There is just one week left in the college football regular season, and it’s time to check in once again on which Big Ten 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 J.J. McCarthy of Michigan, Sean Clifford of Penn State, and Payton Thorne of Michigan State following Week 12 of the college football season? Stroud has been leading the pack all season but didn’t have his usual spectacular day against Maryland in a tighter-than-expected affair.
Here’s how things stack up after another week of action in the heartland.
12
Spencer Petras, Iowa
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 33.0
Total Before Last Week | 29.5
Ranking Last Week | 13 (⇑ up one spot by default)
11
Ryan Hilinski, Northwestern
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 45.5
Total Before Last Week | 45.2
Ranking Last Week | 12 (⇑ one spot by default)
10
Connor Bazelak, Indiana
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 47.3
Total Before Last Week | 46.9
Ranking Last Week | 11 (⇑ up one spot by default)
9
Graham Mertz, Wisconsin
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 52.6
Total Before Last Week | 53.9
Ranking Last Week | 10 (⇑ one spot by default)
8
Casey Thompson, Nebraska
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 58.5
Total Before Last Week | 55.1
Ranking Last Week | 9 (⇑ one spot by default)
7
Payton Thorne, Michigan State
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 68.4
Total Before Last Week | 66.2
Ranking Last Week | 6 (⇓ one spot)
6
Sean Clifford, Penn State
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 70.1
Total Before Last Week | 69.7
Ranking Last Week | 5 (⇓ one spot)
5
Tommy DeVito, Illinois
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 71.2
Total Before Last Week | 72.2
Ranking Last Week | 4 (⇓ one spot)
4
Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 71.4
Total Before Last Week | 65.8
Ranking Last Week | 7 (⇑ three spots)
3
Aidan O'Connell, Purdue
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 72.3
Total Before Last Week | 73.8
Ranking Last Week | 3 (⇔ no change)
2
J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 75.2
Total Before Last Week | 79.5
Ranking Last Week | 2 (⇔ no change)
1
C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 89.7
Total Before Last Week | 90.8
Ranking Last Week | 1 (⇔ no change)
