1. #1
    Hman
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    Which Programs Have The Best QB Situations For 2018?

    Which programs have the best QB situations for 2018?

    Phil Steele
    ESPN INSIDER


    Editor's note: This article was adapted from Phil Steele's college football preview magazine, which is available here.Which college football programs have the top quarterbacks for 2018? Several teams rely on familiar faces, while others start the season with more than one capable signal-caller after injuries forced a lineup change in 2017. Here are the top 15.




    1. Penn State Nittany Lions
    Record-setting senior Trace McSorley is back for his third season as the starter, with a bigger role expected now that running back Saquon Barkley is gone. The only quarterback in Penn State history with multiple 3,000-yard passing seasons, McSorley accounted for 39 touchdowns in 2017, including 11 rushing. The Nittany Lions retained dual-threat Tommy Stevens, who will be one of the country's top backups.

    2. West Virginia Mountaineers
    Florida transfer Will Grier was a perfect fit in his debut in head coach Dana Holgorsen's Mountaineers offense in 2017, throwing for 3,490 yards and 34 touchdowns before getting hurt late in the season. Grier, who will be throwing to one of the nation's top wide-receiver corps, could be the first quarterback taken in the 2019 NFL draft. West Virginia upgraded its bench with the addition of Miami transfer Jack Allison.

    3. UCF Knights
    McKenzie Milton was a revelation in his first full season as the starter in Orlando. The AAC Offensive Player of the Year led the Knights to an unbeaten 2017, ranking second nationally in passer rating, throwing for 4,037 yards (67.1 percent, 37 TDS and nine interceptions), while rushing for 613 yards and eight scores. No UCF backup quarterback has thrown a pass at the college level.

    4. Auburn Tigers
    After a slow start, Jarrett Stidham became the quarterback head coach Gus Malzahn hoped for when he transferred from Baylor. Stidham completed an SEC-best 66.5 percent of his throws for 3,158 yards, 18 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Stidham will be in the mix to be the top signal-caller selected in the 2019 NFL draft. Backup Malik Willis threw seven passes in seven games a season ago.

    5. Missouri Tigers
    In strong-armed Drew Lock, Mizzou has its most prolific passer since Chase Daniel a decade earlier. Lock led FBS with a school-record 44 touchdown passes, including 15 in the final four SEC games. He threw for 3,964 yards and set a single-season school record for pass efficiency (165.67), but must improve his accuracy (just 57.8 percent) and cut down on interceptions (13 last season).

    6. Georgia Bulldogs
    Jake Fromm is way ahead of schedule after beating out Jacob Eason for the quarterback job last season and leading the Dawgs to an SEC title as a true freshman in 2017. Fromm should be even better as a sophomore after debuting as the nation's eighth-most-efficient passer (2,615 yards, 62.2 percent, 24 TDs, seven interceptions). He will be backed up by another blue-chip prospect, true freshman Justin Fields.

    7. Arkansas State Red Wolves
    After transferring from Oklahoma in 2014, Justice Hansen has found a home in Jonesboro. In Year 2 at Arkansas State, he improved in every category, setting Sun Belt single-season marks with 37 touchdown passes and 44 total touchdowns (3,967 yards, 62.6 percent, 37-16) to go along with 422 rush yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Hansen has become the unquestioned leader of the Red Wolves' program.

    8. Florida State Seminoles
    The silver lining to Deondre Francois' opening-game injury in 2017 is that the Noles are the only Power 5 team with two quarterbacks who have started at least 12 games. Francois laid the groundwork in 2016 with 3,350 yards, 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 58.7 percent passing. The evolving James Blackman took over last season and completed 58.2 percent of his throws for 2,230 yards, 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

    9. Washington Huskies
    A perfectionist, Jake Browning will be looking to rebound from last season's unexpected production decline. After contending for the Heisman in 2016 (3,430 yards, 62.1 percent, 43-9 TD-INT ratio), his output fell in most major areas (2,719, 68.5 percent, 19-5). However, Browning has the three years of starting experience, accuracy and drive to finish strong in his final college season.

    10. NC State Wolfpack
    While the Wolfpack lost a lot of talent to the NFL, the team is set behind center in 2018. Ryan Finley will be looking to impress pro scouts in his senior season after throwing for more than 3,000 yards in each of his first two seasons in Raleigh. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Boise State transfer capped 2017 (3,518 yards, 65.1 percent, 17-6) by completing 82.8 percent of his throws in the Sun Bowl rout of Arizona State.

    11. Arizona Wildcats
    Khalil Tate came off the bench last October to erupt into one of the game's most electrifying playmakers. A true dual threat, he ranked fourth among FBS quarterbacks with 1,411 rush yards (9.2 average) and 12 touchdowns. While there's room for growth as a passer (1,591 yards, 62 percent, 14-9), Tate did close 2017 with five touchdown throws in a bowl loss to Purdue.

    12. Oregon Ducks
    The Ducks are a different team with Justin Herbert at QB. Oregon averaged 49 points in the eight games he played in 2017 to only 15 points in the five he missed because of injury. At 6-foot-6, 238 pounds, he has total-package potential, running for five scores and completing 67.5 percent of his passes for 1,983 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions.



    13. Alabama Crimson Tide
    Whether Tua Tagovailoa or Jalen Hurts starts, Alabama feels good at the quarterback position. The pair combined for a sterling 28-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, 988 rush yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground in 2017. Hurts has a 26-2 mark as the starter, and Tagovailoa threw the winning touchdown pass to beat Georgia for last season's national title.

    14. Mississippi State Bulldogs
    New head coach Joe Moorhead is thrilled to inherit third-year starter Nick Fitzgerald, who suffered an ankle injury in last season's Egg Bowl. Fitzgerald is a battering ram on the ground (984 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2017) but needs Moorhead's help as a passer (1,782 yards, 55.6 percent, 15-11). Keytaon Thompson earned valuable reps after Fitzgerald went down and is a viable backup option.

    15. Boise State Broncos
    The Broncos will be led for one more season by the steady hand of fourth-year starter Brett Rypien. The veteran quarterback has 60 career touchdown passes, though a career-low 16 last season to go along with 2,877 yards and six interceptions.

  2. #2
    gojetsgomoxies
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    op, thx very much. i really appreciate it

    some lesser ones i'd add (i only really look at western teams closely): nevada, fresno, utah, colorado (might be new starter, but experienced), cal

    i like the other end - replacing franchise QB........ usc, ucla, wyoming (never really had great stats), wsu, hawaii (not really franchise QB, but a good one and transfer was devastating surprise).... sorry, i should have said i "like" these for FADE potential

    some tweeners: oregon state (think they'll be good QB with Luton), colorado state (carta-samuel from washington should be good too)....

  3. #3
    BigdaddyQH
    BigdaddyQH
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    The programs that can dodge the injury bullet will have the best chances. I don't care how good a QB is, he is not going to throw a lot of completions if he spends all day running or on his back.

  4. #4
    michlafon15
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    Michigan

    1. Shea patterson
    2. Dylan mccafferey
    3. Joe milton
    4. Brandon peters ( last years starter)

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