Power Ranking College Football Conferences by QB Play
There is no more important position in the game of football than quarterback. If you don’t have a competent quarterback, chances are you don’t have a competitive offense. Getting a good quarterback to lead your offense is crucial, and college coaches know it.
The quality and style of quarterback play across the nation varies widely, with some teams using wide-open schemes and others playing buttoned-down systems. Here’s a stab at ranking the quarterback play in all 10 FBS leagues. We ranked the leagues for the quality and depth of quarterbacks who are currently playing within their membership this season. Which wide-open conference came out on top in our estimation? Check it out:
10. Sun Belt
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The Sun Belt has a reputation for wide-open offense, but a look at its passing stats shows that its most prolific passers play for its worst teams. Georgia State is 1-4, but Nick Arbuckle leads the conference with 1,549 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. Texas State is also 1-4, but Tyler Jones has 1,154 yards passing with seven touchdowns against two interceptions.
South Alabama (3-2) breaks the trend, as Cody Clements has 1,131 yards passing with seven touchdowns against six interceptions. Louisiana-Monroe and Idaho are a combined 2-8, but quarterbacks Garrett Smith and Matt Linehan have thrown for more than 1,100 yards apiece.
The Sun Belt has been called the “Fun Belt,” but it doesn’t look like quarterbacks are having much fun there.
9. Mountain West Conference
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The Mountain West is one of the best “Group of Five” leagues, as evidenced by Boise State’s selection as the Group of Five rep in 2014’s New Year’s Six bowl games. But the MWC is woefully lacking when it comes to quarterback star power following the graduations of Garrett Grayson at Colorado State and Grant Hedrick at Boise State. As 2015 nears its midpoint, the league has just three quarterbacks with more than 1,000 yards passing.
Cameron Coffman of winless Wyoming leads the league with 1,291 yards passing and 11 touchdowns against six interceptions. Grayson’s replacement, Nick Stevens, has 1,189 yards passing with 10 touchdowns against five picks. And Hedrick’s replacement, Brett Rypien, nephew of former NFL star Mark Rypien, has 1,057 yards with seven touchdowns against one interception.
That’s it. The Mountain West is a solid league, but it could use some work at quarterback.
8. Mid-American Conference
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Viewers of midweek football are familiar with the concept of MACtion. For the uninitiated, the Mid-American Conference is a staple of Tuesday and Wednesday nights in midseason and beyond, often with wild games that have more than earned the MACtion label.
Who fuels MACtion? The league’s quarterbacks.
Bowling Green senior Matt Johnson personifies this ethos. After missing much of last season with a hip injury, he has returned with a vengeance. He leads the nation with 2,534 passing yards and 19 touchdowns against three interceptions, surpassing 400 yards in five of six games.
But Johnson isn’t the only talented passer in the MAC. Central Michigan’s Cooper Rush has thrown for 1,771 yards with 12 touchdowns against five interceptions, and UMass’ Blake Frohnapfel has 1,623 yards with 10 touchdowns against four interceptions. If you tune into a MAC game, chances are you’ll have a good time, especially if you check out one of these quarterbacks.
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7. American Athletic Conference
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The American Athletic Conference received a serious infusion of offensive-minded coaching talent last offseason when Houston hired Tom Herman, Tulsa hired Phillip Montgomery and SMU hired Chad Morris. All three are already making an offensive impact at their new homes, and you can expect improvement for as long as the new hires hang around.
Tulsa quarterback Dane Evans has thrown for 1,839 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. SMU is 1-4, but you can’t blame Matt Davis, who has passed for 1,430 yards with 11 touchdowns against just two picks. And Houston cracked the Associated Press Top 25 this week largely thanks to Greg Ward Jr., who has 1,301 yards passing with eight touchdowns and one interception as well as 554 yards rushing with 11 scores.
Memphis won 10 games last season and is on pace to repeat the feat, thanks to the excellent pocket passing of Paxton Lynch, who has 1,535 yards with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 70.3 percent of his passes.
And while Cincinnati’s Gunner Kiel missed a win over Miami with a concussion, he is a talented passer who led the Bearcats to nine wins last season. If option quarterbacks are your thing, Navy’s Keenan Reynolds is one of the best, with 598 rushing yards and nine touchdowns this season.
6. Conference USA
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You might not know a lot about Conference USA, which rarely makes appearances in key national TV games, but its quarterbacking is better than you think. Western Kentucky senior Brandon Doughty, in fact, is one of the nation’s most prolific passers. A year ago, he led the FBS in both passing yards and touchdowns, and he’s threatening to do it again this fall.
Doughty has thrown for 2,359 yards (second nationally) and 20 touchdowns with three interceptions while completing 74.7 percent of his passes. Meanwhile, Southern Miss QB Nick Mullens is fifth nationally in passing yardage with 2,003 yards and 15 touchdowns against four interceptions. And Florida flame-out Jeff Driskel has resurrected his career with Skip Holtz at Louisiana Tech, throwing for 1,812 yards with 11 touchdowns against three interceptions.
If you get a chance to see any of these guys, especially Doughty, on national TV, take it. You won’t be disappointed.
5. Big Ten Conference
6 of 10
The Big Ten has acquired a reputation as a stodgy league when compared to, say, the Big 12, Pac-12 or SEC. That can be hard to shake, and it’s even tougher when you look at its current quarterback slate. While there is clear talent at the top, the Big Ten just isn’t as deep as other Power Five conferences under center.
Ohio State junior Cardale Jones has excellent potential and earned the starting job following a high-profile battle with J.T. Barrett. But Jones has been just average as the Buckeyes’ leader, with 1,158 yards passing and seven touchdowns against five interceptions. Michigan State senior Connor Cook is an excellent pocket passer and has thrown for 1,334 yards with 12 touchdowns against two interceptions.
Penn State junior Christian Hackenberg is regarded as one of the top prospects in college football. An NFL scout told ESPN The Magazine's Kevin Van Valkenburg that Hackenberg is "easily" a top-five selection in next spring's draft. However, his numbers don’t really show it. He has 1,086 passing yards (ninth in the Big Ten) and seven touchdowns against two interceptions.
The league’s leading passer, Nebraska’s Tommy Armstrong Jr., is really considered more of a dual threat, but he has 1,500 passing yards with 12 touchdowns against six interceptions. Oklahoma State transfer Wes Lunt has made an impression at Illinois, throwing for 1,424 yards with nine touchdowns against two picks.
Following last season’s national title, the Big Ten is on the right track, but recruiting more talented passers would certainly help matters along.
4. Atlantic Coast Conference
7 of 10
The ACC has an intriguing mix of quarterback talent, and it should only get better with age. Miami is struggling, but the Hurricanes have one of the nation’s top young signal-callers in sophomore Brad Kaaya. He has built on his ACC Rookie of the Year campaign this fall, throwing for 1,499 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception.
Clemson sophomore Deshaun Watson is still learning in his first full season as a starter, but he is a great dual threat who has 1,003 yards and a league-leading 11 touchdowns to go with five interceptions.
Meanwhile, Duke junior Thomas Sirk has quietly been impressive in his first season running the Blue Devils offense. He has 1,260 yards with seven touchdowns against three interceptions.
Florida State senior Everett Golson has been efficient in his only season as the Seminoles starter, throwing for eight touchdowns and no interceptions, leading the ‘Noles to the brink of the Top 10. North Carolina State’s Jacoby Brissett is also a threat to pass and run and has thrown for 1,105 yards with eight touchdowns against an interception.
Virginia Tech’s Brenden Motley has displayed some solid passing skills, throwing for 1,019 yards with 10 touchdowns against five interceptions while filling in for injured starter Michael Brewer. And while Georgia Tech is struggling at 2-4, junior Justin Thomas remains one of the best option quarterbacks in America.
3. Southeastern Conference
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The SEC is regarded as the nation’s deepest league. So it makes sense that the conference would have a solid group of quarterbacks leading the way, and it most certainly does. Ole Miss is building on last season’s nine-win effort with five wins, including a road upset of Alabama, in its first six games, and in the process it is helping Chad Kelly rebuild his troubled image. He has 1,862 yards passing with 14 touchdowns against five interceptions and has been a solid force for the Rebels.
Arkansas is known for its ground game, but quarterback Brandon Allen is actually second in the SEC in passing, with 1,536 yards passing and 10 touchdowns against four interceptions. Mississippi State senior Dak Prescott is a great dual-threat QB, with 1,353 yards passing and eight touchdowns with no interceptions and 220 yards rushing with three touchdowns.
Johnny Manziel left a considerable shadow at Texas A&M, but Kyle Allen has played well with 1,274 yards and 13 touchdowns against two interceptions. And Florida has stunned many by rising to No. 8 nationally in Jim McElwain’s first season. Will Grier grabbed the offensive reins successfully, throwing for 1,204 yards passing with 10 touchdowns against three picks, but will miss the rest of the season and half of next season after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
The SEC might not have a Heisman Trophy quarterback this fall, but it doesn’t lack for talent at the position.
2. Pac-12 Conference
9 of 10
The Pac-12 has a tendency to play a bit off the radar. Some of its biggest games are on while the East Coast has already gone to sleep, and the Pac-12 Network isn’t carried by the nation’s biggest satellite provider, DirecTV. But the league has an impressive wealth of quarterback talent.
While his team fell to Utah Saturday night, Cal junior Jared Goff remains one of the best quarterback prospects in the college game. He has thrown for 1,970 yards with 17 touchdowns against nine interceptions (five on Saturday) and should make an NFL team very happy in the near future. Yahoo's Eric Edholm projects him as the No. 2 overall pick in next spring's NFL draft.
Washington State’s Luke Falk is just the latest quarterback to put up video game numbers in Mike Leach’s offense. He has 1,964 yards and 19 touchdowns against two interceptions, and he threw 74 times for 505 yards in the Cougars’ 45-38 double-overtime win over Oregon. Arizona State’s Mike Bercovici is making the most of his opportunity as the starter, as he has thrown for 1,604 yards with 14 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Southern California has had a tumultuous season, compounded by head coach Steve Sarkisian's firing for alcohol-related issues, but don’t blame Cody Kessler. He’s a talented passer who has thrown for 1,453 yards with 15 touchdowns against three interceptions this fall.
Beyond that quartet are prolific passers such as Colorado’s Sefo Lifau, UCLA freshman Josh Rosen, Stanford senior Kevin Hogan and injured Arizona sophomore Anu Solomon (who led the Wildcats to the Fiesta Bowl last year). In other words, the Pac-12 has plenty of passers who are worth staying up late for.
1. Big 12 Conference
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If you like offense, you’ll love the Big 12. The league features an impressive collection of wide-open systems that tax scoreboards across America, and they’re piloted by the nation’s most prolific quarterback group. Texas Tech is enjoying a bounce-back season after 2014’s 4-8 campaign, and Patrick Mahomes is a huge reason why. He has 2,264 yards passing with 19 touchdowns against five interceptions.
TCU is enduring the nation’s biggest tightrope act to stay unbeaten and in the College Football Playoff conversation, but it has an excellent offense. Comebacks against Texas Tech and Kansas State have been led by senior quarterback Trevone Boykin, a legit Heisman Trophy candidate. He has thrown for 2,103 yards with 21 touchdowns against five interceptions, and he also has 366 yards rushing and four touchdowns on the ground. He’s a serious rushing threat, as K-State found out after Boykin sprinted for a 69-yard touchdown Saturday.
TCU trailed K-State 35-17 at halftime, but Boykin wasn't worried. His arms and legs keyed the comeback.
"If you want to win in this conference, you have to win on the road," Boykin told the Associated Press via USA Today. "Coming from behind shows the kind of fight we have in this team."
New starter Baker Mayfield has played a big role in Oklahoma’s 4-1 record, with 1,593 yards passing and 14 touchdowns against three interceptions. Meanwhile, Seth Russell has filled Bryce Petty’s shoes just fine at Baylor. He has 1,527 passing yards with 22 touchdowns against five interceptions, and the Bears are a clear College Football Playoff contender.
And don’t forget about Mason Rudolph, who has Oklahoma State unbeaten while throwing for 1,892 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The Big 12 has only 10 teams, but its quarterback depth is better than any league in college football. It’s clearly the top league for passers.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
