USC's Matt Barkley has gained more recognition as the season has progressed. The pro-style offense implemented by head coach Lane Kiffin appeals to NFL scouts, and Barkley, who doesn't have a very strong arm, is capable of making all the throws needed at the pro level. The junior has not made a decision to declare for the NFL draft. Barkley was great in the Trojans' 38-35 win at Oregon. He threw for threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns, and squandered any hope the Ducks had at making the BCS national championship game.
While Oklahoma underperformed this season after being ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press Preseason Poll, Landry Jones has remained strong at quarterback. Jones was not asked to throw as much as he did during his sophomore season, hence the slight decline in his stats. He has had issues with interceptions at times, but Jones is still expected to be a high first-round draft pick.
One quarterback who's made a lot of noise lately is Baylor's Robert Griffin III. His athleticism makes him a threat to throw and run the ball. He is great at escaping pressure and throwing the deep ball, most evident by his 34-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Terrance Williams against Oklahoma. His 72.6 completion percentage is impressive for a scrambling quarterback, and he's thrown just five interceptions all season.
An interesting quarterback is Houston's Case Keenum, who has put up record numbers for the Cougars. He owns the NCAA record for career touchdowns with 152 and has thrown for 5,099 yards in 2011. Like Griffin III, he's thrown just five interceptions, but has thrown nearly 200 more passes. The argument against Keenum is that he plays in a spread offense and Houston plays in the less competitive Conference USA.
A couple of up-and-coming quarterbacks to keep an eye on are TCU's Casey Pachall and Ohio State's Braxton Miller. Pachall, a sophomore who made 10 starts for the Horned Frogs this season, came up short in games against Baylor and SMU. However, in a pressure-filled game at Boise State, Pachall rose to the occassion. He threw for 473 yards and five touchdowns and led TCU down the field for the game-winning touchdown and go-ahead two-point conversion to win 36-35.
Miller took over for the Buckeyes just four games into the season and showed glimpses of brilliance during the season. He likes to use his legs and led Ohio State in both passing and rushing yards. Like, Pachall, Miller stepped up in big games, such asthe season finale against Michigan. Miller accounted for three touchdowns and kept the Buckeyes in the game. However, the Buckeye defense couldn't stop the Wolverines and Michigan held on for a 40-34 win.
