Ranking the Pac-10 Quarterbacks
Dave Curtis and Matt Hayes - SportingNews.com
May 11, 2010
Sporting News college football columnists Matt Hayes and Dave Curtis offer their 10 best for a specific topic each week. This week's top 10: Pac-10 quarterbacks.
Dave Curtis' top 10
1. Jake Locker, Washington: Next year's likely No. 1 overall NFL draft pick is the most talented of this bunch. He needs to prove he has become a better thrower in September tests against BYU and Nebraska.
2. Andrew Luck, Stanford: His 143.5 efficiency rating over 12 starts last year establishes him as the league's best passer. He'll miss Toby Gerhart this fall, though.
3. Nick Foles, Arizona: The Michigan State transfer thrived in Sonny Dykes' spread a year ago. Can he keep it up with a new offensive coordinator?
4. Nate Costa, Oregon: Injuries prevented Costa from succeeding Dennis Dixon. Now, in his fifth year as a Duck, a suspension gives him a chance to start.
5. Matt Barkley, USC: Anybody who impresses Pete Carroll that much could end up being great down the road. Fourteen interceptions, though, is too many in that offense.
6. Mitch Mustain, USC: He still hasn't lost as a starter, going 8-0 in 2006 at Arkansas. And there's still time for a guy rated higher out of high school than Tim Tebow and Matt Stafford.
7. Kevin Riley, California: He has a so-so 15 wins in 22 starts. But the experience hasn't translated into consistent, high-level play.
8. Ryan Katz, Oregon State: The Beavers have never enjoyed a quarterback with Katz's arm strength. This year's mission is simple—get the ball to a Rodgers (James or Jacquizz).
9. Darron Thomas, Oregon: His second-half performance against Boise State in 2008 showed enough promise to get him on this list.
10. Kevin Prince, UCLA: I have to trust that last year's experience, plus another year under Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow, will make this guy better in 2010.
Matt Hayes' top 10
1. Andrew Luck, Stanford: A ton of talent, terrific coaching and a system built around his skills. The question: What happens without the hammer Toby Gerhart setting up the play-action passing game?
2. Jake Locker, Washington: How good is Locker? Top five NFL draft pick good. But can he be good enough to elevate an average team to the elite of the league?
3. Nick Foles, Arizona: Maybe the most upside of any quarterback in the conference. Can he keep the Wildcats among the Pac-10 elite during a critical year in his development?
4. Matt Barkley, USC: Took too much criticism last year for USC's late-season fade. Despite all of Pete Carroll's—and ESPN's—gushing after one month, Barkley was a freshman months removed from high school and making typical freshman mistakes. He'll play much better this fall.
5. Nate Costa, Oregon: The Ducks will win the Pac-10 because coach Chip Kelly will find the right combination of Costa and backup Darron Thomas in specific sets to get enough from the position.
6. Mitch Mustain, USC: The freshman-star-turned-career backup won't play unless Barkley gets injured, but could start for nearly half of the league's teams.
7. Kevin Riley, California: Has all the tools and the coaching, but has a history of uneven play in big games.
8. Ryan Katz, Oregon State: Won the spring practice battle with Virginia transfer Peter Lalich, and it really wasn't that close.
9. Jeff Tuel, Washington State: One of the few bright spots for Wazzu last fall; he could be enough for three or four wins this fall.
10. Kevin Prince, UCLA: At some point, all that coaching from two guys who know the position as well as anyone—Norm Chow and Rick Neuheisel—has to sink in.
Dave Curtis is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at dcurtis@sportingnews.com.
Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News and is an analyst for the NFL Network. Tune in to Total Access weeknights. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com.
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