Pro Football Focus Misses the Mark on Big 12 QB Rankings
As football season draws closer, it appears that the chaos is not just on college campuses on anymore. Instead of me watching videos of college kids not give a flying you-know-what about COVID-19, something else grabbed my attention and bothered me enough to hit the keyboard.
Any college football fan is aware of Pro Football Focus and how big they are. And in case you did not know, they do rankings and grades for college football as well. While some use their grades religiously others such as myself are a bit more cautious when it comes to their grades. So, when Pro Football Focus decided to rank all 130 FBS starting quarterbacks, it caught my attention but not necessarily in a good way.
If you decide not to read the article and scroll through, here are the rankings.
Let’s start at the top here. I have no issue with Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger or Iowa State’s Brock Purdy at the top two spots. I would leave them in that order, but I have no issue with it either way as long as both take up the top two slots.
Having Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler may be a little bit of a reach at three, but honestly, with Lincoln Riley as his head coach, he could wind up with some great stats like other Oklahoma quarterbacks in the past. I can live with it.
However, having Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson as the fourth-rated quarterback in the Big 12 is insane. I mean, if you want to put him at seven, eight or nine, I am fine with that but at four? That is way too high and we all know his limitations as a passer. Skylar had the second-lowest completion percentage in the conference and threw the second least amount of pass attempts a year ago. Combine that with the fact that he threw only twelve touchdowns a season ago makes this ranking even more head scratching.
Just off the top of my head, I would have Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer ahead of Thompson as well as several others including TCU’s Max Duggan, Texas Tech’s Alan Bowman and Oklahoma State’s Spencer Sanders. I would likely put West Virginia’s Jarrett Doege behind Thompson as well as whoever wins the starting job at Kansas between Miles Kendrick and Thomas MacVittie.
Why you ask? Well, Charlie Brewer is proven although he has had some recent health issues and the same goes for Tech’s Alan Bowman. Alan is a gifted passer, but he cannot seem to stay healthy. But when healthy both of those guys are above Skylar Thompson. The same goes for Spencer Sanders and Max Duggan. Both guys were freshmen last season, and both flashed some solid potential. Potential that Skylar Thompson has not really shown in three years as a starter. Sure, Skylar can make a good throw every now and then, but they must rely heavily on that run game at Kansas State for him to be able to spread the ball around. Maybe that chances this season, but I have a hard time believing that as of right now.
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