Ranking the 2012 B1G Quarterback Units

How the hell does Penn St. win so many games with that train wreck under center for the past few years?

"Braxton Miller is the best combination runner/passer in the Big Ten?"  I beg to differ!

Overall, not a very good looking group of QBs in the the B1G this year. Maybe that will change by year end.

What is it with Wisconsin and transferring starting QBs? Its like watching a proffesional team restock its lost talent

Lucky for us, the Big Ten as a whole has done a piss poor job recruiting QBs the last few years.

too low.

He must be thinking that 2010 Danny O'Brien will play this year, because 2011 Danny O'Brien was not so hot. 

Colter at least 2 spots higher as well. Northwestern always seems to get the most out of their QBs.

I'm fine leaving Maxwell that low until he proves himself.

What's with Wisconsin getting these transfer QB's? Is this going to be their M.O. going forward?  Seems a bit shady to me.

I think Iowa and Northwestern are too low. Colter did pretty well last year when he played, and Vandenberg isn't worse than anyone Purdue, Minnesota, or Wisconsin rolls out there.

As for MSU, well that's fine there. They've got a brand new-starter and have almost no returning WR's.

underated . . .needs more help at the WR position. 

at the ranking for Vandenberg.  Not great by any means, but pretty solid.  I would slot him 6 at the lowest, and move gray and the Purdue duo down behind him. 

Why is Taylor Martinez still considered a good QB? He shredded some terrible defenses on the ground in the first half of his freshman year and hasn't done jack since. 

I hope Danny O'Brien has an awful year for Wisconsin and then they have to start playing younger QB's with no experience for once. 

And Bret Bielema  is still a massive tool. 

1. Michigan (Denard Robinson + Gardner is a talented if unproven back up)

2. Illinois (Nathan Scheelhaase + ???) retuning starter with lots of experience

3. Nebraska (Taylor Martinez + ???) see Ill

4. Ohio State (Braxton Miller) ditto again, but less experience and more talent/potential

5. Northwestern (Kain Colter, Trevor Siemian) i don't care, they always seem solid at QB and I assume these guys are at least RS Sophs in a system that hasn't changed much (no HC/OC changes recently IIRC) NW develops guys very well.

6. Purdue (Caleb TerBush, Robert Marve) solid, unspectacular.

7. Wisconsin (Maryland transfer Danny O'Brien and no one) recurit & develop your own fracking QBs.

8. Michigan State (Maxwell + a bag of balls) Maxwell is talented, but has NO experience.

9. Iowa (Vandenberg + ??? have to be better than Gray)

10. Minnesota (MarQueis Gray + ???) yeesh, but experience

11 Penn State (Matt McGloin, Rob Bolden, Paul Jones) yeesh, and that's with bolden re-returning

12 Indiana: you're Indiana. the ghost of gunner kiel has more talent and experience than you do at QB

But damn, what a SHITTY list.

Sidenote, Devin Gardner would likely fall in the bottom of the top 10 on that list...

So you are the MSU coach and you have the other 9 QB's on your team with Maxwell. Do you start him above any of the other 9? No way! Sorry Sparty.

Denard and Miller's passing are about equal, but Denard's running is way better than Braxton Miller.

Iowa's Vandenberg should be higher than that.  He was quite productive this year. Heck, I could make a case for him at #3

1. Iowa (Vandenberg) 

2. Michigan (Denard Robinson)

3 OSU (Braxton Miller)

4. Purdue (Caleb TerBush, Robert Marve)

5. Illinois (Nathan Scheelhaase)

6. Minnesota (MarQueis Gray)

7. Wisconsin (Danny O'brien)

8. Michigan State (Maxwell)

9.  Nebraska (Taylor Martinez)

10. Northwestern (Kain Colter, Trevor Siemian)

11. Penn State (who knows?)

12. Indiana (Tre Roberson)

Im doing this by ability to be a quarterback, not pure talent. Denard has the most pure talent out of everyone, but i dont think the quarterback position suits his talent as well as it can. Same goes for Martinez (hes a much worse QB than DROB) and Braxton. I think Vandenberg is the best (proven) true QB. Marqueis Gray was great towards the end of the season after he came back from his injury, he should be a good dual threat option this year, but he also can throw the ball pretty well. Danny O'brien played against ACC competition, and still didn't put up spectacular numbers. Don't think he's going to fair well against B1G defenses. I like Kain Colter out of Northwestern, but he's a lot like DROB, a true athlete who can do anything, and somewhat throw the ball. Penn States QB situation is horrid, and Indiana's football situation is horrid (protected rivalry! :) lol)

Obviously i think Maxwell will be higher than the 8th best QB, but he hasnt proven anything in game yet. Its all been practice so far. 

http://youtu.be/MiQCwBmLRE4

EDIT:  Oops, already has its own thread.

OP stated BIG has done a bad job of recruiting qbs lately, but that's not entirely true due to coaches coaching for their system. Martinez is legit in an option attack, but NU, not unlike UM and others are trying to change systems while utilizing what is best at hand.

DR has to rate no. 1 simply based on his production over his first two seasons and the fact that he is returning to an offense that he has ran for a year, so his bad decisions should go down and to hell with "Throwing for miles," as Borges told him. When you see the first down marker, unless your wr is completely open, hit the first down marker and stay in bounds until imminent danger presents itself.  He is the best the BIG has to offer this year, even though he'll be taken early as a receiver in the NFL draft.

Miller is dangerous, but mostly with his legs. UM has been known to get some mileage out of qbs, even making one a Heisman trophy winner as a soph, albeit surrounded by a whole lot more talent and possessing something resembling a decent arm. Anyone who can start in the NFL is better than Miller. Still, given UM's "RR" like abilities to put a spread together, his passing efficiency should rise dramatically due only to the fact that he may be playing catch much like Pat White, DR of two years ago, etc.  He is a horrible passer, and if Mattison can make him play in 3rd and long all day, we'll be fine. Not so sure if we can do that though although the defense will be experienced by late November.

Maxwell and Vandenberg are probably the two best "candidates" as in pro style qbs that have joined the conference in the past couple of years, with O'Brien, if he reverts to his '10 type game, all about even for all those that follow.  MSU, and I hate to say it, has actually proven they've built a working system in EL and if Maxwell - coming in rated higher than Cousins - produces Cousin like proficiency, we'll have to take that program seriously.

It is interesting, imo anyway, that at least three of these qbs will all get looks at the next level for positions not played at the collegiate level. It's a specialized world today folks, but no one is going to ignore the physical attributes of Robinson, Martinez and Miller. They are all athletes of superior ability, and since the days of Ranel-El, the NFL has proven they'll try and find placed for these guys. Hell, they even took two NU qbs who didn't pan out, but I'm not really sure if their Heisman winner was as fast as the one they have running the show now.

James Vandenberg is highly underrated. He's absolutely better than Marquis Gray, and likely Danny O'Brien.

Vandenberg may be slightly underrated, however we don't know shit about the backups. Wisconsin is way too high (O'Brien hasn't shown what he can do in a tougher conference yet, and we haven't seen the underclassman: Bart Houston may suprise a few). Purdue slew of QB's have proven to be successfull for Hope. Hell they beat OSU last year. I'd slide Purdue over OSU (as a unit). Gray and Shortell (had game experience last year - almost rallied from behind against USC til he threw that pick) should be behind UM, Boilermakers, OSU, Nebraska. Then add Iowa behind Minnesota (as a unit). 

All in all, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Indiana shoudl be at the bottom until proven otherwise.