There is no doubt about the importance of the quarterback on a college football roster. That is why the coaches, scouts, experts and fans spend so much time scrutinizing the position. There are many different ways to win in college football but it’s hard to run an efficient offense without the presence of a quality quarterback. We took the time to break down the best passers across the country heading in to this season. Here is a look at the best quarterback in every non-power college football conference.
AAC: Greg Ward Jr., Houston Cougars
Tom Herman’s fast-paced offense was the perfect fit for the dual-threat quarterback Ward Jr., who passed for 2,828 yards and 17 touchdowns while leading Houston’s offense with 1,108 rushing yards and another 21 scores on the ground. Ward joined Clemson’s Deshaun Watson as the only two FBS quarterbacks to throw for 2,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards last fall and it is his incredible dual-threat ability that makes him so special.
Houston is in an interesting position as they come in as a ranked team in what many would consider to be the strongest of the non-power conferences. That means that with a perfect season, they could potentially be a party crasher for the college football player. Ward Jr. has a big role to play in that but there will be many more factors. Specifically, the Cougars defense and how they handle their schedule. They open the season with a neutral site showdown with Oklahoma and that will tell us all we need to know. If they get blown out and Ward Jr. has a bad game, they can forget their playoff hopes. If Ward Jr. shows well and the defense shows up, and they either lose a close game to the Sooners or win, they could be in the running for one of those important four playoff spots.
The 5’11’’, 178-pound passer has the potential to be even better in his senior season and he is among the biggest reasons why Houston is a popular dark horse pick to challenge for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Conference USA: Nick Mullens, Southern Miss Eagles
The Golden Eagles had lost 33 of 36 games before Todd Monken and Mullens helped bring Southern Miss back to relevance a year ago when they won nine games and finished on top of the Conference USA West division. Monken left the Golden Eagles to take an assistant job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL but Mullens returns to Southern Miss for his senior season and is looking to build on his numbers from a year ago. Remember, he plays in a conference where the offenses move very freely, so the stats are going to be there.
Mullens threw for 4,476 yards with 38 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions with 10 games in which he threw for at least 300 passing yards. The Golden Eagles’ offense won’t change much under new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson so there is every reason to expect Mullens to dominate once again.
Mid-American Conference: Zach Terrell, Western Michigan Broncos
Head coach P.J. Fleck deserves a lot of credit for turning things around at Western Michigan but it likely wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for his quarterback Terrell playing at such a high level. Terrell threw for 3,526 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2015 while leading an offense that averaged 36.0 points per game. Terrell has the potential to be even better this year with the Broncos returning eight offensive starters so there is every reason to expect him to dominate the MAC once again.
Mountain West Conference: Brett Rypien, Boise State Broncos
The nephew of Super Bowl-winning quarterback Mark Rypien really impressed with Boise State a year ago and there is every reason to expect the Broncos’ starter to be even better in 2016. Rypien threw for 3,350 yards and 20 touchdowns as the only true-freshman quarterback to average more than 300 passing yards per game and there really is no ceiling on his potential heading in to his sophomore season. Rypien is already the best quarterback that the Mountain West has to offer and he should help Boise State top the 10-win mark again this coming season.
