Bowl Matchups 2010-11: Power Ranking the 25 Best Quarterbacks
Bowl season is upon us in the college football world, and on Saturday, the first three of 35 bowl games will be played. Players will face off in hopes of winning a bowl game for their college and carrying momentum into next season.
For others, now is the time to make a name for themselves and increase their stock in the 2011 NFL draft, especially for the quarterbacks. Beyond that, the bowl games give rise to the question of who the best quarterbacks in college football are, and which ones will be able to give us a great show in either December or January.
25. Chandler Harnish
1 of 25A very efficient quarterback in the MAC who did not have any bad games, Chandler Harnish probably won't be noted on any draft boards, but he'll be a guy to watch on day one of the bowl games against Fresno State
24. Bryant Moniz
2 of 25
The leading passer in yards and touchdowns would naturally be here, though most accept Hawaii's quarterback prowess as a system product. Nonetheless, when you can throw 500 yards in multiple games, that requires a solid quarterback no matter how good or bad a team is.
23. Taylor Potts
3 of 25
Technically, Potts is another system product from Texas Tech, but he seems to be playing more efficiently. Instead of winging the ball for 5,000 yards, this year he's thrown more completions for fewer yards and many more touchdowns, and has had a solid year in the tough Big 12.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
22. Christian Ponder
4 of 25
It was tough to put him on at first due to his struggles, as well as his injury this season. However, you know that he's going to be fighting to get back in the first couple rounds on draft day, so he'll end up having a good game against South Carolina.
21. Ryan Tannehill
5 of 25
It was tough putting him in at first, since he's totaled half a season as starting quarterback for the Aggies. Nonetheless, he's shined in those six games, going undefeated and even beating Oklahoma. Needless to say, they have the QB advantage in the Cotton Bowl against LSU.
20. Geno Smith
6 of 25
Only a sophomore but starting to show signs of greatness, Geno Smith has been great for West Virginia, and it would be hard to find a better Big East quarterback. Only a sophomore, he's completing nearly 2/3 of his passes, and he gets better with each game.
He's going to be the talk of the country next year when Dana Holgorsen comes in.
19. Aaron Murray
7 of 25
So far, things have been good for the young freshman as he continues to improve along with the Georgia team. He's one of the top 10 quarterbacks in efficiency, and his last three outings were among his best yet, even if one was a loss to Auburn. Give him a year or two and he'll be great.
18. Jeffrey Godfrey
8 of 25Godfrey's story is exactly the same as Murray's, with the exception being that he can also scramble and pick up yards that way. It's only fitting that these two quarterbacks are facing each other in the Liberty Bowl.
17. Colin Kaepernick
9 of 25
This year, Nevada quarterback Karpernick has went from a solid quarterback to a very good one. His completion percentage is way up, he again topped 1,000 yards rushing to go with nearly 3,000 passing yards, and he beat the big team in the WAC, Boise State.
16. Ricky Stanzi
10 of 25
Iowa's quarterback has had to battle several losses this season after starting off well, but he had solid outings even in the losses. He's struggled a lot less than his upcoming opponent, Blaine Gabbert.
15. Kirk Cousins
11 of 25
Cousins is not yet playing all that consistently, though, when he's on he's been great, as evidenced by Michigan State's success this season. Can he go toe-to-toe with Greg McElroy? That's tough to say, but Coisins is the underdog in that fight.
14. Landry Jones
12 of 25
The gap between the top 14 and following 11 is somewhat large. Nonetheless, quarterback Landry Jones continues to get better with each game. He might try a bit too hard (62 passes against Oklahoma State) to make things happen, but nonetheless he's shown he can go toe to toe with the best in the country. He could be a possible Heisman dark horse in 2011.
5-1: Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, Terrelle Pryor, Ryan Mallett, Kellen Moore
10-6: Denard Robinson, Stephen Garcia, Tyrod Taylor, Brandon Weeden, Andy Dalton
15-11: Scott Tolzien, Greg McElroy, Darron Thomas
13. Denard Robinson
13 of 25
Denard Robinson had a very hot start, yet seemed to falter down the stretch, showing weaknesses in his game. He was one of the best rushers in the nation last year, though his passing can still be worked on.
12. Stephen Garcia
14 of 25
South Carolina's junior quarterback has shown some signs of greatness this season. He has also had a couple of bad games that kept him out of the top ten here, but even in losses he has the potential to turn in great performances.
11. Greg McElroy
15 of 25
McElroy's plys his trade with precision passing. He doesn't need to go out of his way to make things happen. Going 12 of 13 for about 200 yards in a game and leaving it at that shows that McElroy knows how to control a game.
10. Tyrod Taylor
16 of 25
The longtime quarterback of Virginia Tech is underrated in my mind, though a look at the stats may make it seem like he's properly rated. He has multiple games of 50 percent completions or less, and while he has a great game against Florida State, it's not the type of game he consistently has. He doesn't throw interceptions, though, which is a plus.
9. Darron Thomas
17 of 25
A quarterback playing in the championship game will obviously be a top ten quarterback. However, Thomas still has a few weaknesses in his game, which is looked past thanks to his good work in other areas, as well as the dominance of LaMichael James. He has the lowest completion percentage of anyone in the top nine by a mile; completing 58 percent of passes against Auburn won't cut it like it did with Oregon State.
8. Brandon Weeden
18 of 25
Fun fact: Brandon Weeden is easily the oldest quarterback in the top ten at 27.
If he could tone down the interceptions, Weeden could be a top five quarterback. He threw for over 4,000 yards and 32 touchdowns, and has lit up virtually every team that he's faced; any losses came on the defensive end.
7. Terrelle Pryor
19 of 25
Will Pryor disappear in the big game again, or will he shine? He had his best season yet this year, and is running and passing more intelligently. He had a bad game against Wisconsin, but seems to have rebounded. As long as he keeps the interception numbers down he should do fine.
6. Andy Dalton
20 of 25
TCU may win its games on defense, but teams still need a good quarterback. Andy Dalton's been able to improve every season, and ended up having a great senior year. Completing 80 percent of your passes for three touchdowns against a top 25 team is always great to see, and hopefully he's able to bring his efficiency into the game against Wisconsin.
5. Scott Tolzien
21 of 25
Speaking of efficiency, if anyone can beat TCU at that game it's Wisconsin and quarterback Scott Tolzien. His numbers are both unflashy and great. He completes nearly 3/4 of his passes, including going 14 of 15 against Michigan. If you take out the anomaly of Michigan State, his stats look even better. He doesn't dominate at quarterback, he just makes it easy for the running game to do their thing.
4. Ryan Mallett
22 of 25
There's a reason Ryan Mallett is one of the most highly regarded quarterbacks this year. He's played very well and become far more efficient than last year. He can both throw for a lot of yards and keep his completion percentage high, a dangerous combination.
3. Kellen Moore
23 of 25
Tough decision on the #2 and 3 spot. Either way you put them, being in the top three is a great place to be, and Kellen Moore has earned it. Completing over 70 percent of passes, allowing only five interceptions and not really having a bad game this season, Moore has become a great quarterback this season. Too bad we won't see his talents against a tough opponent.
2. Andrew Luck
24 of 25
Andrew Luck has been amazing so far this season, and is deserving of being likely the top quarterback out. His 70 percent completion percentage, hard-nosed running, and crushing of most of the Pac-10 teams (wins against Arizona State and USC wouldn't have happened without Luck), he is one of the quarterbacks to watch in the BCS bowl games.
1. Cam Newton
25 of 25
He has the best passer efficiency rating, he's ran for 1400 yards, has 48 combined touchdowns, and won the Heisman. Do I really need to say more?
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
