thompson continue to compete at a high level.  

3. Baylor: Bryce Petty

ESPN's David Ubben summed up why people are so high on Bryce Petty, the newest Baylor quarterback to light up the scoreboards.

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The Bears' quarterback is an unknown for now, but he's learned a proven system under great coaches and great quarterbacks. This spring, he never let his competition come close to making it real quarterback battle in Waco.

Despite windy conditions, he capped the spring with 181 yards and two touchdowns on 13-of-15 passing. Don't be surprised if he hangs similar stat lines in a first half or two next year.

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2. Texas: David Ash

If the Texas Longhorns' defense can stop the run and the pass, quarterback David Ash shouldn't have to put up 375 passing yards per game to try to play catch up. 

Ash's 2013 season is dependent on what the defense does. And because head coach Mack Brown said he'd fix the defense, Ash should excel.

1. Oklahoma State: Clint Chelf, Wes Lunt or J.W. Walsh

No matter which quarterback starts, the Oklahoma State Cowboys are going to be in a good position to challenge for the Big 12 crown behind Clint Chelf, Wes Lunt or J.W. Walsh. To put this in perspective, their third-string quarterback would start on most FBS teams. Ridiculous.

As Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy told ESPN:

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There's really no reason to talk about what our quarterback situation is. We've been very open about it through the spring, but I don't know if there's anything else we can say other than we're fortunate to have three that are really good.

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