College football is a quarterback-driven game and has been for a long time. Gone are the days of being a game manager with handoffs and short passes when needed.
You simply can’t go special places anymore without having a dynamic player under center, and Ohio State has a good one in C.J. Stroud.
However, he’s not the only good quarterback in the Big Ten. Though Stroud is one of the front-runners for the Heisman Trophy, there are still other signal-callers in the league that can spin it when called upon.
One of the best metrics we like to look at when it comes to a quarterback’s performance is Total QBR, and we look at it each week upon the completion of games. Where is Stroud this week after he lit up the Toledo defense for five touchdowns? What about other quarterbacks in the league? You might be surprised at where the league gunslingers rank using this metric.
Here’s a ranking of the top 12 Big Ten quarterbacks based on Total QBR ranking after two full weeks of the 2022 season. Stats are courtesy of ESPN.
Note: To qualify, a player must play a minimum of 20 action plays per team game
12
Spencer Petras, Iowa
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 7.0
Total Before Last Week: 3.4
Ranking Last Week: 12 (no change)
11
Connor Bazelak, Indiana
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 51.1
Total Before Last Week: 54.0
Ranking Last Week: 11 (no change)
10
Ryan Hilinski, Northwestern
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 51.6
Total Before Last Week: 71.2
Ranking Last Week: 6 (down four spots)
9
Tommy DeVito. Illinois
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 54.5
Total Before Last Week: 71.2
Ranking Last Week: 10 (up one spot)
8
Casey Thompson, Nebraska
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 57.2
Total Before Last Week: 64.5
Ranking Last Week: 8 (no change)
7
Graham Mertz, Wisconsin
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 67.5
Total Before Last Week: 68.8
Ranking Last Week: 7 (no change)
6
Payton Thorne, Michigan State
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 68.5
Total Before Last Week: 59.6
Ranking Last Week: 9 (up three spots)
5
Sean Clifford, Penn State
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 72.6
Total Before Last Week: 73.3
Ranking Last Week: 5 (no change)
4
Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 83.0
Total Before Last Week: 71.2
Ranking Last Week: 2 (down two spots)
3
Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 75.2
Total Before Last Week: 80.5
Ranking Last Week: 2 (down one spot)
2
Aidan O'Connell, Purdue
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 82.2
Total Before Last Week: 78.5
Ranking Last Week: 4 (up two spots)
1
C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 94.6
Total Before Last Week: 90.1
Ranking Last Week: 1 (no change)
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