1. Georgia
Remember that the Unit Rankings aren't just based on starters, depth is also extremely important. Obviously a stud starting quarterback boosts up the overall rankings, but every team wants top backups to go to in case injuries hit, or as another option. However, more than any other position in the Unit Rankings, the starter matters, and Georgia has a great one in David Greene. He doesn't get the credit that most star quarterbacks get, but he's a tremendous leader and wildly productive throwing for 5,713 yards and 39 touchdowns with only 17 interceptions. Backup D.J. Shockley is one of the most dangerous backups in America, and would most likely start for almost anyone else.
Quarterbacks: David Greene Jr., D.J. Shockley Soph. Joe Tereshinski RFr.

2. Washington
The Huskies have All-American Cody Pickett returning to run wide-open offense. It'll be interesting to see how the offense works without Rick Neuheisel at the helm, but Pickett will put up his numbers no matter what. It's easy to look at Pickett's numbers and simply think that he's a product of a top passing system, but that's simply not true. He has matured from a good quarterback into a sensational decision maker reading things far better than he did earlier in his career. The evidence? He threw the ball 311 more times in 2002 than he did in 2001, but he didn't throw any more interceptions while pitching 18 more touchdown passes. Now that he's a senior, expect an All-America caliber season with even more fireworks and more wins. Casey Paus, the younger brother of former UCLA quarterback Cory, is a dropback passer who'll get plenty of practice reps being groomed to be the star of the future.
Quarterbacks: Cody Pickett Sr., Casey Paus Soph., Isaiah Stanback RFr.

3. Missouri
Brad Smith emerged from the opening snap of 2002 as one of the most dangerous players in college football rushing for 1,029 yards and throwing for 2,333 more. He's 6-3 with great speed and toughness playing through the second half of last year with a dinged up thumb. Even with his injury, his passing skills didn't suffer completing 54% of his passes with 15 touchdown passes and six interceptions. After one season, he's already eighth on Missouri's all-time total offense list. Santonio Riccio firmly established himself as the No. 2 quarterback this spring with good mobility and a strong arm.
Quarterbacks: Brad Smith Soph., Sonny Ricco Soph., Brandon Coleman RFr.

4. North Carolina State
Philip Rivers is Ken Dorsey with a better arm. Going into the season, he might be the lead dog for the Heisman with the talent around him to shine and the likeability to be a star with the media. To win the Heisman though, his overall numbers have to go up a bit and he has to lead the Wolfpack to the ACC title. He's been the signature star on the current uprising of a program. Expect a fantastic year. Jay Davis and Chris Moore are sensational prospects, but they'll need a little bit of time to work.
Quarterbacks: Philip Rivers Sr., Jay Davis Soph., Chris Moore RFr.

5. Virginia
Matt Schaub came from out of nowhere to be the best player in the ACC last season. He was ultra-efficient completing 69% of his passes throwing for 2,976 yards, 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Even when the rest of the team was having problems, Schaub still produced and always found ways to keep the offense moving. If a few receivers step up, Schaub should have another great season. The 249-pound Anthony Martinez has a big arm and is getting better and better with more time. He was strong enough this spring that the coaches moved Marques Hagans to receiver.
Quarterbacks: Matt Schaub Sr., Anthony Martinez RFr.

6. Kansas State
After dealing with quarterback controversies throughout his career, Roberson comes into 2003 as the unquestioned starter and the leader of the offense. While his passing accuracy has improved completing 52% of his throws and finishing with a passing efficiency rating of 136.47, he's strongest when he's on the run with some of the best open field moves in college football. Breathtaking at times last year, Roberson is a highlight reel runner tearing off 1,032 yards and 16 touchdowns last year. Backup Jeff Schwinn is more of a pure passer.
Quarterbacks: Ell Roberson Sr., Jef Schwinn Sr.

7. Arizona State
The college football world doesn't know about Andrew Walter, but they will soon if he's able to improve on his 2002 season. A tall player with a good arm and great leadership skills, Walter will be one of the better quarterbacks in America and could put up more huge numbers now that he has the Dirk Koetter offense down cold. Backup Chad Christensen started four games last year.
Quarterbacks: Andrew Walter Jr., Chad Christensen Soph., Kellen Bradley RFr.

8. Miami University
Ben Roethlisberger comes into the 2003 season as one of the best young quarterbacks in college football. He avoided a sophomore slump by throwing for 3,238 yards and 22 touchdowns while completing over 63% of his passes. He's not a runner, but he's big enough to power for a yard or two when needed. He has a big arm, great poise, and excellent decision making ability. If he can cut down on his interceptions a bit, he might start to be considered one of the top NFL prospects. Big-armed backup Josh Betts is a fine reserve.
Quarterbacks: Ben Roethlisberger Jr., Josh Betts Soph.

Ranking of quarterback units by conference
1. Big Ten 7.36
2. ACC 7.17
3. SEC 7.00
4. Pac 10 6.75
5. Big XII 6.63
6. Big East 6.44
7. WAC 6.15
8. Mountain West 6.06
9. MAC 5.64
10. Conference USA 5.59
11. Independents 5.00
12. Sun Belt 4.38

9. Penn State
Very, very quietly, Zack Mills had a great 2002 season throwing for 2,417 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for 201 yards and three scores. He has outstanding mobility and is just as dangerous throwing on the run as he is in the pocket. On a team that lost more big-time stars than any other top program, Mills will be the leader that'll have to be the rock through any adversity. Joe Paterno has said that Mills is the unquestioned starter, but Michael Robinson is a tremendous backup option.
Quarterbacks: Zack Mills Jr., Michael Robinson Soph., Chris Ganter Soph.

10. UCF
No quarterback in college football comes into the 2003 season with more touchdown passes than Schneider. With 69 career scoring throws and 9,027 yards, he has the experience and production to be considered among the best quarterbacks in the country. He has a nice arm, but his real talent is his decision making. This is his fourth year as a starter, so there's nothing he hasn't seen before. With a young, inexperienced receiving corps, don't expect him to throw for 3,770 yards and 31 touchdowns again, but don't look for there to be much of a drop in his 151.62 passer efficiency rating. Brandon Sumner is a great looking prospect.
Quarterbacks: Ryan Schneider Sr., Jon Rivera Jr., Brandon Sumner Jr.

11 Tennessee
12 Bowling Green
13 Kentucky
14 Ohio State
15 Illinois
16 Minnesota
17 Hawaii
18 Virginia Tech
19 Miami FL
20 Purdue
21 Mississippi
22 Boise State
23 Texas A&M
24 Michigan
25 Colorado State
26 Pittsburgh
27 Louisiana Tech
28 Texas
29 North Carolina
30 Fresno State
31 Michigan State
32 Oklahoma State
33 Cincinnati
34 Air Force
35 Oregon State
36 Tulane
37 Oregon
38 Memphis
39 San Jose State
40 LSU
41 Florida State
42 Wyoming
43 Clemson
44 Nebraska
45 West Virginia
46 Maryland
47 Alabama
48 Georgia Tech
49 Ohio
50 Syracuse
51 Notre Dame
52 Florida
53 Texas Tech
54 Stanford
55 South Carolina
56 New Mexico State
57 Rice
58 Auburn
59 Idaho
60 USC
61 Arkansas
62 Iowa
63 UCLA
64 Kansas
65 Washington State
66 MTSU
67 Utah
68 Oklahoma
69 New Mexico
70 Akron
71 TCU
72 Connecticut
73 Wisconsin
74 Mississippi State
75 East Carolina
76 Boston College
77 Northern Illinois
78 Marshall
79 Indiana
80 Southern Miss
81 Duke
82 Tulsa
83 California
84 North Texas
85 BYU
86 Kent State
87 Ball State
88 Northwestern
89 Louisville
90 San Diego State
91 Iowa State
92 Wake Forest
93 Western Michigan
94 Navy
95 UAB
96 Arizona
97 Temple
98 Vanderbilt
99 Houston
100 Eastern Michigan
101 Colorado
102 UNLV
103 South Florida
104 Rutgers
105 Louisiana Monroe
106 Nevada
107 Baylor
108 Army
109 UTEP
110 Toledo
111 Arkansas State
112 SMU
113 Central Michigan
114 Buffalo
115 Louisiana Lafayette
116 Troy State
117 Utah State

Quote:52 Florida

I'm predicting the Gators lose 4 SEC games, and 6 in the regular season and don't quality for a bowl game.



:D

Dawg Quixote Wrote:

Quote:52 Florida

I'm predicting the Gators lose 4 SEC games, and 6 in the regular season and don't quality for a bowl game.



:D

Did you see where they put our running game? 49th behind Duke and others....LOL

Behind Duke....LOL.

One thing Richt does is play a balanced attack, he gambles on offense and is typically unpredictable. This play style helps the running game and passing game. Having said that, honestly I am slightly worried about the running game this year.

Dawg Quixote Wrote:

Quote:52 Florida

I'm predicting the Gators lose 4 SEC games, and 6 in the regular season and don't quality for a bowl game.



:D

I could see that DQ. We deserve #1 btw.

Dawg Quixote Wrote:honestly I am slightly worried about the running game this year.

You may think this is crazy DQ, but the guy I'll really miss, even more than Musa, is J.T Wall. He had alot of heart and I think was a big reason why Musa was so good. Fortunately, Jeremy Thomas looks like he could be a decent replacement.

David Greene is a hell of a QB. If we didn't have Eli, he'd be my first choice to have as our General. In fact, some would argue that Greene is as good or better than Eli. While it pains me to say this, it might be true. I wouldn't say he's better than Eli, but certainly as good.

I went to Knoxville in 2001 to watch the UGA-UT game. When I heard some freshman was at the helm for Georgia, I all but counted the Dawgs out, although I was pulling for the Dawgs. I thought, "A freshman QB with a freshman coach IN Knoxville?" Not a chance.

But me, and everyone else in the stadium were dead wrong, which I was happy about. :D That kid, Greene, lead the Bulldogs on the field like he was a seasoned veteran, and I was immensely impressed. It was a heck of a game, came down to the end if y'all remember(it had a wacky see-saw ending), but a great performance, nonetheless, by Mr. Greene. We are lucky to have Eli, but y'all are just as fortunate to have a leader like DG on the field for y'all. I'll always be a fan of Greene's throughout his NFL career for that reason.

10Man, that is a good way to put it.....Greene is a good field general.

But don't diss DJ Shockley either. As good as Greene is (very good), I think eventually DJ Shockley will be even better. Nice problem to have.

Oh, I'm not discounting DJ at all....I know he is one talented mofo. I'm just giving mad props to my boy, Mr. Greene.

It is a pretty nice problem. Heck, I'd be content just to have one of em'.

SouthLink02 Wrote:Did you see where they put our running game? 49th behind Duke and others....LOL

Don't laugh, they deserve to be up there. Seriously...

I'll be the first to slam Dook, but the running game is their one strength. They have the best tag team in the ACC. Alex Wade and Chris Douglas are both coming off 1000 yard seasons.

Now this is scary...

Quote:QB rankings...

48 Georgia Tech


51 Notre Dame
52 Florida
53 Texas Tech
58 Auburn
60 USC
63 UCLA
68 Oklahoma
78 Marshall
89 Louisville

Tech is 48th and ahead of all those schools? WTF? Apparently they've never heard of AJ "Bounce Pass" Suggs. Bilbo's got some serious talent, but Suggs is enough to drag us deep into the ditch.

I agree JJ.