Power Ranking College Football Conferences by QB Play
Which college football conference has been getting the best quarterback play? It's a difficult question to answer.
Raw passing numbers do not tell the whole story because they do not account for strength of opponent faced. The Total QBR stat at ESPN.com attempts to fix this—and for the most part does a very good job—but it still doesn't feel right to measure a position as nuanced as quarterback with one comprehensive metric.
The most prudent way to measure quarterback play—both on an individual and a collective basis—would seem to be a balance of those metrics along with…you know…actually watching the games.
Raw stats are important because they imply usage rate and reliance. QBR is important because it implies efficiency and adjusts for opponent. And the eye test is important because sometimes what happens on a football field cannot be quantified in numbers.
The list that follows was based on all three of those factors. It rated conferences from top to bottom, which is to say that the quarterback of each team in the league was considered.
Depth was preferred but not mandatory if the players at the top of the conference are playing well enough to compensate. Injured players were only considered if they are projected to return in 2014.
Sound off below and let me know where you disagree.
11. MAC
1 of 11
Top Three
- Drew Hare, Northern Illinois
- Joe Licata, Buffalo
- Zach Terrell, Western Michigan
Underrated
- Blake Frohnapfel, UMass
- Cooper Rush, Central Michigan
Disappointing
- Andrew Hendrix, Miami (Ohio)
- Ozzie Mann, Ball State
The MAC has always been a surprisingly strong quarterback conference. Even last season, Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois, Keith Wenning of Ball State, Matt Johnson of Bowling Green and Tyler Tettleton of Ohio gave the league some credibility under center.
But three of those quarterbacks left school this offseason, and the one who returned, Johnson, suffered a season-ending hip injury in Week 1. The resulting QB hierarchy is gruesome, as only Lynch's replacement, Drew Hare, has looked like a capable player in 2014.
For a sliver lining, though, let us look to an unlikely source: two of the "Directional Michigans." Zach Terrell and Cooper Rush are both playing adequate football as sophomores, providing hope for the future at Western and Central Michigan, respectively.
10. Sun Belt
2 of 11
Top Three
- Brandon Bridge, South Alabama
- Terrance Broadway, Louisiana-Lafayette
- Kevin Ellison, Georgia Southern
Underrated
- Nick Arbuckle, Georgia State
- Taylor Lamb, Appalachian State
Disappoiting
- Tyler Jones, Texas State
- Pete Thomas, Louisiana-Monroe
Terrance Broadway is not having the season that many—myself included—thought he would have. But he has righted the ship a little bit after dreadful games against Ole Miss and Boise State, once again making Louisiana-Lafayette appear like the conference favorite.
The real highlights of the Sun Belt, though, rank beside Broadway on the Top Three.
Brandon Bridge does not put up big numbers because of the talent around him but has impressed NFL scouts with his combination of size (6'5"), arm strength and speed. According to Tony Pauline of TFY Draft Insider, he has even drawn comparisons with Colin Kaepernick.
Kevin Ellison is the opposite, putting up huge numbers and leading his team to wins as a triple-option QB at Georgia Southern. Only a sophomore, he should have two more quality years ahead of him.
9. Mountain West
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Top Three
- Cody Fajardo, Nevada
- Darell Garretson, Utah State
- Garrett Grayson, Colorado State
Underrated
- Joe Gray, San Jose State
- Kale Pearson, Air Force
Disappointing
- Brian Burrell, Fresno State
- Grant Hedrick, Boise State
Garrett Grayson is an AJ McCarron-type playing for McCarron's old offensive coordinator, Jim McElwain, at Colorado State. It should not come as a surprise that the Rams have a 6-1 record to show for it.
Elsewhere, Cody Fajardo continues to impress as Colin Kaepernick-lite at Nevada, and Darell Garrettson has looked good since replacing a one-legged version of Chuckie Keeton at Utah State.
Unfortunately, that's about all the Mountain West has going for it. Grant Hedrick has been a mild disappointment at Boise State (see: throwing four interceptions in a loss at Air Force) and Brian Burrell has been a massive disappointment at Fresno State.
Boise and Fresno are the keystone schools in the conference.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
8. C-USA
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Top Three
- Rakeem Cato, Marshall
- Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky
- Jaquez Johnson, Florida Atlantic
Underrated
- Cody Clements, UAB
- Driphus Jackson, Rice
Disappointing
- Tucker Carter, UTSA
- Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion
Rakeem Cato broke an FBS record last weekend, throwing a touchdown pass in his 39th consecutive game. But at this point, nothing Cato does should really shock us. He did, after all, lead the country in passing yards when he was a sophomore in 2012.
He's been playing this well for a long, long while.
But Cato is not the only impressive QB in C-USA. Brandon Doughty has enjoyed an out-of-nowhere season at Western Kentucky, currently ranking No. 2 in the country with 416.7 passing yards per game, and Jaquez Johnson has rebounded from a slow start to put together some really nice games for Florida Atlantic.
If Old Dominion's Taylor Heinicke, the 2012 Walter Payton Award winner as the best player in the FCS, were playing as well as some thought he was capable, C-USA might rank a few spots higher.
As it stands, No. 8 feels about right.
7. FBS Independents
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Rankings
- Everett Golson, Notre Dame
- Keenan Reynolds, Navy
- Christian Stewart, BYU
- Angel Santiago, Army
The FBS Independents would have ranked higher—a lot higher—if not for the season-ending injury sustained by BYU quarterback Taysom Hill. They might have even been No. 1.
Everett Golson played like a Heisman contender in a close loss at Florida State and will make it to New York (and have a shot to win) if Notre Dame goes 11-1.
Keenan Reynolds has been banged up this year but is still one of the most efficient triple-option quarterbacks to ever play the game.
That makes up 50 percent of the Independent quarterbacks.
Not bad for a four-team "league."
6. American
6 of 11
Top Three
- Shane Carden, East Carolina
- Gunner Kiel, Cincinnati
- P.J. Walker, Temple
Underrated
- Paxton Lynch, Memphis
- Mike White, South Florida
Disappointing
- Justin Holman, Central Florida
- John O'Korn, Houston
Shane Carden and Gunner Kiel could both start for good teams in big conferences. The other group-of-five leagues could argue the same point—that two of their QBs are good enough to play for anyone—but none would have a stronger case than the American.
And that is why the AAC ranks ahead of them.
But it's not just Carden and Kiel who are carrying the AAC banner. P.J. Walker has struggled on paper but navigated Temple to a 4-2 record, and 6'7" sophomore Paxton Lynch has Memphis humming along as one of the most dangerous group-of-five teams in the country.
Even Mike White and South Florida have shown some signs of life!
If not for the drop-off from Blake Bortles to Justin Holman at UCF and 2013 John O'Korn to 2014 John O'Korn (the latter of whom got benched earlier this month) at Houston, the AAC might have a case to place alongside some of the power-five leagues.
5. Big Ten
7 of 11
Top Three
- J.T. Barrett, Ohio State
- Connor Cook, Michigan State
- Christian Hackenberg, Penn State
Underrated
- Austin Appleby, Purdue
- Gary Nova, Rutgers
Disappointing
- Tanner McEvoy/Joel Stave, Wisconsin
- Trevor Siemian, Northwestern
Christian Hackenberg's stats have been a disappointment, but anyone who has watched Penn State play knows that to be less because of Hackenberg and more because of his offensive line. That does not absolve Hackenberg from blame—he could, after all, be playing better than he has been—but he is still a budding prospect.
As it stands, though, he, Connor Cook and J.T. Barrett are the only quarterbacks the Big Ten can truly feel great about. And a league with three good quarterbacks cannot stack up to the other power-five conferences, no matter how good that triad might be.
Gary Nova at Rutgers has shown flashes, but he's also…well, Gary Nova: the same guy who threw five interceptions against Penn State. Tommy Armstrong of Nebraska has been up-and-down, and Mitch Leidner of Minnesota has the fifth-highest QBR in the conference despite not being asked to do much besides avoid turnovers.
The name to keep an eye on is Purdue sophomore Austin Appleby, who has been sublime the past three weeks since relieving Danny Etling. His mobility allows the Boilermakers to incorporate some zone-read concepts, and his arm has looked surprisingly live.
4. ACC
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Top Three
- Deshaun Watson, Clemson*
- Marquise Williams, North Carolina
- Jameis Winston, Florida State
Underrated
- Brad Kaaya, Miami
- Justin Thomas, Georgia Tech
Disappointing
- Michael Brewer, Virginia Tech
- Will Gardner, Louisville
The ACC is solid at the top with Jameis Winston, Deshaun Watson (provided he returns from his hand injury), Marquise Williams and even NC State's Jacoby Brissett playing quality football.
But that was to be expected. The surprise has been the middle tier of ACC quarterbacks, the Justin Thomases and Brad Kaayas of the league, also leading their teams with impressive efficiency. Thomas is a sophomore and Kaaya is a freshman, so the future at Georgia Tech and Miami, respectively, appear to be in good hands.
Tyler Murphy of Boston College and Matt Johns of Virginia have also had surprisingly decent seasons, which was enough to earn the ACC consideration for a spot in the top three.
Ultimately, however, disappointments such as Michael Brewer, Will Gardner, Cole Stoudt at Clemson and even (to a lesser extent) Anthony Boone at Duke weighed the conference down.
*Watson injured his hand against Louisville but the team hopes to have him back Nov. 15 against Georgia Tech, per David Hood of Tigernet.com.
3. SEC
9 of 11
Top Three
- Nick Marshall, Auburn
- Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
- Bo Wallace, Ole Miss
Underrated
- Blake Sims, Alabama
- Justin Worley, Tennessee
Disappointing
- Jeff Driskel, Florida
- Maty Mauk, Missouri
The SEC does not—and probably never will—lack for star power.
Dak Prescott is the presumed Heisman Trophy front-runner after eight weeks, and Bo Wallace, Nick Marshall and Blake Sims might all be in the running depending on how their teams close out the year.
The problem is the drop-off behind them. Seriously…who is the fifth-best quarterback in the league? Dylan Thompson at South Carolina? Hutson Mason at Georgia? Kenny Hill at Texas A&M?
Yikes.
The SEC can be forgiven for having a down quarterback year after the class of players it lost (Johnny Manziel, AJ McCarron, Aaron Murray, Zach Mettenberger Connor Shaw, et al.) in 2014. No conference could sustain such an exodus and remain at the top of the rankings.
And that a "down QB year" for the SEC includes a foursome of viable Heisman candidates speaks well to the state of the conference.
But that doesn't change the fact of the matter.
2. Big 12
10 of 11
Top Three
- Trevone Boykin, TCU
- Bryce Petty, Baylor
- Clint Trickett, West Virginia
Underrated
- Sam Richardson, Iowa State
- Jake Waters, Kansas State
Disappointing
- Trevor Knight, Oklahoma
- Davis Webb, Texas Tech
The Big 12 has 10 teams. Nine of those teams have quarterbacks on their roster who are good enough to make a bowl game with. When healthy, 90 percent of the conference is in decent shape.
No other conference can say that.
It's true, though: Outside of Kansas, every Big 12 team has something to feel good about under center. J.W. Walsh of Oklahoma State is currently injured, but the way he played in Week 1 against Florida State was comforting to say the least. And the way Tyrone Swoopes of Texas has improved this past month has been diametric.
But that might be burying the lede. The biggest story of the Big 12 season has been the improvement of Trevone Boykin and Clint Trickett—and the subsequent improvement of TCU and West Virginia. Both of those guys are playing out-of-their-mind-well this season.
"You have to give Trevone credit," said TCU head coach Gary Patterson after last week's 42-9 win over Oklahoma State. "Through the years, I've been a Trevone fan. I've been defending him in practice for three years. We just have to keep playing."
Patterson's patience is paying off.
1. Pac-12
11 of 11
Top Three
- Jared Goff, Cal
- Brett Hundley, UCLA
- Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Underrated
- Cody Kessler, USC
- Sefo Liufau, Colorado
Disappointing
- Kevin Hogan, Stanford
- Sean Mannion, Oregon State
Eight Pac-12 quarterbacks have a QBR higher than 60 and six have a QBR higher than 70. The quarterback who earlier this year broke the single-game NCAA passing yards record (Connor Halliday, Washington State) and a redshirt freshman whose team is 6-1 (Anu Solomon, Arizona) are barely in the top half of the league.
Yeah, the Pac-12 is pretty good.
Marcus Mariota is still the best quarterback in the country, and Brett Hundley, for all the aspersions cast upon him, has UCLA ranked No. 4 in Football Outsiders' offensive F/+ ratings. Jared Goff has rare touch and accuracy for a sophomore, and Cody Kessler just threw seven touchdowns in three quarters against Colorado.
The top two-thirds of this conference is filled with quality players, and even the bottom third is filled with one-time quality players such as Kevin Hogan and Sean Mannion. The Pac-12 is not the country's best conference, but it does boast the country's best passers.
From the top to the middle to the bottom, that is true.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
