Jiggyfly
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QB Curve Power Hour!
Ranking the nation’s best quarterbacks after six weeks.
Trevone Boykin, TCU. Last year, Boykin’s emergence as a junior came with a slight whiff of quantity over quality as TCU embraced a more pass-friendly offense. As a senior, though, he’s proved indispensable, accounting for more than two-thirds of the total offense for a team averaging 615 yards and 51 points per game. Boykin’s explosive output has bailed the Horned Frogs out twice already this year, in nail-biting shootouts against Texas Tech and Kansas State, and from the looks of TCU’s defense he’s not going to have the luxury of taking any Saturdays off.
Kyle Allen, Texas A&M. Allen is the most efficient passer in the SEC, but this remains largely a projection of his potential in a field that (aside from Boykin) is largely devoid of proven headliners. All signs point to Allen fulfilling the expectations that greeted him last year as a five-star recruit, and he won’t have a bigger opportunity to move the needle than this weekend’s visit from Alabama.
Kevin Hogan, Stanford. Hogan has logged 37 career starts over the past four years, and the only thing that’s remained consistent in all of them is his ghastly throwing motion. Though Hogan is one of the streakiest passers in the nation, he’s never been more solid than he has over the past month: Since his opening-day flop at Northwestern, Hogan has averaged a staggering 11.8 yards per attempt (that’s per attempt, not per completion) with multiple touchdown passes in four consecutive games.
Seth Russell, Baylor. Deride the competition if you must. (And when the competition to date is SMU, Rice, Texas Tech, and Kansas, you absolutely must.) But against FBS opponents, Russell’s efficiency rating is more than 35 points ahead of his closest competitor’s, and more than 50 points better than Boykin’s.
Jared Goff, California. This time last week, Goff might have topped this list on the strength of his consistency alone. Four times in Cal’s first five games (all wins), he hit 70 percent of his passes, eclipsed 300 yards, and connected on at least three touchdown passes. Last Saturday’s loss at Utah was a stark break from that trend; Goff completed barely half of his passes and served up five interceptions in the Golden Bears’ first loss. But no college QB throws a prettier ball at the moment or has less reason to dwell on one bad night.
Patrick Mahomes II, Texas Tech. I’m as numb to gonzo passing stats out of Lubbock as anyone, but few Tech quarterbacks have lit up opposing secondaries as efficiently as Mahomes has through the first six games, and none of them have added the extra dimension he brings with his legs.
Chad Kelly, Ole Miss. Ole Miss gambled on the embattled Kelly as the answer to its looming QB vacancy, and so far it’s paid off: He’s stayed out of trouble since arriving in Oxford and leads the SEC in yards per game (310.3), yards per attempt (9.9), and passing touchdowns (14).
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma. Mayfield is more impressive to watch live than he is on paper, because he plays with the same un-self-conscious flare that he shows when he dances. But he’s pretty good on paper, too, which makes you wonder how the hell he was ever a walk-on.
Paxton Lynch, Memphis. Lynch is the runaway front-runner for the 2015 Osweiler Trophy, awarded to the quarterback with the most obsessively documented height: If you’ve seen Memphis play on TV this year, you probably don’t need me to remind you that he’s listed at 6-foot-7. His other numbers (70.5 percent completion rate, 10 touchdowns to zero interceptions) are less well publicized, but they are a big part of the reason Memphis is 5-0 for the first time since 1961.
Deshaun Watson, Clemson. Contrary to the preseason hype, Watson has been more steady than spectacular, and some of his most significant contributions (especially in the win over Notre Dame) have come in the running game. But with wins over the Irish and Georgia Tech already on the books, Clemson isn’t going anywhere, and as long as the Tigers are relevant in the national conversation, their quarterback will be too.
Honorable Mention: Brandon Allen (Arkansas) … Connor Cook (Michigan State) … Brandon Doughty (Western Kentucky) … Matt Johnson (Bowling Green) … Greg Ward Jr. (Houston).
Ranking the nation’s best quarterbacks after six weeks.
Trevone Boykin, TCU. Last year, Boykin’s emergence as a junior came with a slight whiff of quantity over quality as TCU embraced a more pass-friendly offense. As a senior, though, he’s proved indispensable, accounting for more than two-thirds of the total offense for a team averaging 615 yards and 51 points per game. Boykin’s explosive output has bailed the Horned Frogs out twice already this year, in nail-biting shootouts against Texas Tech and Kansas State, and from the looks of TCU’s defense he’s not going to have the luxury of taking any Saturdays off.
Kyle Allen, Texas A&M. Allen is the most efficient passer in the SEC, but this remains largely a projection of his potential in a field that (aside from Boykin) is largely devoid of proven headliners. All signs point to Allen fulfilling the expectations that greeted him last year as a five-star recruit, and he won’t have a bigger opportunity to move the needle than this weekend’s visit from Alabama.
Kevin Hogan, Stanford. Hogan has logged 37 career starts over the past four years, and the only thing that’s remained consistent in all of them is his ghastly throwing motion. Though Hogan is one of the streakiest passers in the nation, he’s never been more solid than he has over the past month: Since his opening-day flop at Northwestern, Hogan has averaged a staggering 11.8 yards per attempt (that’s per attempt, not per completion) with multiple touchdown passes in four consecutive games.
Seth Russell, Baylor. Deride the competition if you must. (And when the competition to date is SMU, Rice, Texas Tech, and Kansas, you absolutely must.) But against FBS opponents, Russell’s efficiency rating is more than 35 points ahead of his closest competitor’s, and more than 50 points better than Boykin’s.
Jared Goff, California. This time last week, Goff might have topped this list on the strength of his consistency alone. Four times in Cal’s first five games (all wins), he hit 70 percent of his passes, eclipsed 300 yards, and connected on at least three touchdown passes. Last Saturday’s loss at Utah was a stark break from that trend; Goff completed barely half of his passes and served up five interceptions in the Golden Bears’ first loss. But no college QB throws a prettier ball at the moment or has less reason to dwell on one bad night.
Patrick Mahomes II, Texas Tech. I’m as numb to gonzo passing stats out of Lubbock as anyone, but few Tech quarterbacks have lit up opposing secondaries as efficiently as Mahomes has through the first six games, and none of them have added the extra dimension he brings with his legs.
Chad Kelly, Ole Miss. Ole Miss gambled on the embattled Kelly as the answer to its looming QB vacancy, and so far it’s paid off: He’s stayed out of trouble since arriving in Oxford and leads the SEC in yards per game (310.3), yards per attempt (9.9), and passing touchdowns (14).
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma. Mayfield is more impressive to watch live than he is on paper, because he plays with the same un-self-conscious flare that he shows when he dances. But he’s pretty good on paper, too, which makes you wonder how the hell he was ever a walk-on.
Paxton Lynch, Memphis. Lynch is the runaway front-runner for the 2015 Osweiler Trophy, awarded to the quarterback with the most obsessively documented height: If you’ve seen Memphis play on TV this year, you probably don’t need me to remind you that he’s listed at 6-foot-7. His other numbers (70.5 percent completion rate, 10 touchdowns to zero interceptions) are less well publicized, but they are a big part of the reason Memphis is 5-0 for the first time since 1961.
Deshaun Watson, Clemson. Contrary to the preseason hype, Watson has been more steady than spectacular, and some of his most significant contributions (especially in the win over Notre Dame) have come in the running game. But with wins over the Irish and Georgia Tech already on the books, Clemson isn’t going anywhere, and as long as the Tigers are relevant in the national conversation, their quarterback will be too.
Honorable Mention: Brandon Allen (Arkansas) … Connor Cook (Michigan State) … Brandon Doughty (Western Kentucky) … Matt Johnson (Bowling Green) … Greg Ward Jr. (Houston).