Last week we ranked 178 collegiate quarterbacks with the QB Score. This week, we throw another efficiency measure into the mix: the ultimate adjusted yards per attempt measure (uAYA).
While the QB Score focuses more on total production, the uAYA rating is based on production per play. As a result, it is useful for comparing players' long term (over the course of the season) and short term (a single game) performances. With the QB Score, quarterbacks who only played a few games were downweighted because they didn't see enough action to build up a large score. Like the traditional quarterback efficiency metric, the uAYA allows us to get assess per-game ratings as well as ratings covering the whole season. This helps level the playing field.
I calculated the uAYA ratings for the same group of 178 quarterbacks and I ranked them all from best to worst. The most efficient QB in the nation may come as a surprise to some people:
Player | uAYA | QB Score | Efficiency Rating |
1. Chris Coyer, Temple | 10.08 | 668 (84th) | 177.4 (3rd) |
2. Case Keenum, Houston | 9.78 | 3436 (1st) | 174.0 (5th) |
3. Robert Griffin III, Baylor | 9.71 | 2949 (2nd) | 189.5 (2nd) |
4. Russell Wilson, Wisconsin | 9.70 | 2094 (6th) | 191.8 (1st) |
5. Terrance Owen, Toledo | 9.13 | 1268 (35th) | 169.2 (7th) |
Raise your hand if you have never heard of Chris Coyer. He vaulted himself from backup quarterback to one of the most efficient QBs in the nation after winning the starting role midway through the season. His stats are incredible (though limited, since he only started five games). He had a prolific 9.3 yards per passing attempt and combined that with an even more impressive 8.1 yards per rushing attempts. He had 9 TDs and no interceptions. The biggest criticism you can lob at him is that he only averaged about 22 plays per game when he started. The Temple offense was a run-first offense, but Coyer shined on pass plays and his designed runs.
Coyer's relatively low QB Score is a product of his limited playing time (same with Terrance Owen who missed almost 3 games and only averaged about 25 plays per game). Whether they are great quarterbacks despite not running 40+ plays per game depends entirely on your own philosophy. Should a QB be rewarded for quantity or quality?
The remaining three, Case Keenum, Robert Griffin III, and Russell Wilson, are fantastic quarterbacks no matter who you calculate efficiency.
After the jump we have the results for all the other QBs in the nation, from the Pac-12 to the Big Tweleven to the Big East (they still play football, right?).
Calculating the uAYA
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS GRADE SCHOOL-LEVEL MATH
Before we see everyone's rankings, let's take a closer look at how to calculate the uAYA rating.Unlike the traditional quarterback efficiency rating it accounts for yards gained (and lost) on the ground, as well as rushing touchdowns. See Pro Football Reference's glossary for references to more thorough explanations of the reasoning behind the numbers.
uAYA = (Pass Yds - Sk Yds + Rush Yds + 20 * Pass TD + 18 * Rush TD - 45 * INT - 25 * Fum) / (Pass Att + Sacks + Rush Att)
This is a way of combining our Adjusted Net YPA formula with a QB's rushing stats and fumbles. The 18-yard bonus for rushing TDs comes from Chase's post on the value of TDs, and the -25 for fumbles comes from the Hidden Game of Football's 50-yard penalty for fumbles lost + the fact that a fumble is 50-50 whether it will be recovered by the QB's team or the opponent.
In addition to accounting for rushing yards and TDs, the uAYA's weights differ from those of the traditional passer efficiency rating (equation below). In the uAYA interceptions are weighted more than twice as heavily as touchdowns (45 vs 20/18). In the traditional passer efficiency rating, interceptions only have 60% of the weight of TDs (200 vs 330). Additionally, the passer efficiency rating gives quarterbacks a bonus just for completing a pass. No such bonus exists in the uAYA rating. The correlation between the two ratings is high (over .9), but it is worth noting where the differences occur. The uAYA does not care about completion percentage and it will penalize you heavily for turnovers while the opposite is true for the passer efficiency rating
ADVISORY: THERE WILL BE NO MORE MATH FROM THIS POINT FORWARD
What's particularly intriguing about the uAYA is that it is not only a measure for comparing QBs' past performances, but it can be used to predict future performances. In the near future we will compute the ratings for the 2012 season to try to determine next year's most efficient quarterback. We will also take a look back at last year's predictions to see how well they matched up with reality.
The uAYA scores generally range from 0 to 10, with 5.87 as the average in our 2011 data. You can break down the curve as follows:
uAYA Rating | Grade |
8.00 + | A |
7.00-7.99 | B |
6.00-6.99 | C |
5.00-5.99 | D |
1.00-4.99 | F |
< 1.00 | Were you even trying? |
Now, let's look at each conference starting with our own Pac-12:
Pac-12
Pac-12 | |||
Player | uAYA Rating | QB Score | Efficiency Rating |
Andrew Luck, Stanford | 8.85 (8th) | 1814 (10th) | 169.7 (6th) |
Connor Halliday, WSU | 8.55 (10th) | 405 (105th) | 156.6 (18th) |
Matt Barkley, USC | 8.53 (11th) | 1770 (11th) | 161.2 (10th) |
Darron Thomas, Oregon | 8.52 (12th) | 1432 (24th) | 158.7 (15th) |
Keith Price, Washington | 7.88 (17th) | 1269 (34th) | 161.9 (9th) |
Richard Brehaut, UCLA | 7.44 (25th) | 572 (92nd) | 135.9 (66th) |
Nick Foles, Arizona | 6.90 (47th) | 1722 (14th) | 145.6 (38th) |
Brock Osweiler, ASU | 6.87 (50th) | 1679 (15th) | 140.5 (49th) |
Marshall Lobbestael, WSU | 6.57 (66th) | 931 (56th) | 138.3 (57th) |
Kevin Prince, UCLA | 6.25 (76th) | 820 (70th) | 135.3 (68th) |
Zach Maynard, Cal | 6.07 (82nd) | 1031 (49th) | 127.0 (95th) |
Tyler Hansen, Colorado | 6.00 (87th) | 969 (53rd) | 125.5 (104th) |
Jordan Wynn, Utah | 5.62 (104th) | 198 (133rd) | 123.2 (112th) |
Sean Mannion, OSU | 5.28 (117th) | 723 (81st) | 127.1 (94th) |
Jon Hays, Utah | 4.58 (142nd) | 155 (142nd) | 124.4 (110th) |
- Andrew Luck leads the way followed by Connor Halliday. Halliday's season was highlighted by a 494-yard (13.7ypa), 4TD game against Arizona State. His second start was a disaster, however, as he threw 4 interceptions and completed only 43.8% of his passes in an overtime loss to Utah. I would take his rating with a grain of salt. I doubt he could sustain that rating over an entire season.
- In third in the Pac-12 is Matt Barkley, who barely finished ahead of Darron Thomas.
- Surprisingly, Richard Brehaut finished in the top-25. Until breaking his leg against Washington State, Brehaut managed a decent 7.9 yards per attempt to go along with a 6-1 TD-interception ratio. Adding two more rushing TDs and only suffering four sacks, Brehaut put together a solid uAYA.
- Interestingly, Nick Foles and Brock Osweiler fell from top-15 in the QB Score to 47th and 50th, respectively, in the uAYA ratings.
- Our own Zach Maynard finished 82nd in the nation with a 6.07, just above average. Cal fans will probably not put up with another year of "just above average" quarterbacking.
- Although both Utah quarterbacks finished in the bottom three, their defense and running game helped propel them to an 8-win season. If Jordan Wynn can replicate his 2008 or 2009 season in 2012, Utah might make a strong push for 2nd in the Pac-12 South.
- Unless Sean Mannion makes a tremendous improvement this offseason, Oregon State might suffer another disappointing season. If that's the case, the Mike Riley era might not last much longer.
With 6 QBs in the top-25, the Pac-12 might have had the best quarterbacking in the nation according to the uAYA rating.
ACC
ACC | |||
Player | uAYA Rating | QB Score | Efficiency Rating |
Jacory Harris, Miami | 7.28 (32nd) | 1065 (44th) | 150.6 (29th) |
Bryn Renner, North Carolina | 7.25 (33rd) | 1127 (41st) | 159.4 (13th) |
Clint Trickett, Florida State | 7.20 (35th) | 183 (136th) | 160.8 (11th) |
Tevin Washington, Georgia Tech | 7.00 (43rd) | 1060 (47th) | 155.4 (19th) |
EJ Manuel, Florida State | 6.86 (53rd) | 1154 (39th) | 151.2 (28th) |
Tajh Boyd, Clemson | 6.64 (62nd) | 1523 (21st) | 141.2 (46th) |
Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech | 6.64 (63rd) | 1350 (29th) | 135.5 (67th) |
Tanner Price, Wake Forest | 6.22 (77th) | 1164 (37th) | 132.8 (77th) |
Michael Rocco, Virginia | 6.03 (85th) | 873 (64th) | 127.1 (93rd) |
Mike Glennon, North Carolina | 6.00 (86th) | 817 (71st) | 136.4 (64th) |
C.J. Brown, Maryland | 5.62 (105th) | 381 (110th) | 98.7 (163rd) |
Sean Renfree, Duke | 5.43 (112th) | 807 (72nd) | 125.7 (102nd) |
Anthony Boone, Duke | 4.89 (132nd) | 86 (152nd) | 106.3 (152nd) |
Chase Rettig, Boston College | 4.83 (133rd) | 352 (114th) | 112.4 (133rd) |
Danny O'Brien, Maryland | 4.79 (134th) | 308 (124th) | 109.6 (143rd) |
David Watford, Virginia | 2.82 (170th) | -97 (172nd) | 82.4 (171st) |
- Did you ever think you'd see the day when Jacory Harris was the most efficient QB in the ACC? He barely beat Bryn Renner and Clint Trickett, who bested him according to the traditional passer efficiency rating.
- In his limited time filling in for an injured EJ Manuel, Clint Trickett managed to put up an impressive 9.38 yards per passing attempt.
- Tajh Boyd could have finished near the top of the conference, but his tremendous production slowed after the eighth game of the season. It will be interesting to see whether he returns to greatness or continues to be a good but not stellar QB.
Overall, the ACC had plenty of above-average quarterbacking this past season, but no one stood out as an elite quarterback.
Big 10 (the one with 12 teams)
Big 10 | |||
Player | uAYA Rating | QB Score | Efficiency Rating |
Russell Wilson, Wisconsin | 9.70 (4th) | 2094 (6th) | 191.8 (1st) |
Kirk Cousins, Michigan State | 7.30 (31st) | 1409 (25th) | 145.1 (40th) |
Kain Colter, Northwestern | 7.21 (34th) | 626 (87th) | 157.7 (17th) |
Denard Robinson, Michigan | 7.02 (40th) | 1162 (38th) | 139.7 (52nd) |
James Vandenberg, Iowa | 6.89 (48th) | 1287 (33rd) | 138.4 (55th) |
Braxton Miller, Ohio State | 6.58 (65th) | 726 (80th) | 138.4 (56th) |
Dan Persa, Northwestern | 6.52 (68th) | 930 (57th) | 154.8 (20th) |
Taylor Martinez, Nebraska | 6.36 (72nd) | 1135 (40th) | 126.5 (98th) |
Caleb TerBush, Purdue | 5.92 (90th) | 744 (78th) | 130.7 (85th) |
Matthew McGloin, Penn State | 5.86 (94th) | 544 (94th) | 118.3 (122nd) |
Marqueis Gray, Minnesota | 5.75 (99th) | 825 (69th) | 114.5 (127th) |
Nathan Scheelhaase, Illinois | 5.69 (101st) | 888 (63rd) | 133.4 (73rd) |
Joe Bauserman, Ohio State | 5.56 (108th) | 146 (145th) | 111.4 (136th) |
Edward Wright-Baker, Indiana | 5.01 (127th) | 300 (126th) | 119.4 (117th) |
Tre Roberson, Indiana | 4.74 (135th) | 310 (123th) | 111.0 (138th) |
Dusty Kiel, Indiana | 4.24 (150th) | 417 (154th) | 100.9 (159th) |
Max Shortell, Minnesota | 4.20 (153rd) | 28 (160th) | 101.0 (158th) |
Robert Marve, Purdue | 4.04 (156th) | 20 (161st) | 107.7 (148th) |
Rob Bolden, Penn State | 2.73 (172nd) | -119 (174th) | 76.4 (174th) |
Reilly O'Toole, Illinois | 1.96 (176th) | -123 (175th) | 86.5 (169th) |
- You should not be surprised that Russel Wilson leads the Big 10. After all, he posted the highest passer efficiency rating in NCAA history. With a 9.70 uAYA rating, he was by far the best QB in the Big 10.
- Kain Colter is a surprise finish at 3rd in the conference. Since he only started 3 games, his QB Score took a hit. But his uAYA rating was solid while he filled in for the injured Dan Persa (his passer efficiency rating wasn't too shabby either). Colter's passing stats are excellent: 67.1% completion, 8.2 yards per attempt, and a 6-1 TD-interception ratio. He piled up 9 rushing TDs and 654 rushing yards with a respectable 4.8 yards per rush. Although Dan Persa will have graduated, Northwestern fans are in good hands next season.
- Interestingly, Dan Persa's 20th-ranked passer efficiency rating did not match his 68th-ranked uAYA rating. The main problem was sacks. Northwestern as the 5th worst team in the nation in sacks allowed. Persa was sacked 34 times. His passer efficiency rating was bolstered by some solid stats (73.4%, 8.00ypa, 17TD-7int), but the uAYA was unwilling to give him (or his O-line) as pass for those sacks.
Big-12
Big 12 | |||
Player | uAYA Rating | QB Score | Efficiency Rating |
Robert Griffin III, Baylor | 9.71 (3rd) | 2949 (2nd) | 189.5 (2nd) |
Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma St | 8.26 (14th) | 2232 (5th) | 159.8 (12th) |
Landry Jones, Oklahoma | 7.38 (26th) | 1907 (7th) | 141.6 (45th) |
Ryan Tannehill, Texas A & M | 6.84 (53rd) | 1533 (20th) | 133.2 (75th) |
James Franklin, Missouri | 6.81 (55th) | 1517 (22nd) | 139.9 (51st) |
Seth Doege, Texas Tech | 6.66 (59th) | 1645 (17th) | 138.9 (53rd) |
Collin Klein, Kansas State | 5.91 (91st) | 3059 (55th) | 125.6 (103rd) |
Case McCoy, Texas | 5.90 (92nd) | 327 (120th) | 131.9 (79th) |
Jared Barnett, Iowa State | 4.65 (138th) | 366 (113th) | 99.4 (161st) |
Jordan Webb, Kansas | 4.38 (146th) | 145 (146th) | 126.7 (97th) |
Steele Jantz, Iowa State | 4.30 (148th) | 156 (141st) | 106.8 (151st) |
David Ash, Texas | 3.72 (161st) | 41 (157th) | 107.4 (150th) |
- Surprising absolutely no one, Griffin leads the way. In every category--uAYA, QB Score, and passer efficiency--Griffin clearly outperformed Brandon Weeden, who finished second in the conference.
- Landry Jones posted some solid numbers.
- Tannehill, Franklin, and Doege had respectable numbers, but after that the Big 12 was a mess.
- Last season I was under the impression that Collin Klein was a pretty good quarterback. Now I am not so sure... He wasn't that great of a passer (57.3%, 6.8ypa, 13Td-6int). He ran for 1141 yards with an okay 3.6 yards per carry. What clearly stands out, however, is his 27 rushing TDs. He may not have passed especially well or had a great yards-per-carry, but he could find the end zone (and isn't that the most important stat?). He can clearly pick up tons of yards and TDs, but he's not all that efficient in doing so. It will be interesting to see how he performs next season.
- I'm still bitter that David Ash led Texas to a victory over Cal. Then again I could probably lead Texas to a victory against an opponent who turns the ball over 5 times.
Big East
Big East | |||
Player | uAYA Rating | QB Score | Efficiency Rating |
Geno Smith, West Virginia | 8.06 (15th) | 2256 (4th) | 152.6 (26th) |
B.J. Daniels, South Florida | 6.56 (67th) | 1364 (27th) | 126.7 (96th) |
Will Stein, Louisville | 6.31 (74th) | 252 (128th) | 141.2 (47th) |
Zach Collaros, Cincinatti | 6.07 (83rd) | 60 (91st) | 131.6 (82nd) |
Ryan Nassib, Syracuse | 5.82 (97th) | 834 (67th) | 129.9 (87th) |
Munchie Legaux, Cincinatti | 5.67 (103rd) | 263 (127th) | 109.0 (144th) |
Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville | 5.21 (121st) | 440 (102nd) | 132.4 (78th) |
Chas Dodd, Rutgers | 5.12 (124th) | 341 (116th) | 18.5 (120th) |
Gary Nova, Rutgers | 5.016 (126th) | 239 (129th) | 116.6 (124th) |
Johnny McEntee, UConn | 4.72 (136th) | 392 (108th) | 111.3 (137th) |
Tino Sunseri, Pittsburgh | 4.60 (141st) | 535 (95th) | 124.1 (111th) |
Bobby Eveld, South Florida | 2.75 (171st) | -59 (168th) | 92.6 (167th) |
- Not surprisingly, it's Geno Smith who leads the way. Will anyone have a good QB in the Big East next season after West Virginia departs for the Big 12?
- After Smith, we have mediocrity as far as the eye can see.
- How did Rutgers manage to win 9 games last season? It certainly wasn't due to efficient quarterbacking.
- I said it last time and I'll say it again: the Big East may lack quality quarterbacks but it makes up for that deficiency with some great names. Teddy Bridgewater? Munchie Legaux? Sure, they don't have a Hans Brock Mansion III, but those are some good names.
SEC
SEC | |||
Player | uAYA Rating | QB Score | Efficiency Rating |
Jarrett Lee, LSU | 8.30 (13th) | 622 (88th) | 152.0 (27th) |
Tyler Wilson, Arkansas | 7.86 (18th) | 1841 (9th) | 148.4 (32nd) |
A.J. McCarron, Alabama | 7.66 (20th) | 1288 (32nd) | 147.3 (35th) |
Tyler Bray, Tennessee | 7.33 (29th) | 794 (73rd) | 144.8 (41st) |
John Brantley, Florida | 6.90 (46th) | 779 (76th) | 140.8 (48th) |
Aaron Murray, Georgia | 6.85 (52nd) | 1082 (43rd) | 146.4 (36th) |
Tyler Russell, Mississippi St | 6.65 (61st) | 393 (107th) | 135.1 (70th) |
Connor Shaw, South Carolina | 6.59 (64th) | 704 (82nd) | 148.3 (33rd) |
Jordan Jefferson, LSU | 6.19 (79th) | 375 (111th) | 138.7 (54th) |
Barrett Trotter, Auburn | 5.89 (93rd) | 337 (117th) | 129.2 (88th) |
Clint Moseley, Auburn | 5.28 (118th) | 170 (140th) | 133.1 (76th) |
Jordan Rodgers, Vanderbilt | 5.24 (120th) | 445 (101st) | 135.1 (70th) |
Randall Mackey, Ole Miss | 5.15 (123rd) | 328 (119th) | 118.4 (121st) |
Justin Worley, Tennessee | 4.97 (129th) | 150 (144th) | 110.4 (142nd) |
Stephen Garcia, South Carolina | 4.89 (131st) | 109 (148th) | 107.7 (147th) |
Chris Relf, Mississippi St | 4.53 (143rd) | 198 (132nd) | 121.5 (113th) |
Morgan Newton, Kentucky | 3.75 (160th) | -41 (165th) | 93.1 (166th) |
Maxwell Smith, Kentucky | 3.53 (164th) | -9 (164th) | 103.3(155th) |
Larry Smith, Vanderbilt | 3.34 (167th) | -110 (173rd) | 104.6 (153rd) |
Matt Simms, Tennessee | 2.57 (173rd) | -63 (169th) | 77.1 (173rd) |
Zack Stoudt, Ole Miss | 1.23 (177th) | -313 (177th) | 79.6 (172nd) |
- The SEC is led by Jarrett Lee of LSU. Yes, that's the same Jarrett Lee who rode the bench during the entire national championship game as Jordan Jefferson put up 68 yards on 32 plays. Les Miles, take a bow!
- Tyler Wilson finished second, ahead of Alabama's A.J. McCarron.
- Perhaps I was a bit harsh when judging the SEC based on the QB Score rankings. Quarterbacking in the SEC wasn't that bad, unless you were a fan of Auburn, Vandy, Ole Miss, or Kentucky.
- Tennessee fans must wonder what their season would have looked like if Tyler Bray hadn't missed several games with injury. They probably still would have lost to LSU, Alabama, South Carolina, and Arkansas, but they may have looked a little more competent in their losses.
Overall the SEC wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.
Now let's move onto the non-BCS conferences.
Non-AQ Conferences
Conference USA
Conference USA | |||
Player | uAYA Rating | QB Score | Efficiency Rating |
Case Keenum, Houston | 9.78 (2nd) | 3436 (1st) | 174.0 (5th) |
Cotton Turner, Houston | 9.45 (5th) | 407 (104th) | 159.2 (14th) |
Blake Bortles, UCF | 7.37 (27th) | 419 (103rd) | 153.9 (21st) |
G.J. Kinne, Tulsa | 6.93 (45th) | 1350 (30th) | 147.4 (34th) |
Austin Davis, Southern Miss | 6.88 (49th) | 1543 (19th) | 138.2 (59th) |
Jeff Godfrey, UCF | 6.82 (54th) | 1024 (50th) | 140.5 (50th) |
J.J. McDermott, Southern Miss | 5.93 (88th) | 1013 (51st) | 128.2 (91st) |
A.J. Graham, Marshall | 6.75 (56th) | 322 (122nd) | 135.0 (71st) |
Nick Lamaison, UTEP | 5.93rd (89th) | 465 (98th) | 131.2 (84th) |
Jonathan Perry, UAB | 5.69 (102th) | 760 (77th) | 120.8 (115th) |
Dominique Davis, ECU | 5.34 (113th) | 686 (83rd) | 131.5 (83rd) |
Nick Fanuzzi, Rice | 5.30 (115th) | 390 (109th) | 116.8 (123rd) |
Rakeem Cato, Marshall | 5.25 (119th) | 125.8 (100th) | 125.8 (100th) |
Ryan Griffin, Tulane | 5.03 (125th) | 618 (89th) | 112.8 (131st) |
Taylor Reed, Memphis | 5.01 (128th) | 475 (97th) | 113.9 (129th) |
Taylor McHargue, Rice | 4.43 (145th) | 181 (137nd) | 118.6 (119th) |
Bryan Ellis, UAB | 4.12 (155th) | 90 (151st) | 99.2 (162nd) |
Carson Meger, UTEP | 3.91 (159th) | 50 (156th) | 110.5 (140th) |
Andy Summerlin, Memphis | 3.42 (165th) | 34 (159th) | 85.5 (170th) |
Javia Hall, UTEP | 2.13 (175th) | -68 (170th) | 72.0 (176th) |
- Case Keenum leads the way followed by his backup Cotton Turner. You may have noticed that Turner finished 5th overall, but was not counted in the overall top-5 at the beginning of this post. I was reluctant to include him because he did not start any games for the Cougars. He put up all his stats during garbage time. He might turn out to be a great QB, but I wouldn't consider him an elite QB until he puts in some meaningful playing time.
- Given that Blake Bortles and Jeff Godfrey put up decent numbers and UCF had one of the best defenses in the nation, it's pretty surprising that they only managed to win 5 games last season. As 6 of their 7 losses were by a touchdown or less, they may have simply been the victims of some bad luck.
- UTEP on the other hand had terrible defense and terrible quarterbacks, but they also managed to win 5 games.
Independents
Independents | |||
Player | uAYA | QB Score | Efficiency Rating |
Riley Nelson, BYU | 7.56 (23rd) | 889 (62nd) | 152.9 (25th) |
Tommy Rees, Notre Dame | 5.85 (95th) | 789 (74th) | 133.4 (74th) |
Kriss Proctor, Navy | 5.81 (98th) | 459 (99th) | 125.4 (105th) |
Jake Heaps, BYU | 4.64 (139th) | 197 (134th) | 111.0 (139th) |
- Riley Nelson salvaged the season for the Stormin' Mormons and climbed to the top of our charts. Otherwise, quarterbacking was very forgettable among the independents.
MAC
Mid-American Conference | |||
Player | uAYA Rating | QB Score | Efficiency Rating |
Chris Coyer, Temple | 10.08 (1st) | 668 (84th) | 177.4 (3rd) |
Terrance Owens, Toledo | 9.13 (6th) | 1268 (35th) | 169.2 (7th) |
Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois | 8.79 (9th) | 2561 (3rd) | 153.0 (24th) |
Tyler Tettleton, Ohio | 7.35 (28th) | 1727 (13th) | 148.9 (31st) |
Austin Dantin, Toledo | 7.06 (39th) | 646 (86th) | 149.7 (30th) |
Alex Carder, Western Michigan | 6.67 (58th) | 1553 (18th) | 145.3 (39th) |
Zac Dysert, Miami (Ohio) | 6.40 (70th) | 1359 (28th) | 143.8 (43rd) |
Matt Schilz, Bowling Green | 6.36 (71st) | 928 (58th) | 137.6 (61st) |
Ryan Radcliff, Central Michigan | 6.20 (78th) | 968 (54th) | 128.8 (89th) |
Alex Gillett, Eastern Michigan | 6.16 (81st) | 789 (75th) | 135.1 (69th) |
Keith Wenning, Ball State |
5.75 (100th) | 900 (61st) | 125.1 (106th) |
Chester Stewart, Temple | 5.59 (106th) | 331 (118th) | 143.4 (44th) |
Chazz Anderson, Buffalo | 5.51 (109th) | 840 (66th) | 111.9 (135th) |
Mike Gerardi, Temple | 5.28 (116th) | 92 (150th) | 119.1 (118th) |
Spencer Keith, Kent State | 4.28 (149th) | 179 (138th) | 100.8 (160th) |
Clayton Moore, Akron | 3.95 (158th) | 137 (147th) | 96.3 (165th) |
Patrick Nicely, Akron | 2.99 (168th) | -51 (166th) | 75.6 (175th) |
- Here we have our most efficient QB in the nation, Chris Coyer.
- Terrance Owens and Chandler Harnish also finished in the top-10.
- Tyler Tettleton also posted some nice numbers and Austin Dantin complemented Terrance Owens in Toledo's dual-QB system. Both of Toledo's QBs return next season, so the Toledo offense should be in good hands next season.
I am impressed with the overall quality of the MAC's top QBs. They have five top-40 QBs and all of them return next season except Chandler Harnish. In fact three of them (Coyer, Owens, Tettleton) still have 2 years left to play. This could be an impressive conference for QBs for the next couple seasons.
MWC
Mountain West Conference | |||
Player | uAYA Rating | QB Score | Efficiency Rating |
Kellen Moore, Boise St | 8.90 (7th) | 1889 (8th) | 175.2 (4th) |
Casey Pachall, TCU | 7.77 (19th) | 1389 (26th) | 158.0 (16th) |
Tim Jefferson Jr., Air Force | 7.00 (42nd) | 832 (68th) | 153.4 (23rd) |
Ryan Lindley, San Diego St | 6.71 (57th) | 1257 (36th) | 125.7 (101st) |
Brett Smith, Wyoming | 6.17 (80th) | 1120 (42nd) | 124.6 (109th) |
Tarean Austin, New Mexico | 5.31 (114th) | 323 (121st) | 108.7 (145th) |
B.R. Holbrook, New Mexico | 4.61 (140th) | 345 (115th) | 112.4 (134th) |
Pete Thomas, Colorado St | 4.43 (144th) | 220 (131st) | 116.1 (125th) |
Garrett Grayson, Colorado St | 4.22 (151st) | 63 (153rd) | 108.0 (146th) |
Caleb Herring, UNLV | 3.59 (162nd) | -53 (167th) | 102.8 (156th) |
- Kellen Moore continues to reign as one of the best QBs in the nation. Boise State will have a tough time finding someone to replace Moore. They will probably find a competent replacement, but it's hard to replace someone with nearly 15,000 career yards, almost 150 TDs, and only 28 interceptions.
- Junior quarterback Casey Pachall should be the conference's best QB heading into next season.
Sun Belt
Sun Belt | |||
Player | uAYA | QB Score | Efficiency Rating |
Blaine Gautier, Louisiana-Lafayette | 7.98 (16th) | 1758 (12th) | 153.6 (22nd) |
Wesley Carroll, FIU | 6.66 (60th) | 1054 (48th) | 131.8 (80th) |
Jake Medlock, FIU | 6.32 (73rd) | 188 (135th) | 124.8 (107th) |
Ryan Aplin, Arkansas State | 6.30 (75th) | 1465 (23rd) | 133.6 (72nd) |
Derek Thompson, North Texas | 5.83 (96th) | 606 (90th) | 121.0 (114th) |
Corey Robinson, Troy | 5.59 (107th) | 921 (60th) | 126.3 (99th) |
Logan Kilgore, Middle Tennessee | 5.48 (110th) | 546 (93rd) | 119.7 (116th) |
Cody Wells, Louisiana-Monroe | 5.47 (111th) | 93 (149th) | 128.5 (90th) |
Kolton Browning, Louisiana-Monroe | 5.19 (122nd) | 840 (65th) | 114.4 (128th) |
Kawaun Jakes, Western Kentucky | 4.92 (130th) | 371 (112th) | 115.1 (126th) |
Jeff Murphy, Middle Tennessee | 4.71 (137th) | 225 (130th) | 110.4 (141st) |
Andrew McNulty, North Texas | 4.22 (152nd) | 37 (158th) | 107.6 (149th) |
Chris Masson, Lousiana-Lafayette | 2.93 (169th) | -85 (171st) | 96.8 (164th) |
Graham Wilbert, FAU | 2.4 (174th) | -410 (178th) | 91.7 (168th) |
- Blaine Gautier is the beacon of light in a conference of mediocre quarterbacks.
- Like Collin Klein of Kansas State, Ryan Aplin puts up a ton of yards but is not very efficient in doing so. He also suffered from a poor passing TD-interception ratio (19-16), but he made up for it with 10 rushing TDs.
- Hopefully Kawaun Jakes of Western Kentucky has a senior breakthrough, because he's going to have a tough time next season without relying on Bobby Rainey's 2100 yards and 18 TDs.
WAC
Western Athletic Conference | |||
Player | uAYA Rating | QB Score | Efficiency Rating |
Colby Cameron, Louisana Tech | 7.64 (21st) | 923 (59th) | 137.2 (63rd) |
Adam Kennedy, Utah State | 7.58 (22nd) | 516 (96th) | 169.0 (8th) |
Derek Carr, Fresno St | 7.52 (24th) | 1657 (16th) | 144.5 (42nd) |
David Graves, Hawaii | 7.30 (30th) | 402 (106th) | 127.3 (92nd) |
Bryant Moniz, Hawaii | 7.08 (36th) | 1342 (31st) | 136.1 (65th) |
Cody Fajardo, Nevada | 7.08 (37th) | 1063 (45th) | 138.2 (60th) |
Tyler Lantrip, Nevada | 7.06 (38th) | 736 (79th) | 146.1 (37th) |
Chuckie Keeton, Utah State | 7.00 (41st) | 667 (85th) | 137.4 (62nd) |
Matt Christian, New Mexico State | 6.94 (44th) | 979 (52nd) | 129.9 (86th) |
Andrew Manley, New Mexico State | 6.41 (69th) | 308 (125th) | 138.3 (58th) |
Matt Faulkner, San Jose St | 6.05 (84th) | 1060 (46th) | 131.6 (81st) |
Nick Isham, Louisana Tech | 4.31 (147th) | 170 (139th) | 112.8 (132nd) |
Shane Austin, Hawaii | 4.14 (154th) | 52 (155th) | 101.8 (157th) |
Brian Reader, Idaho | 4.02 (157th) | 150 (143rd) | 103.6 (154th) |
Travaugn Colwell, New Mexico State | 3.53 (163rd) | -5 (163rd) | 124.7 (108th) |
Dasmen Stewart, San Jose St | 3.36 (166th) | 3 (162nd) | 62.7 (178th) |
Taylor Davis, Idaho | 0.769 (178th) | -214 (176th) | 69.3 (177th) |
- Our final conference had some pretty impressive uAYA ratings. No one player was brilliant, but the conference had a whopping 9 players in the top-50. Three teams were double-counted among the WAC's top QBs (Hawaii, Nevada, Utah State), but that is still an impressive 6 teams in the top-50.
- 6 of the 9 QBs in the top-5 return next season: the WAC can look forward to some solid quarterbacking in 2012.
- It was not all sunshine for the WAC, however. Several QBs were in the bottom 20%. In fact, the WAC was home of the uAYA's worst QB (and consensus worst QB in the nation), Taylor Davis. Davis is only a sophomore, so he has a couple years to improve. Ironically, he won the only game he started as he rallied Idaho from a two-TD deficit on the road against San Jose State
And that's all--the top 178 quarterbacks in the nation. Did you favorite QB do better or worse than you thought? Have you jumped off the QB Score bandwagon and onto the uAYA bandwagon? Or are you still committed to the traditional passer efficiency rating? I am leaning towards the uAYA...
Join us soon as we use these uAYA ratings to predict the most efficient quarterbacks for next season!