The Big Ten football season is more than half over, and it’s time to check in once again on which conference quarterbacks are doing the best at their position, including Ohio State football’s C.J. Stroud.
The metric we like to use more than any other is ESPN’s Total QBR rating. We find it to be a better indicator of performance because it takes into account many aspects others don’t, including the level of competition.
So what is Total QBR exactly? According to ESPN, Adjusted Total Quarterback Rating “values the quarterback on all play types on a 0-100 scale adjusted for the strength of opposing defenses faced.”
OK. we’re game.
So where are Stroud and other Big Ten signal-callers following Week 9 of the college football season? Here’s a ranking of the top 13 based on quarterbacks that play an average of 20 action plays per game.
Spencer Petras, Iowa
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 26.8
Total Before Last Week | 20.7
Ranking Last Week | 14 (⇑ no change)
Connor Bazelak, Indiana
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 46.2
Total Before Last Week | 48.3
Ranking Last Week | 12 (⇔ no change)
Ryan Hilinski, Northwestern
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 48.4
Total Before Last Week | 48.8
Ranking Last Week | 11 (⇔ no change)
Casey Thompson, Nebraska
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 54.7
Total Before Last Week | 54.3
Ranking Last Week | 10 (⇔ no change)
Graham Mertz, Wisconsin
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 63.2
Total Before Last Week | 63.0
Ranking Last Week | 7 (⇓ two spots)
Payton Thorne, Michigan State
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 63.7
Total Before Last Week | 61.7
Ranking Last Week | 9 (⇑ one spot)
Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 62.4
Total Before Last Week | 62.8
Ranking Last Week | 8 (⇑ one spot)
Sean Clifford, Penn State
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 71.2
Total Before Last Week | 73.2
Ranking Last Week | 6 (⇔ no change)
Aidan O'Connell, Purdue
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 74.9
Total Before Last Week | 74.9
Ranking Last Week | 5 (⇔ no change)
Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 75.1
Total Before Last Week | 75.2
Ranking Last Week | 4 (⇔ no change)
Tommy DeVito, Illinois
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 77.0
Total Before Last Week | 75.3
Ranking Last Week | 3 (⇔ no change)
J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 79.1
Total Before Last Week | 81.2
Ranking Last Week | 2 (⇔ no change)
C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 93.1
Total Before Last Week | 92.6
Ranking Last Week | 1 (⇔ no change)
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