Aaron Rodgers: Power Ranking the Greatest Pac-10 QBs of All-Time
After spending his first three seasons as a backup quarterback in the NFL, Aaron Rodgers has blossomed into an elite signal caller and he is less than a week away from leading the Green Bay Packers onto the field in his first-ever Super Bowl appearance.
Rodgers was selected in the first round (24th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers. But before his days as an NFL quarterback, Rodgers was a standout quarterback at Cal, where he set several school records during his two years starting for the Golden Bears.
Rodgers is not alone in the fraternity of great Pac-10 college quarterbacks. Schools like USC, UCLA and Washington have produced some of the best college quarterbacks to ever play the game.
Let's break it down and take an inside look at the greatest Pac-10 quarterbacks of all-time.
15. Akili Smith, Oregon
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No, this isn't a list of the greatest quarterback busts in the NFL. If that were the case, Smith would be much higher up on this list. But the reason that Smith was looked at as such a bust at the professional level is because he had such an outstanding college career and showed so much promise in his time at the University of Oregon.
Smith began his college career at Grossmont College prior to transferring to Oregon. But in his two years at Oregon, Smith became a big-time NFL prospect, especially after the numbers he put up in his senior season.
Smith passed for 3,763 yards and 30 touchdowns in his senior season at Oregon. He was named the Co-Offensive Player of the Year, making him the first Oregon quarterback to win the Pac-10 Player of the Year award.
Smith went on to become the third pick of the 1999 NFL Draft, where he failed to prove himself as a quarterback and he was out of the league five years later.
14. Drew Bledsoe, Washington State
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There was a reason that Drew Bledsoe was the No. 1 pick in the 1993 NFL Draft and, unlike Smith, went on to a successful career in the NFL.
In two-and-a-half years as the starting quarterback at Washington State, Bledsoe dominated opposing defenses and quickly established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in Pac-10 history. During his 1992 junior season, Bledsoe set school records in single-game passing yards (476), single-season pass completions (241) and single-season passing yards (3,246) on his way to being named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year.
As a whole, Bledsoe passed for over 7,000 yards and added 46 touchdown tosses in his collegiate career. He was drafted first overall by the New England Patriots and went on to have 13 successful seasons as an NFL quarterback.
13. Aaron Rodgers, Cal
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It's pretty bizarre to say that this guy might even be better in the pros than he was as a college quarterback. Well either way, Aaron Rodgers was a darn good college quarterback in his two years starting for Cal.
After not being heavily recruited out of college, Rodgers made the decision to attend a local community college and then made the transfer to Cal, where he played his sophomore and junior season before bolting early for the NFL.
In his two years as Cal's starting quarterback, Rodgers passed for 5,469 yards and 43 touchdowns. He also rushed for more than 300 yards and eight touchdowns in those two seasons. Rodgers still holds the school record for lowest career interception percentage (1.99).
With those type of numbers, it is no surprise that he has transitioned so well into a special talent in the NFL. You think the 49ers are still a little bitter that they passed up on Rodgers to take Alex Smith No. 1 overall in the 2005 NFL Draft?
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
12. Joey Harrington, Oregon
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Perhaps it is a coincidence that the two Oregon quarterbacks who made this list both turned out to be huge NFL busts. Next up on the list, former Ducks quarterback Joey Harrington.
Harrington capped a great collegiate career with an outstanding 2001 season, when he threw for 2,415 yards and 23 touchdowns. In addition to his outstanding individual numbers, Harrington also was a winner on the field. He led the Ducks to a 25-3 record in his 28 career starts, including a 38-16 blowout victory over Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl of his senior season.
Harrington finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting after his senior season and was selected third overall in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. Harrington had a rough career in Detroit and is currently looking on the outside in as an NFL free agent.
11. Warren Moon, Washington
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Warren Moon was an outstanding athlete who possessed a rocket arm and made a name for himself in his two-and-a-half years starting at the University of Washington.
In his senior year, Moon passed for over 1,500 yards and 11 touchdowns, and ran for 300 yards and six touchdowns. He also led the Huskies to a memorable 27-20 win over Michigan in the 1978 Rose Bowl, which was one of his best games as a collegiate quarterback.
Warren Moon was one of the original quarterbacks who had the superior ability to both run and pass the ball. His style of play is a norm in college football today.
10. Marques Tuiasosopo, Washington
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Preparing for this former Washington quarterback was as much of a challenge as it was to pronounce his last name correctly.
Marques Tuiasosopo had a memorable career at Washington, where he was the starter from the second he stepped on the field his freshman year. He became the first true freshman quarterback to start a game for the Washington Huskies in 1997 and he was the first quarterback to pass for more than 300 yards and run for over 200 yards in a single game.
Like Warren Moon, who played many years before him, Tuiasosopo was able to get it done both through the air and on the ground. In his four years starting for the Huskies, Tuiasosopo rushed for 1,279 yards and totaled 4,335 yards of offense.
As a senior in 2000, he led the Huskies to a Pac-10 title as well as a Rose Bowl victory over Purdue, and he was named the game's MVP. The Huskies finished ranked third in polls with an 11-1 record. He finished the year in the top 10 in the Heisman voting.
9. Cade McNown, UCLA
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Not many UCLA quarterbacks can say that they ever had the type of collegiate career that Cade McNown had with the Bruins.
A four-year starter for the Bruins, McNown had a solid freshman and sophomore campaign, but really burst on the national scene in his junior season. In his 1997 season, McNown threw for 2,877 yards and 22 touchdowns while leading UCLA to a Pac-10 championship and the No. 5 rating in the country. He led the entire nation with a 168.6 passer efficiency rating while being named a third-team All-American.
McNown made the decision to return for his senior season, and he put up even more remarkable numbers. McNown passed for over 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns while leading the Bruins to the Rose Bowl. He was named Pac-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Year, first team All-American by the Associated Press and finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
McNown went on to become the 12th pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, but like so many players on this list, he did not succeed in the NFL and his professional career was cut short. Nonetheless, McNown will always be remembered as an incredible success in Westwood.
8. Rodney Peete, USC
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Rodney Peete had an exceptional career at USC, passing for over 2,000 yards in three straight seasons and leading the Trojans to back-to-back Rose Bowl appearances in 1988 and 1989.
Peete actually became the first USC quarterback to ever win the Johnny Unitas Award, which is given to the nation's best quarterback. He has since been joined by both Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart, who we will hear more about later on in this list.
Peete posted a 27-13 record as the Trojans' starting quarterback and went on to be a sixth-round draft pick by the Detroit Lions in 1989. While he did not star at the professional level, Peete had a solid NFL career, which led to him playing in the league for six different teams in 16 seasons as a pro.
7. Jake Plummer, Arizona State
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If this list was based on the best season ever by a Pac-10 quarterback, well then Jake "The Snake" Plummer's senior year could very well have topped the list.
After a very good junior season, Plummer took college football by storm in his senior year. He threw for over 2,500 yards and 24 touchdowns while leading the Sun Devils to an undefeated regular season, a Pac-10 championship and ASU's second trip ever to the Rose Bowl, where they lost to Ohio State 20-17.
The thing that made Plummer so good is that he was able to do all of this with a lack of talent surrounding him. Plummer was ASU's best runner, passer and decision maker at all times he was on the football field.
He went on to be drafted in the second round of the 1997 draft and had a good, but not great nine-year career playing in the NFL. He is now retired and out of football.
6. Ryan Leaf, Washington State
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The trend of great Pac-10 quarterbacks who turn out to be NFL busts continues here with the man that tops many football lists, but not so much in a good way.
Leaf had a standout career at Washington State and really did look like he was going to be a star at the next level. After a good sophomore campaign, Leaf had one of the most successful junior seasons of any quarterback in the history of college football. He averaged 330.6 yards passing per game and threw for a then-Pac-10 Conference record 33 touchdowns.
Leaf concluded his outstanding junior season by leading the Cougars to their first Pac-10 championship in school history. He had a another great showing in the Rose Bowl, but his team fell to Michigan, which went on to win the national championship that year. Leaf would finish third in the Heisman Trophy balloting that season behind eventual winner Charles Woodson and also Peyton Manning. He was also named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and was a consensus All-American.
What happened after that is what led to the demise of Ryan Leaf. He was drafted as the second overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft to the San Diego Chargers. In two years with the Chargers, Leaf threw 33 interceptions compared to just 13 touchdown passes. He was waived by the team in 2000 and was out of the league by 2002.
5. Carson Palmer, USC
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Carson Palmer won the starting quarterback job at USC during his freshman season. While he played good football, he really didn't have a breakout year until his senior season, which is why he is not at the top of this list. However, during his senior season, he was absolutely spectacular and there are few who could match the type of numbers he put up.
In 13 games played during the 2002 season, Palmer passed for nearly 4,000 yards and 33 touchdowns in his senior campaign. He helped lead the Trojans to an impressive 38–17 victory over Iowa in the Orange Bowl to conclude that season. His completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns that year were all USC single-season records. Palmer had the ultimate finish to his final season at USC, winning the Heisman Trophy and becoming the first USC quarterback to win the award.
Palmer went on to become the first pick of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he still plays today.
4. Jim Plunkett, Stanford
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Jim Plunkett was the pioneer of pass-happy successful quarterbacks playing in the Pac-10 and going on to have successful professional careers.
Plunkett quarterbacked Stanford from 1968-70, when he set numerous school records. During his junior season, Plunkett set then-league records with 2,673 passing yards and 20 touchdown passes. He decided to forgo the NFL draft and returned for his senior year, when he had 21 touchdowns and passed for 2,715 yards. He led Stanford to the school's first Rose Bowl appearance since 1952, which resulted in a victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes.
After his outstanding senior season, Plunkett beat out the likes of Joe Theismann and Archie Manning in the Heisman Trophy race. He became the first Latino college football player to ever win the prestigious award. To this day, Plunkett is still considered by many to be the best college quarterback to ever play in that era.
3. John Elway, Stanford
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Although he never led his team to a bowl game, John Elway to this day still has some of the most impressive college statistics of any quarterback, ever.
In four seasons at Stanford, Elway completed 774 passes for 9,349 yards and 77 touchdowns. Stanford finished with a losing record during Elway's time there, but he left holding pretty much every Stanford passing record known to man. Elway was the Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1980 and 1982, and he was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 1982.
Elway was elected to the College Hall of Fame in 2000 and in 2007 he was ranked No. 15 on ESPN's top 25 Players in College Football History list.
2. Troy Aikman, UCLA
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A member of both the collegiate and professional Halls of Fame, Troy Aikman was one of the best quarterbacks not only in Pac-10 history, but in all of college football.
After starting his collegiate career at Oklahoma, Aikman transferred to UCLA and led the Bruins to a 10–2 record and a victory over Florida in the 1987 Aloha Bowl. But in his senior season, Aikman looked like a man playing against boys.
The former UCLA Bruin threw for 5,298 yards and 41 touchdowns while being named a consensus All-American in 1988. Aikman was the first UCLA quarterback to win the nation's top quarterback award when he received the 1988 Davey O'Brien Award. He currently ranks as the No. 2 passer in UCLA school history.
Aikman was selected as the No. 1 pick in the 1989 draft to the Dallas Cowboys. He went on to have a brilliant NFL career which included six Pro Bowls, three Super Bowls and the Super Bowl XXVII MVP award.
1. Matt Leinart, USC
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No quarterback in Pac-10 history was as successful in college football as Matt Leinart.
In his three years as USC's starting quarterback, Leinart led the Trojans to a 37-2 record, which included two BCS bowl victories. In addition to being one of the best winners to ever play the game, he also put up some pretty impressive numbers as well.
Leinart threw for 10,693 yards and 99 touchdowns, with just 23 interceptions in his three years under center for the Trojans. He is the all-time leader for touchdowns and completion percentage in school history. Leinart won a national championship and Heisman Trophy in 2004 and finished as runner-up in both those categories in 2005.
While he could have been the top pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, Leinart decided to return for his senior year and was selected No. 10 overall in the '06 draft by the Arizona Cardinals. After his career did not work out in Arizona, he signed with the Houston Texans, where is he the current backup quarterback on their roster.
Until proven otherwise, Matt Leinart had the greatest college career of any quarterback in Pac-10 history. Bottom line.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
