BCS Bowl Games 2011: Power Ranking the Top QBs in the BCS Bowl Games
The BCS bowl games are approaching as it gets closer and closer to New Year's Day.
Just like every year, the final BCS rankings will be sorted out at the top by what happens in the always important National Championship Game, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Rose Bowl.
Traditional powers like Ohio State and Oklahoma will play on the opening days of 2011, while less-heralded squads like TCU and UConn will also get chances to state their cases in BCS Bowls.
Football is dominated by quarterbacks, so many of the outcomes will be decided by how well the man who lines up behind the center plays.
With that in mind, here's a power ranking of the quarterbacks in the BCS bowl games, starting with No. 10...
10. Zach Frazer, UConn
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The least deserving team in a BCS bowl, UConn is the only school with a quarterback who can't sit at the same table with the big boys.
Frazer's best statistical game came in a Week 1, 30-10 loss to the porous Michigan secondary, and even in that game, he was just 18-of-37 with 205 yards and 0 TD.
This is Jordan Todman's team, and Frazer and his five TDs just need to get out of the way.
9. Scott Tolzien, Wisconsin
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Tolzien is fourth in the nation is passing efficiency at 169.80.
But he hasn't topped 250 yards all year and only has three multi-TD games. Tolzien is good enough to beat teams if he needs to, but with the Badgers' incredible rushing attack, that isn't usually necessary.
Don't be surprised if he has to air it out a bit more to confuse TCU's stout defense in the Rose Bowl.
8. Terrelle Pryor
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This is another case of a quarterback not being nearly the most important cog on his respective team.
The Buckeyes have an abundance of talent and can win games when Pryor isn't at his best.
But to beat a good team like Arkansas, Pryor will have to step his game up. In the Buckeyes' toughest test of the season, he was shut down by Wisconsin in Ohio State's only loss.
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7. Andy Dalton
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If we were ranking the top quarterbacks in the nation, Dalton wouldn't be too much lower than seventh, a testament to how good these offenses are that are playing in BCS bowls.
He has a 26:6 TD:INT ratio this year, a 66.2 percent completion rate and a 167.02 passer rating.
Dalton isn't flashy, but he wins games and puts up surprisingly good stats while doing it.
6. Tyrod Taylor
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Surprised to see Taylor so high? You shouldn't be.
His 23:4 TD:INT ratio is just about as good as it gets, and while he's thrown for just 2,521 yards, he's added 637 on the ground, and his passer rating is a pristine 159.04.
Taylor is as consistent as it gets, with no multi-INT games, a touchdown in every game except one and only one semi-poor performance (in the embarrassing loss to James Madison).
5. Ryan Mallett
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Again, this is more praise for the group as a whole than a knock on Mallett.
Mallett's 170.53 passer rating is third nationally, and not only is he efficient, but he's also one of the game's most explosive quarterbacks, averaging a staggering 9.9 yards per attempt (also third in the nation).
The only reason he doesn't rank higher is his disappearance in the Razorbacks' two losses.
He was picked off three times by Alabama, and while he played well against Auburn, he was knocked out of the game in the first half with a concussion.
When Mallett isn't at his best, Arkansas doesn't have a shot. The Buckeyes defense will do its best to make that happen.
4. Landry Jones
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Jones is averaging "just" 7.6 yards per attempt, but his 4,289 yards (No. 2 in the country) is just too big of a number to be ignored.
He's topped 450 yards twice and has seven games of three or more touchdowns, with 35 total on the season.
3. Andrew Luck
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Luck may be the top pick in next year's draft if he leaves school early, but he doesn't rank atop this list.
He's the most polished and pro-ready of the bunch, but on Stanford's balanced squad, he isn't asked to do as much as some of these other guys.
Luck has an impressive 28:7 TD:INT ratio and 3,051 yards on the season, but he's only topped 300 yards twice against FBS opponents, one coming in the Cardinal's blowout loss to Oregon, in which he was asked to throw the ball a season-high 46 times.
2. Darron Thomas
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Thomas is an amazing story, not only effectively replacing the departed Jeremiah Masoli, but actually outperforming the Ducks' former signal caller.
He has a 28:7 TD:INT ratio and added five more touchdowns with his legs.
LaMichael James might get all of the hype, but Thomas' mastery of Oregon's blur offense keeps defenses off balance. He always seems to make the right decision, even if that is merely to hand off to James.
1. Cam Newton
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Newton has 4,040 total yards, 28 TD, just six INT, a 188.16 passer rating, 10.5 yards per attempt, a 67.1 percent completion rate.
And in just a few days, a Heisman Trophy (most likely).
This wasn't even close.
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Matt Rudnitsky is a student at the University of Michigan and a Featured Columnist/writing intern at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Mattrud.
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