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 threw five more touchdown passes against Wisconsin? What about other quarterbacks in the league?
Here’s a ranking of the top 13 Big Ten quarterbacks based on Total QBR ranking after four 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
13
Spencer Petras, Iowa
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR | 11.6
Total Before Last Week | 7.0
Ranking Last Week | 12 (⇓ one spot)
12
Ryan Hilinski, Northwestern
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 49.2
Total Before Last Week: 51.6
Ranking Last Week: 10 (⇓ two spots)
11
Connor Bazelak, Indiana
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 51.0
Total Before Last Week: 51.1
Ranking Last Week: 11 (no change)
10
Evan Simon, Rutgers
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 54.0
Total Before Last Week: NR
Ranking Last Week: NR
9
Payton Thorne, Michigan State
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 55.3
Total Before Last Week: 54.0
Ranking Last Week: 6 (⇓ three spots)
8
Casey Thompson, Nebraska
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 55.6
Total Before Last Week: 57.2
Ranking Last Week: 8 (no change)
7
Tommy DeVito, Illinois
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 55.9
Total Before Last Week: 54.5
Ranking Last Week: 9 (⇑ two spots)
6
Graham Mertz, Wisconsin
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 57.1
Total Before Last Week: 67.5
Ranking Last Week: 7 (⇑ one spot)
5
Sean Clifford, Penn State
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 65.2
Total Before Last Week: 72.6
Ranking Last Week: 5 (no change)
4
Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 77.2
Total Before Last Week: 75.2
Ranking Last Week: 3 (⇓ one spot)
3
Aidan O'Connell, Purdue
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 83.8
Total Before Last Week: 82.2
Ranking Last Week: 2 (⇓ one spot)
2
Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 88.7
Total Before Last Week: 83.0
Ranking Last Week: 2 (⇑ two spots)
1
C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Inside the Numbers
Total QBR: 95.4
Total Before Last Week: 94.6
Ranking Last Week: 1 (no change)
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