The college football season will be halfway done this Saturday. Which quarterbacks have distinguished themselves from the rest? It is early, so this is subject to a lot of changes and revisions over the next eight weeks, but right now, this is the best sense of where the top quarterbacks in the country stand:
1. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma Sooners
The senior did play poorly against Iowa State this past weekend, but he still completed 19 of 20 passes in his first game of the year. He then went on the road to beat Ohio State in the second game of the season. Mayfield is not throwing many interceptions (his big mistake against Iowa State was a fumble), and he has generally adjusted well to a new group of receivers, incorporating them into the Oklahoma offense. He did make a few big mistakes against Iowa State, but other than those two or three bad moments, he has been sensational this season. No other quarterback has matched his standard of play.
2. Luke Falk, Washington State Cougars
The tough gunslinger still gets hit more often than he should be, but he stands in the pocket and makes tough throws. The big thing to realize with Falk is that he is working with a new set of receivers this year after his two favorite targets, Gabe Marks and River Cracraft, left for a shot at the pros. Falk is doing well in terms of communicating with his receivers and establishing Washington State’s passing game. Washington State would also be an even more impressive team if its receivers caught more of Falk’s passes. That’s the scary part about Falk – his stats should be even better than they are on a team which is unbeaten at 6-0.
It’s interesting to note that Falk was benched/injured in the team’s near-loss to Boise State earlier this season. There was some question if the decorated passer would keep his job after he watched his team come back from the sidelines but not only has he come back, he’s thrived once again.
3. McKenzie Milton, Central Florida Knights
The dual-threat quarterback is putting defenses on their heels. Milton has great speed and is very hard to contain in the pocket. He makes UCF’s offense potent and unpredictable, which is a great combination for second-year head coach Scott Frost. UCF blitzed AAC competitor Memphis a few weeks ago, and the Knights scored on each of their first eight possessions this past weekend in Cincinnati against the Bearcats. Milton is blessed with a lot of athleticism, but it is just as clear that he is making very sound decisions which have UCF on track for a big season and possibly a major bowl bid. He’s been one of the quarterbacks that’s flying under the radar.
4. Trace McSorley, Penn State Nittany Lions
The stats aren’t huge or eye-popping, but McSorley engineered a game-winning drive on the road at night against Iowa when a full stadium was yelling against him, hoping he would fail. McSorley threw a perfect touchdown pass on the last play of the game when Penn State had no more margin for error. McSorley is still a winner. He still makes almost all the plays Penn State needs at the right time. He is still one of the toughest quarterbacks to defeat in college football.
5. Kenny Hill, TCU Horned Frogs
The things that apply to McSorley are beginning to apply to Hill. He is not filling up the stat sheet, but he is making winning plays, such as his tough third-down touchdown run to beat West Virginia this past Saturday. Hill has led his offense expertly, making few mistakes and ensuring that everyone gets the ball. If Hill keeps playing the way he is playing, TCU will have a great chance to make the College Football Playoff.
- Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State Cowboys
- Josh Rosen, UCLA Bruins
- Zach Abey, Navy Midshipmen
- Ryan Finley, North Carolina State Wolfpack
- Jarrett Stidham, Auburn Tigers
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