College Football: Tim Tebow and the Top 28 Quarterbacks in SEC History

Who deserves the top spots in the rankings of SEC quarterbacks?

Your answer may vary based on your college squad of choice, but there is no doubt that each of the young men included in this list deserve consideration as one of the best of all time.

The definition of greatness can be varied and general, so for purposes of this list, we will not label an exact definition.

However, each of the competitors on this list had the stats, wins or guts to prove he was one of the greatest quarterbacks the best conference in America had to offer.

28. John Reaves, Florida

Even though Reaves trailed off in his final two seasons at Florida, his sophomore season was one to talk about.

He led the Gators to a 9-1-1 record that year and broke every Florida passing record by the time he left Gainesville.

Reaves set the NCAA passing record with 7,581 yards and the SEC record for touchdowns with 56. He also claims the dubious honor of being father-in-law to Lane Kiffin.

27. George Blanda, Kentucky

Blanda is famous for his longevity in the NFL, but he was instrumental in tripling the Wildcats' win total under head coach Bear Bryant.

Of course the win total went from one to three, so it's not too much of an improvement, but it sounds great.

Blanda compiled 1,451 yards in his time at Kentucky and threw 12 touchdown passes.

He passed away last September.

26. Charlie Conerly, Ole Miss

Conerly's collegiate career was interrupted after the 1942 season by WWII. He left Ole Miss to serve as a Marine, but returned to the Rebels in time for the 1946 season.

In 1947, he led them to their first SEC Championship, while also leading the nation in pass completions with 133. He was named an All-American and totaled 27 touchdowns that year.

Even greater than his efforts on the football field were his efforts in serving this country, and he deserves to be remembered for both accomplishments.

25. Tee Martin, Tennessee

While Martin's numbers were not overly impressive, he will forever be remembered as the quarterback of the first BCS champion.

He took over the Volunteers after Peyton Manning left and accomplished three things Manning never did: He led the Vols to an undefeated season, a national championship and a win over Florida.

24. Y.A. Tittle, LSU

Yelberton Abraham Tittle played quarterback at LSU during the 1940's.

(You can see from his name why he chose to be known as Y.A.)

He left LSU with four passing records and went on to an extremely successful NFL career.

23. Rex Grossman, Florida

Forget the ugly images of Grossman struggling to make it as a Chicago Bear and focus instead on his stellar college career.

While his career was very good, what makes Grossman stand out is his sophomore season in 2001.

He finished that season with more than 3,400 yards and completed 34 touchdown passes. His efficiency rating at the end of the season was a whopping 170.8, and he had 10 300-plus-yard games in that season.

22. Fran Tarkenton, Georgia

Tarkenton's independent nature endeared him to his teammates on the field.

He subbed himself into his first varsity game without his head coaches' knowledge, and later in his career when the SEC Championship was on the line, he drew a play in the dirt.

That play, from the Auburn 13-yard line with time running out, won the game for the Bulldogs and catapulted them to the top of the SEC.

21. Ken Stabler, Alabama

Stabler had some issues in his senior season after he was suspended from the team for a time, but even his mediocre performance in his last season can't take away from the fact that he led one of the best Alabama squads of all time.

Stabler played in the shadow of Steve Sloan for part of his college career, but made the most of it when the opportunity presented itself. The Tide finished at No. 3 in the polls his junior season.

20. Condredge Holloway, Tennessee

Holloway was the first African-American to play quarterback in the SEC.

His ability to run and pass the football distanced him from the competition he faced. He was extremely accurate with the ball, throwing only 12 interceptions in 407 attempts during his time at Tennessee.

In three years as a starter, Holloway led the Vols to a 25-9 record and three bowl appearances.

19. Bobby Dodd, Tennessee

Dodd had a remarkable record of 27-1-2 during his time playing under coach Neyland.

He was famous for throwing a touchdown pass in the waning seconds of a game against conference rival Alabama, after which he successfully pinned the Tide deep in their own territory with a punt.

This led to a safety for Tennessee and the winning margin of 15-13.

Dodd was also instrumental in creating the trick play known as "fumblerooski."

18. Richard Todd, Alabama

During Todd's time in Tuscaloosa, the Tide won 42 of 44 regular-season contests, and he never lost a SEC game.

Although he was not as prolific a passer as some others on this list, his leadership qualities and ability to win earn him a place.

Todd embodies the word "winner."

17. Jason Campbell, Auburn

Campbell is often overlooked when talking about great quarterbacks of the SEC, but he deserves a spot among the greats.

What other QB has had a different offensive coordinator in every one of his seasons and still managed to be successful under all of them?

Campbell also went undefeated in 2004, won the SEC Championship, and was the SEC Player of the Year and SEC Championship MVP that same season.

16. Jimmy Sidle, Auburn

In 1963, Sidle became the first quarterback to lead the nation in rushing, averaging more than 100 yards per game.

That same season he was named an All-American and led Auburn to the Orange Bowl against the powerhouse Nebraska Cornhuskers. Even though Auburn lost the game, Sidle was responsible for their only points and completed 14 attempts for 157 yards.

He was injured against Houston in 1964, so Sidle could not continue to play quarterback, but contributed out of the backfield as a running back.

15. Harry Gilmer, Alabama

Gilmer technically played halfback, but functioned as the Tide's passer.

Back then, jump-passing was in style, and Gilmer was one of the best at this technique.

In 1945, Gilmer led the Tide to an undefeated season and a Rose Bowl victory over USC. In his best performance that season, Gilmer rushed six times for 216 yards against Kentucky, while completing two passes for 50 yards.

GIlmer's 33 yards per play average remains a 'Bama record.

14. Shane Matthews, Florida

Matthews is not exactly a household name anymore, but during Steve Spurrier's time in Florida, Matthews left his mark on the annals of Gator football.

He skyrocketed up the depth charts, moving from sixth string to starter in Spurrier's first spring as head coach. Matthews was arguably the best offensive player in the SEC during his years at Florida and led the Gators to their first official conference championship.

The Gators went 29-8 in games he started, and Matthews finished his career with a solid efficiency rating of 137.6.

13. Tim Couch, Kentucky

If one looks at Couch's career numbers—8,435 yards and 74 touchdowns—by themselves, they are not overly impressive.

But when you consider he threw only 84 passes as a backup his freshman season and left for the NFL after his junior year, things begin to come into perspective.

In a little more than two full seasons as starter, Couch accomplished some incredible feats. His completion percentage against Vanderbilt in 1998 was the best by a quarterback with more than 40 attempts in a game. Couch threw for 4,275 yards during the 1998 season alone.

He was finalist for the Heisman on a team that boasted him at quarterback and little talent anywhere else. Even without a winning team, Couch easily makes this list for his remarkable accomplishments over a limited amount of time.

12. Eli Manning, Ole Miss

Eli followed in the footsteps of his father, Archie, by attending Ole Miss.

He surpassed Archie, however, when it came to setting records.

When Eli left Oxford, Miss. he had set or tied 45 single-game, season and career records.

More significantly though was the fact that Eli played at a time when Ole Miss was in a downward spiral and almost single-handedly pulled them out of that trend.

Following his final season, Eli earned the Maxwell Award, was named SEC Player of the Year and was a Heisman finalist.

11. Steve Spurrier, Florida

Spurrier may be the "Ol' Ball Coach" now, but there was a time when he was one of the best college football players in the country.

The Gators went to a true pro-style offense in Spurrier's junior and senior seasons, and this was the catalyst that helped him to win the Heisman Trophy in 1966.

Over the course of his career at Florida, Spurrier was famous for some great comebacks, particularly his touchdown pass at the end of a two-minute drill to beat the Seminoles in 1965. He led the Gators to the Sugar Bowl in 1965 and the Orange Bowl in 1966.

Spurrier finished his career with 4,848 passing yards for 36 touchdowns, 442 rushing yards and garnered First-Team All-American honors in both 1965 and 1966.

10. Pat Sullivan, Auburn

Sullivan played in an era of great QBs in the SEC.

He won the 1971 Heisman, and the pass-catch duo of Sullivan and WR Terry Beasley was one of the best in the country.

Sullivan went 26-7 as a starter at Auburn and finished his career with 6,284 passing yards and 53 touchdowns. He also rushed for 18 scores.

Alabama fans don't remember him so fondly; he beat the Tide twice, including a 49-26 drubbing in 1969.

9. David Greene, Georgia

Greene started every game in his four years at Georgia and posted a record of 42-10.

He led Georgia to the conference championship in 2002 and compiled career totals of 11,528 passing yards with 72 touchdowns through the air. Greene's 42 wins stood as the most wins by a QB until broken by Texas quarterback Colt McCoy.

While the Dawgs were unable to repeat as conference champs after 2002, Greene had an excellent career, setting the SEC record for most consecutive throws without an interception (214) and winning two more bowl games.

8. Bert Jones, LSU

3,225 yards and 28 touchdowns would be a decent year for the quarterbacks of today.

Even so, Jones' impact was substantial with such pedestrian numbers.

In his junior year, he helped lead the Tigers to an upset of Notre Dame 28-8. During his days in Baton Rouge, LSU was 26-6-1, and he earned All-American honors in 1972.

What makes him so different from the modern guys on this list is the offense he had to run.

While today's quarterback might throw on any down—and often does—LSU rarely threw unless it was third-and-long, and everyone in the stadium knew Jones was going to pass the ball. He still had a great completion percentage.

7. Joe Namath, Alabama

Namath's numbers were so pedestrian, I won't even include them here.

However, Namath led a great Alabama team that finished in the top 10 three times under his leadership and as champion after his senior season.

Even though 'Bama was a run-oriented offense, Namath found ways to impact the game at critical junctures, routinely completing clutch passes and showing the leadership qualities that would eventually make him a star as a professional.

6. Vito "Babe" Parilli, Kentucky

Parilli was the star of a very good Kentucky team—you may have heard of his coach, Paul "Bear" Bryant.

Parilli's 4,351 yards and 50 touchdowns were huge numbers for the late 1940's, and he led Kentucky to a 28-8 record while he was under center. He also played without a facemask, which probably makes him tougher than anyone playing these days.

5. Cam Newton, Auburn

The whole "pay-for-play" thing will overshadow Newton's career at Auburn, but his one season there was so great, it vaulted him near the top of this list.

Not only did he lead the Tigers to a perfect 14-0 season and a BCS Championship, but Newton did it with a flair and panache to his play that is rare.

He accounted for 51 touchdowns in 2010—30 through the air, 20 on the ground and he also caught one touchdown pass. Newton's ability to break tackles and accelerate quickly were especially impressive, considering the level of competition in the SEC.

The Tigers QB led a comeback in the Iron Bowl that was the stuff of legends, and he accounted for four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) in that victory.

However Newton fares in the NFL, he will be remembered for his incredible stint at Auburn.

4. Peyton Manning, Tennessee

Often the success of this particular Manning in the NFL overshadows his time in college.

Too bad he couldn't get over the hump against Florida; Manning was 0-3 against the Gators and probably would have earned a Heisman if he could have beaten them just once. Unfortunately, he never won a championship either.

Nevertheless, Manning passed for more than 11,200 yards in his time with the Vols and threw 89 touchdown passes.

3. Danny Wuerffel, Florida

Check out these numbers: 10,875 passing yards, 114 touchdowns, four SEC Championships, one National Championship and a Heisman Trophy on the side.

Those are Wuerffel's numbers during his career in Gainesville.

In the Gators' title game bout with Florida State, he threw for 394 yards and three touchdowns.

This guy was incredible, and all the accolades he received were well deserved.

2. Archie Manning, Ole Miss

Before some of the notable performances by guys like Cam Newton and Tim Tebow, Archie Manning was a legend for his performance against Alabama on Oct. 4, 1969.

The man threw for 436 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 104 yards and three scores on the ground in a performance that 'Bama head coach Bear Bryant labeled as the best he ever saw.

In the days before the high-powered offenses we see today, Manning finished his career with 4,753 passing yards and 31 touchdowns, as well as 823 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns.

1. Tim Tebow, Florida

Yeah, he is pretty recent and operated in an offense that was conducive to his monster numbers, but there has been nobody like Tim Tebow.

His mobility and toughness carried the Gators to one championship, and he was part of the infamous 41-14 beatdown of Ohio State in one of the most lopsided championship games in a long time.

Tebow was the first player to pass and rush for 20 or more touchdowns in a single season and the first sophomore to ever win the Heisman trophy.

Speaking of trophies, he has enough to open his own store.

While some like to malign his attitude, Tebow demonstrated solid work ethic and values both on and off the field.

Like it or not, Tebow was the best ever.