Big Ten quarterbacks ranked by total QBR rating through Week 2
College football is a quarterback-driven game and has been for a long time now. Gone are the days of being a game manager with handoffs and short passes when needed. It hasn’t been that way for a long, long time now.
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 frontrunners 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’re going to take a look at it each week upon the completion of games. Where is Stroud after this week? What about other quarterbacks in the league? You might be surprised, especially after OSU has yet to really get cookin’ totally on offense.
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
Spencer Petras, Iowa
Iowa State safety Anthony Johnson, Jr., breaks up a pass made by Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras during the Cy-Hawk Series football game on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Total QBR | 3.4
Total Before Last Week | 1.1
Ranking Last Week | 12
Connor Bazelak, Indiana
Indiana’s Connor Bazelak (9) throws during the Indiana versus Idaho football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Total QBR | 54.0
Total Before Last Week | 63.6
Ranking Last Week | 7
Tommy DeVito, Illinois
Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Total QBR | 54.5
Total Before Last Week | 56.9
Ranking Last Week | 8
Payton Thorne, Michigan State
Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne (10) hands the ball to running back Jarek Broussard (3) during the first half at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Total QBR | 59.6
Total Before Last Week | 68.2
Ranking Last Week | 6
Casey Thompson, Nebraska
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Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Total QBR | 65.4
Total Before Last Week | 50.9
Ranking Last Week | 11
Graham Mertz, Wisconsin
Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz (5) against Eastern Michigan during their football game on Saturday, September 11, 2021, in Madison, Wis. Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Total QBR | 68.8
Total Before Last Week | 53.2
Ranking Last Week | 10
Ryan Hilinski, Northwestern
Oct 30, 2021; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats quarterback Ryan Hilinski (12) passes the football in the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Ryan Field. Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports
Total QBR | 71.2
Total Before Last Week | 85.7
Ranking Last Week | 2
Sean Clifford, Penn State
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford takes off on the ground during the 2022 Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 23, 2022, in State College. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Total QBR | 73.3
Total Before Last Week | 75.4
Ranking Last Week | 3
Aidan O'Connell, Purdue
Nov 6, 2021; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Aidan O’Connell (16) drops back to pass the ball in the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at Ross-Ade Stadium. Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Total QBR | 78.5
Total Before Last Week | 69.4
Ranking Last Week | 5
Taulia Tagovailoa, Marylaqnd
Dec 29, 2021; New York, NY, USA; Maryland Terrapins quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa (3) is tackled by Virginia Tech Hokies defensive back Jalen Stroman (26) during the second half of the 2021 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Total QBR | 80.5
Total Before Last Week | 55.7
Ranking Last Week | 9
Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
Sep 10, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan (2) passes in the third quarter against Western Illinois Leathernecks at Huntington Bank Stadium. Credit: Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports
Total QBR | 83.0
Total Before Last Week | 74.2
Ranking Last Week | 4
C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
September 10, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) looks to pass the ball while playing against the Arkansas State Red Wolves at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Joseph Scheller-The Columbus Dispatch
Total QBR | 90.1
Total Before Last Week | 89.5
Ranking Last Week | 1
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