Before the season started, I thought I had a pretty solid ranking of the Big 12 quarterbacks. Three months later, I find that I had some major errors on my list.
The emergence of names such as Brandon Weeden and Taylor Martinez came as a great shock to me, and to the rest of the country. The crash of Garrett Gilbert’s hype machine shocked most, but some expected it.
So nine weeks into this crazy 2010 college football season, we are starting to see a clear picture. The Big 12 QB hierarchy is broken into three tiers: the elite, the average, and the ugly.
| Rank | Quarterback | School | Preseason | Comp% | Pass Yds | Pass TD | INT | Rush Yds | Rush TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Griffin III | Baylor University | #1 | 66.7% | 2,592 | 20 | 5 | 401 | 7 |
| 2 | Landry Jones | University of Oklahoma | #4 | 67.2% | 2,547 | 21 | 5 | -92 | 0 |
| 3 | Taylor Martinez | University of Nebraska | #Unranked | 60.0% | 1,161 | 9 | 3 | 886 | 12 |
| 4 | Brandon Weeden | Oklahoma State University | #8 | 65.2% | 2,547 | 23 | 9 | -74 | 0 |
| 5 | Blaine Gabbert | University of Missouri | #2 | 64.0% | 2,098 | 12 | 4 | 74 | 2 |
| 6 | Taylor Potts | Texas Tech University | #Unranked | 65.4% | 2,388 | 21 | 5 | -50 | 0 |
| 7 | Carson Coffman | Kansas State University | #12 | 66.3% | 1,315 | 8 | 6 | 127 | 7 |
| 8 | Jerrod Johnson | Texas A&M University | #6 | 56.6% | 1,947 | 14 | 9 | 146 | 2 |
| 9 | Austen Arnaud | Iowa State University | #7 | 57.4% | 1,364 | 10 | 8 | 250 | 1 |
| 10 | Tyler Hansen | University of Colorado | #10 | 68.3% | 1,102 | 6 | 6 | 41 | 4 |
| 11 | Jordan Webb | University of Kansas | #Unranked | 58.4% | 1,114 | 7 | 6 | 102 | 0 |
| 12 | Garrett Gilbert | University of Texas | #3 | 59.6% | 1,788 | 6 | 9 | 176 | 3 |
The Ugly
#12 Garrett Gilbert, University of Texas
Preseason ranking: #3
I admit it: I drank the preseason Kool-Aid that national pundits and orangebloods.com writers poured down my throat.
Gilbert is a terribly average QB who lacks any semblance of the “it” that Chris Simms, Major Applewhite, Colt McCoy, and Vince Young had.
He is on track to be the worst Mack Brown-era quarterback.
#11 Jordan Webb, University of Kansas
Preseason ranking: #Unranked
What else would we expect from an unheralded KU QB? This is to be expected.
#10 Tyler Hansen, University of Colorado
Preseason ranking: #10
Not a lot I can write about Tyler Hansen, other than no one expected the Buffs to do much this year. Hansen has done about as much as we expected him to do — which is to manage the game. Hansen had decent statistical games in losses to Baylor and Texas Tech.
The Average
#9 Austen Arnaud, Iowa State University
Preseason ranking: #7
Arnaud started the season shaky, with 5 ints to only 1 passing and 1 rushing td in a win over Northern Illinois, and then a humiliating defeat at the hands of Iowa in week 2. Arnaud has recovered since week 2, with only 3 ints to 9 passing touchdowns. It also doesn’t hurt Arnaud’s Iowa St legacy to be the first Cyclone QB to walk into a game versus the mighty perennial Texas Longhorns and leave with a victory.
#8 Jerrod Johnson, Texas A&M University
Preseason ranking: #6
Johnson came into the 2010 season with some local hype from Aggie fans — that was quickly diminished by Johnson’s inconsistent play. Johnson’s play has been so shaky that head coach Mike Sherman has been forced to bench Johnson at times in favor of Ryan Tannehill.
#7 Carson Coffman, Kansas State University
Preseason ranking: #12
I haven’t watched enough of Coffman this season to give an intelligent analysis of his play this year, but I’ll get a chance this Saturday when he faces my beleaguered Texas Longhorns.
#6 Taylor Potts, Texas Tech University
Preseason ranking: #Unranked
I didn’t even have Potts ranked in the preseason, as I thought newly hired TTU coach Tuberville would start fan favorite Steven Sheffield (#5 in preseason). Potts began the season with 7 tds and 0 ints, but then was rocked with a haymaker by the then-#6 Texas Longhorns.
Potts is doing about what we would expect from a Texas Tech QB — racking up a large amount of yards/offense. If only TTU’s defense could manage to stop opponents, TTU might have more life at this point in the season.
#5 Blaine Gabbert, University of Missouri
Preseason ranking: #2
Gabbert is not having an eye-popping statistical season, but he has the Tigers 7-1 and on track for a decent bowl.
The Elite
#4 Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State University
Preseason ranking: #8
Weeden is probably the 2nd biggest surprise this year for Big 12 QBs. He has performed admirably in every game this season for the 7-1 Cowboys.
#3 Taylor Martinez, University of Nebraska
Preseason ranking: #Unranked
The true freshman phenom is by far the biggest surprise this year in the Big 12. The only knock on Martinez was that he was a one-dimensional college QB, but that was quickly debunked with his 323yd 5td 0int performance against Oklahoma State two weeks ago.
The only blemish on Martinez’s resume is his abysmal performance against the speedy Texas Longhorn defense. Don’t let that worry you, Taylor; NU can’t ever seem to beat those pesky Longhorns.
#2 Landry Jones, University of Oklahoma
Preseason ranking: #4
Sam Bradford who? The Sooners had no problem replacing their former Heisman QB this year. Jones’ performance this season enabled the Sooners to even beat Texas for the first time since 2007 — something the Sooner nation desperately needed after last season’s nail-biter.
#1 Robert Griffin III, Baylor University
Preseason ranking: #1
Well, at least my preseason #1 is still my #1 this far into the season. RGIII has performed better than I had even predicted. He has Baylor #1 in the Big 12 South (Wow!) and an astonishing win at Texas last week. Unfortunately for Griffin III, the road doesn’t get any easier, with @Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma remaining on the schedule. If Baylor does run the gauntlet, then Griffin III better get an invitation to New York for that bronzed statue.
