The Big 12 has quite the class of quarterbacks at the top of the conference entering 2017. But who’s on the opposite side of things?
High-powered offenses and high-scoring games are the trademark of the Big 12. Most teams need a quality quarterback to fuel that high-powered offense. For example, Texas Tech’s offense would not have been the same without Patrick Mahomes last season. Oklahoma’s offense would be completely different without Heisman contender Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma State’s would be much different without Mason Rudolph.
On the opposite side of things, quite a few teams in the Big 12 have not been able to find a consistent option at quarterback for the last few years. The Kansas Jayhawks and Iowa State Cyclones have permanently been in the basement of the Big 12 standings for the last couple seasons mainly because they could not find an answer at quarterback. The Clones went with both Joel Lanning and Jacob Park in 2016 and might go with Park again in 2017.
Then, there are a few teams in the middle that always seem to have a good, but not great, starting quarterback that can get them to a bowl game every season but not to national contention. Teams like the West Virginia Mountaineers, TCU Horned Frogs, and the Kansas State Wildcats have found serviceable but not fantastic quarterbacks to be successful. Even the Texas Longhorns have not found a consistent quarterback option that was able to take them to the top since Colt McCoy. They’ve been shifting between different quarterbacks trying to find the answer for around seven years now. Maybe Shane Buechele could be the answer the Horns are looking for.
It’s interesting to talk about the Big 12 quarterback situation because of how much impact it has on the overall success of the conference. The Big 12, as a whole, has been pretty much consistently the worst Power Five conference since it lost four of its members a few years ago. Even though teams like the Missouri Tigers and Nebraska Cornhuskers have not tremendously successful since leaving the Big 12, only having 10 teams still drags down the conference. It relies on the quarterbacks and high-powered offense to pick it up.
Somehow, Zach Smith was able to pull the Baylor offense together enough to dominate a good team in the Boise State Broncos in a huge bowl win for the Bears in 2016. As a freshman, Smith threw for more than 1,500 and 13 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He was thrown into the fire after star QB Seth Russell went down for the year with injury and Jarrett Stidham had already announced his transfer from Baylor.
In the win over Boise State, Smith showed what he can do if everything comes together under first year head coach Matt Rhule. He threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns with only one interception against the Broncos. Both K.D. Cannon and Ish Zamora are gone which means Pooh Stricklin, Blake Lynch, and Chris Platt are going to have to step up and give Smith some weapons to work with at receiver.
There’s tremendous potential with Smith and the Baylor offense but there’s numerous question marks as well. He’ll have the support he needs in the backfield with Terence Williams and JaMychal Hasty. The biggest question is if everything can connect with the Baylor offense this season with everything that happened with the scandal that cost former head coach Art Briles his job.
Not just Smith, but the entire Baylor team remains one of the biggest unknowns of all the teams in the Big 12. They have the head coach to lead them in the right direction but this is still a team lacking in overall talent and experience.
The problem with Kenny Hill is not his experience or overall talent, it’s always been his consistency. Hill has never been able to put together a complete and successful season with any team. Whether you look at his stint with Texas A&M or last season with TCU, Hill put up good but not great numbers.
The reason that Hill and TCU are on this list is the fact that we largely know what we will get in 2017. Hill will put up good numbers at times but his inconsistency and turnover prone play will cause the Frogs to lose a few games that they should win. TCU will likely be a good but not great team with Hill behind center.
Head coach Gary Patterson does have a good team returning in Fort Worth this season but the offense has a few question marks. Running back Kyle Hicks and Hill are the unquestioned leaders of the offense. The wide receivers and offensive line do have some holes to fill. KaVontae Turpin is one of the most explosive players in the Big 12 but he also has to stay healthy for Hill to really benefit from his presence.
In 2016, Hill threw for 3,208 yards and 17 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. It was not surprising to see Hill throw a few touchdowns in one game and perform well and then fall flat on his face in the next. Moreover, in six of eight Big 12 games last season Hill threw for one touchdown or less. That is not something that will get it done against teams like Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Kansas State in the Big 12 in 2017.
The quarterback job in Ames is Jacob Park’s for the taking. He is the clear cut starter after throwing for 1,791 and 12 touchdowns. The junior quarterback showed that he can keep Iowa State competitive in quite a few games. However, actually winning those games is the big need at hand for the Cyclones.
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Near victories against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, Kansas State Wildcats, and Baylor Bears slipped through Iowa State’s fingers last season, each by less than seven points. That’s something that Cyclone fans will not forget anytime soon. If Park can progress into his junior year with significant improvement those close losses might be able to turn into victories.
Much like most of the quarterbacks on this list, Park is this high because of the question marks surrounding him and Iowa State, not his overall talent. Park showed, at times, last year how good he could be. Furthermore, he also has weapons like wide receiver Allen Lazard and running backs Mike Warren and David Montgomery to work with.
There’s more than enough talent for the Cyclone offense to be successful in 2017. Yet, it seems like Iowa State can never put it all together to get themselves out of the basement in the Big 12. They’re always better than Kansas but really no one else. They finally have the opportunity to get themselves back to bowl eligibility in 2017.
It has to scare Texas Tech fans that Patrick Mahomes could only lead them to a five win season in 2016 and now they have a new quarterback taking over. Nic Shimonek looks the part but Mahomes was one of the most talented QB’s in the country. That leaves big shoes to fill and you can never say for sure if an inexperienced player can actually take over.
Shimonek performed well when he played in 2016. In limited action, he threw for more than 400 yards with six touchdowns and only one interception. There’s a very good chance that Shimonek puts up the best numbers of any quarterback on this list and could even be among the conference passing leaders. Yet, the amount of pressure on Texas Tech’s quarterbacks to keep up with an inept defense is huge.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury is on the hot seat which does not make Shimonek’s job any easier knowing that the guy who recruited him might not have a chance of making it through the season. Another five win season from the Red Raiders would likely cost Kingsbury his job. Kingsbury might also keep a short leash for Shimonek because of the pressure on him to win games this year.
Losing a first round NFL Draft pick and a quarterback that threw for more than 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns is nothing easy for any team in college football to replace, let alone a team like Texas Tech that needs the QB to be the focal point of the team.
This is nothing on Peyton Bender but Kansas always seems to enter the college football season with the worst quarterback situation of any team in the Big 12. The Washington State transfer threw more interceptions than touchdowns during his time with the Cougars as a freshman back in 2015. That does not bode well for a team that needs all the help they can get.
Things are trending in the right direction for the Jayhawks under David Beaty. They’re recruiting at a higher level now and actually won a Big 12 game last season against a respectable team in the Texas Longhorns. Moreover, the out of conference schedule is manageable with games against Southeast Missouri out of the FCS, Ohio, and Central Michigan. That could help give Bender the confidence he needs to put together a solid campaign with the Jayhawks in 2017 and keep Beaty’s improvement going.
Bender has the chance to actually be a two-year starter at quarterback for Kansas, something that’s very rare nowadays with the Jayhawks. Wide receivers like LaQuivionte Gonzalez and Steven Sims Jr. are solid weapons to help Bender get settled in Lawrence very quickly. Building up talent and keeping momentum going into the 2018 season are the most important goals for the Jayhawks entering the 2017 season.
Next: 5 worst quarterback situations in the SEC for 2017
Look out for Bender to surprise some people this season, whether it be in a good or bad way. Winning three games with Kansas would be a positive sign for Beaty, Bender, and Jayhawk fans alike.