Big 10 Quarterback Rankings: 2008 Final Edition

#1

Daryll Clark

PSU

Game Average for Clark: 14-23, 196 yards, 1 TD. Certainly not spectacular, but he got the ball to the numerous weapons that PSU possesses. His 8 rushing touchdowns and effective QB runs made Penn State dangerous near the goal line.

#2

Terrelle Pryor

OSU

Tremendous running ability (50 ypg) and size helped the Buckeye's rush the ball effectively against every Big 10 team except PSU. His "Superman" ability to shake tackles and throw on the run helped the Bucks convert third and longs. Would be the top rated QB, but he hasn't thrown enough passes to qualify.

#3

Juice Williams

MINN

This turnover machine has disappointed constantly this year, but his mom loves him, so I'll be gentle. Negatives: Subpar offensive line, locks onto wide receivers, throws BAD picks. Positives: Improved mechanics, great escapability, most passing yards in the Big 10. Blew the Western game with rollercoaster throws, but the O Line didnt help.

#4

Adam Weber

ILL

ESPN guessed that he would be named 2nd team All Big 10.They didn't watch the last three games, where he was hovering near the 50% completion mark. Weber is a good QB, but he never posted eye popping numbers, and the Decker injury slowed him considerably. Weber's profile was probably raised by Minnesota's success against weaker competition, not his outstanding talent. Strategy Note : It looks like Michigan and Northwestern found the blueprint for slowing the quick pass MN offense - How will Weber and Brewster adapt next year?

#5

Ricky Stanzi

IOWA

Having a conservative offensive coordiantor and Shonn Greene have made Stanzi a persona non grata in some games. But this newbie engineered 4th quarter scoring drives in back to back games, showing some major endgame kahoonas.

#6

Brian Hoyer

MSU

After tearing up the Wolverines with a near flawless 3 touchdown game, has struggled against Wisconsin and Purdue. Hoyer began making throws he wasn't capable of making and has paid for it with picks and low completion %. Strategy Note: For Hoyer to succeed against PSU, the coaching staff needs to diagram routes that worked earlier in the season; slants to White and quick swing passes.

#7

NW

Missed two games and watched his backup run for 217 yards while leading the Wildcats to a huge win over Minnesota. Came back after a Kafka concussion and beat Michigan with a near flawless 2nd half performance. Negative: Has thrown enough ugly picks in his career to have one Big 10 Network anchor call them the "signature" of his career.

#8

Dustin Sherer

WI

Like Stanzi, is easily obscured by the run based offense and the star halfbacks on his time. Sherer showed a lot of guts and accuracy against a Minnesota team that is sure to have 2-3 All Big 10 defenders. If not for some horrendous endgame coaching by Bielema, would be leading the Badgers on a 4-0 streak.

#9

Ben Chappell

IND

Sure, your team is horrendous, but take heart that you haven't been the one killing them. His performance against Northwestern (21-34, 219 yards, passing TD, plus a rushing TD) showed that he could succeed in the Big 10, even without a strong supporting cast. See you next year!

#10

Curtis Painter / Justin Siller

PU

After Siller proved ineffective, Tiller threw the once upon a time pro prospect in the game. Painter almost took the Boilers over Iowa, losing by five and putting up great stats (24-30, 190 yards, 1 TD). The instability of the Purdue QB situation has been one of the major stories in the Big 10 this year. Remember that this was supposed to be a 9 win team; how quickly that idea was thrown out.

#11

Nick Sheridan

UM

Weird comment from an ESPN2 apologist, explaining why Sheridan was horrible against Northwestern: "Sheridan wasn't brought in to do this." Oh really? After a cool and calm performance against Mini, the weather threw Sheridan off to the tune of a 25% completion rate against the Wildcats. Onto the Horseshoe meatgrinder...