Top five quarterbacks in the Big 12 this season

College football is entering a new era of quarterbacks this season. With the likes of Justin Fields, Mac Jones, and Trevor Lawrence off to the NFL, there will be opportunities for new players to step up as the stars of college football.

Within the Big 12, there is quarterback depth from top to bottom. Arguably home to two of the best QB coaches in the country, Lincoln Riley and Steve Sarkisian, the conference always produces gaudy numbers through the air.

Texas’ quarterback battle has been one of the national headlines of the offseason, with Hudson Card and Casey Thompson. Outside of Austin, a majority of conference foes return their signal-callers from the previous year.

Head coaches will rarely have the opportunity to capitalize on inexperienced quarterbacks this season. It should make for some great late games.

Here are the top five quarterbacks in the Big 12 for what could be the last time these 10 teams share a conference together.

Tyler Shough - Texas Tech

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The one and only transfer on the list, Tyler Shough is replacing Alan Bowman over in Lubbock. His COVID-19 season at Oregon was not great, throwing 13 touchdowns and six interceptions with a 63.5% completion percentage. But with an offensive-minded coach like Matt Wells, there is hope Shough can turn into a real NFL talent.

Spencer Sanders - Oklahoma State

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Being a top 10 quarterback coming out of high school, Spencer Sanders has underwhelmed a bit. Going into his redshirt junior season, momentum is going to be built on his final two games where Sanders averaged 326 passing yards with seven touchdowns. As usual, the dual-threat can be an issue in the run game too.

Hudson Card - Texas

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The most inexperienced guy on the list, Hudson Card is going to have a lot of pressure early in his career. Texas is desperate for its first double-digit win season since the 2009 Big 12 championship team. Card is a quarterback Steve Sarkisian has developed many a time over the years with his arm strength and accuracy being his best traits. While a battle of Casey Thompson is still going on, the Austin native will slot in as one of the best in the Big 12 if/when he is announced the starter.

Brock Purdy - Iowa State

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Entering the fourth year of Brock Purdy at Iowa State, the Cyclones are going to need the quarterback to take a step up to win a Big 12 championship. His numbers took a slight dip during the shortened season but threw 110 fewer passes. The emergence of Breece Hall at running back has helped balanced the Iowa State offense. Matt Campbell knows he has a great quarterback who can be called upon when needed. Purdy slates in as an elite in the Big 12 with the chance to become a Cyclone legend forever.

Spencer Rattler - Oklahoma

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Spencer Rattler is not just the best quarterback in the Big 12, he might be the best in the country. Surprise, surprise, Lincoln Riley has churned out another future No. 1 draft pick. Not everything has been pretty for Oklahoma and Rattler though. After struggling in their two losses and early on against Texas, the former five-star was benched. He came back later in the game and since then, it's been lights out. With Riley having arguably his most talented team ever, Rattler could put the Sooners over the edge.

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