The Quarterback Conference

When somebody looks around at quarterback play in the BCS conferences and tries to determine which conference has the best QB’s from top to bottom, there should be no question about it. It’s the Pac­­­-12 people!

Let’s start in the Northern Division of the conference. Marcus Mariotta, Mr. Duck. Right now, he’s probably the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. He has great size, speed, good arm (not great), poise, and intelligence to play the position at the next level. I’ve heard talk radio people, namely back east that tend to think that he may not do to well. All I have to say to that is “you guys are idiots!” For a guy that is 6’4, about 225 pounds, and can out run a lot of running backs and defensive backs, what else do you want this guy to prove to you? This praise is coming from a guy who is an Oregon State alum, so it hurts a little bit to say that.

Next is probably the most underrated QB in the Pac-12, but had a break out year last year. Sean Mannion, from Oregon State. He has all the physical tools to be an NFL quarterback. He has size, great arm, intelligence, and has been running a pro style offense his whole career at Oregon State. The difference between him and Marcus Mariotta is that Mannion is not a runner, in fact, he doesn’t run. However, he wins. He can read defenses and take his team down the field when the game is on the line. When he needs to throw the ball down field, he can and for big yardage.

Next, lets take a look at Stanfords young quarterback Kevin Hogan.  This guy was the replacement for Andrew Luck.  A very tall order to fill for anybody, but he’s done that very admirably. He has a Pac-12 Championship and a Rose Bowl victory under his belt and from what I have  seen, the sky is the limit for this kid.  For a quarterback who has not played that many games and is completing 61% of his passes already the next few years in Palo Alto are looking very good. A big sigh of frustration can be heard from Duck fans knowing that. Plus, you top that with a quarterback rating of 151.64 and a bigger sigh from the rest of the Pac-12 can be heard.

Moving down the freeway to Pasadena we have Brett Hundley. This Arizona native is ready to take the Bruins to places that they haven’t been in awhile. That place would be a spot in the National Championship playoff this winter. I have seen this young man play in person a few times and has improved each time I’ve seen him. Hundley has the highest completion percentage in the Pac-12 at 67.2%. That means UCLA is putting plenty of points on the board for their fans. He certainly will be a Heisman contender as the season gets closer and will get louder the better UCLA performs on the field.  Hundley has poise, runs a pro-style offense, has good arm strength, can make all the throws the pro’s would want him to, and is mobile.  As Hundley goes, the Bruins go.  Simply put.

As we move to the desert, more specifically, Tempe, Arizona we have Taylor Kelley standing there with his arm raised saying “don’t forget about me!”  This kid can run pretty well, I’ve seen him play a couple of times in person and I must say that he looks better in person than on my t.v. Kelley is coming off back to back 3,000 yard seasons and with the spread, no huddle offense that they run at Arizona State he should have no worries getting back to at LEAST 3,000 yards again in 2014. He has plenty of offensive weapons at wide receiver and running back to help him move the Devils down the field and into the endzone. On top of throwing for all these yards, Taylor Kelley completes 62.4% of his passes. That’s a recipe for fantastic things at Sun Devil Stadium this year.

This is only the beginning for the Pac-12 in terms of quarterbacking. People should not sleep on USC’s Cody Kessler either. He has not played that many games yet, but ended on a strong note in the Las Vegas Bowl when he threw for two scores and 345 yards. He will be in a pro-style offense and that will help him develop for Coach Sarkisian and possibly for the next level. I think this young kid will be the best qb in the conference in the next couple of years.

In the end, if people want to watch great quarterbacking during this upcoming college football season they should be watching the Pac-12. The quarterbacks mentioned are only the beginning because the rest of the conference has mobile, exciting young qb’s coming up. Once again the Pac-12 will show the country what’s up with football. Sorry SEC, Big 10, Big 12, and ACC, you just don’t measure up.