Losing Your Lunch: Ranking QBs, Week 2

Hello followers.  Hope you’re having a great week.

As for me, well, I got a bit done on the work front earlier today.  As a result, I now have 30 minutes before my afternoon meeting to do a quick “Losing Your Lunch Post.”  

Today, I rank the quarterbacks in the Pac-12 through Week 2 of the season.  To check out where our own Connor Halliday ranks in the Sutra QB universe, read on.

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Followers, because time is short, my rankings are going to be based on five primary criteria:

a)      Completion Percentage this Season

b)      Total Yards This Season

c)       Touchdowns This Season

d)      Intangibles (including the Role of the QB in each offense)

e)      Recent and Past History of Winning.

That said, please note that for this week at least, I am NOT, including two important other statistics such as INTs and the ppg of each team.  There are two reasons for these omissions:  (a) Time is short; (b) PPG like the other statistics here can be misleading when some of the competition has been less than stellar.   So, to the Rankings we go.

1.Marcus Mariota—Oregon.  53% Comp  433 yards 3 Touchdowns (1.5 games)

I was actually tempted to put Marcus a bit lower on the list.  But ultimately, the guy has only lost one game as a starter and is not only the captain of a great offense but also an elite playmaker.  That said, he’s going to have to improve his vertical passing game if the Ducks are going to play in the Natty this year.

2.Brett Hundley—UCLA.  66% Comp 274 yards 2 Touchdowns (1 game)

So explosive AND under control against what I believe will be a decent Nevada team.   I think the guy is just nails and the three game losing streak that ended last year gave him a needed added dimension:  Hunger.  Look out.

3.Taylor Kelly—Arizona State. 74% comp, 300 yards, 5 Touchdowns (.5 game)

We’ll find out a lot about Mr. Kelly this weekend.  And while Sac State isn’t very good, they happen to be the ONLY 1-AA school to have beaten a Pac-12 team in two consecutive years (OSU in 2011, CU in 2012).  He looks terrific.

4.Kevin Hogan—Stanford.  63% Comp, 207 yards,  2 Touchdowns (1 Game)

Doesn’t have numbers that bowl you over.  And frankly, I am still not sure how great of a QB he is.  But until such time that dude loses a college game, he won’t fall below #4 in my conference rankings.  I think.

5.Keith Price—Washington. 74% Comp, 342 yards, 2 Touchdowns  (1 Game)

If we could go back and erase 2012 (thank goodness we can’t), it would be really hard to put Price outside of the top 2 or 3.  But since last year’s mistake ridden season still lingers, Price gets slotted in the five spot.  That said, if he manages the game like he did following that first INT, he will challenge BIG TIME for all-conference honors by year’s end.

6.Sean Mannion—Oregon State.   79% Comp, 791 yards, 7 Touchdowns

While Oregon State’s defense has been brutal, the offense has been firing on all cylinders.  And as you can see by his near 80% completion percentage, Mannion has been great.  With a solid screen game to Storm Woods as well as an all-conference burner in Cooks, Mannion also figures to contend for All-Conference honors IF he continues his pace of throwing for nearly 4800 yards.

7.Connor Wood—Colorado.  68% Comp, 741 yards, 6 Touchdowns (2 Games)

Hard to find a better story right now in the Pac-12 then the Colorado Buffs.   And while Wood may get drilled over the coming weeks, his current average of 370 plus yards and 3 touches puts him right near the upper division.  I think he’s going to have another big game on Saturday as well.

8.Travis Wilson—Utah.  66% Comp, 566 yards, 5 Touchdowns (2 Games)

To be sure, Wilson hasn’t been great.  But his two W’s coupled with great decision making and deceptive speed give him the nod over the guy who looks to be a shoe-in for freshman of the year.

9.Jared Goff—CAL .  63% Comp, 935 yards, 4 Touchdowns (2 Games)

Lots and lots to not like about CAL, but when you see Goff chuck the pigskin, well, it sure looks like the future is bright.  Like other young QB’s, Goff is going to throw his share of picks at the most inopportune times.  But when you look at the fact that the kid has nearly 1000 yards passing through TWO GAMES, well, it just shows that Dykes is already way ahead of WSU in offensive production.

10.Connor Halliday—WSU.  59% Comp, 559 yards, 2 Touchdowns (2 Games)

When your team throws the ball 80% of the time and your completion percentage ranks 9^th among starting QB’s in the conference, well, that doesn’t bode well for your ranking or standing.  To be sure, Connor and his offensive line have faced some talented opponents, but given the attention to the pass in the Air Raid, Connor needs to have numbers that rank him near the top of the conference.  Being near the bottom is a bad, bad, BAD sign.

11.BJ Denker—Arizona. 50% Comp, 168 yards, 1 Touchdown (2 Games)

The good thing about BJ is that he can run.  The other good thing about BJ is that he’s got guys around him that can run.  So, if can develop any type of competence throwing out of play action, then the Wildcats will be bowling again this year.  If he doesn’t, then they’re going to struggle.  I continue to believe that our game down @ Zona is one for the taking.  But if Halliday doesn’t improve dramatically and Denker does, then its gonna be another long night in Tuscon for the Cougs

12.Cody Kessler—USC. 56.3% Comp, 136 yards, 1 Touchdown for his team (2 games)

When you have a competent O-Line, the best WR in the country, and burners everywhere else, the above line is unacceptable for a half.  Obviously, these are Kessler’s totals over two games—albeit contests in which he shared minutes.  If Kessler can throw for 225 a game from here on out and not turn the ball over, the Trojans will win 7 games.   And for his sake, he better.

Okay, that’s all the time I have for today.  The clock just struck 25 and I’m gonna be late for my afternoon meeting.

I’ll be back tomorrow with my pick for the Southern Utah game.

All for now.  Go Cougs.