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This was a very good week for Pac-12 Quarterbacks. While the league's reigning best quarterback and current Heisman favorite was off, that didn't mean the weekend was short on excitement at the quarterback position. Read on to find if your favorite quarterback made the cut!
1. Sean Mannion, Oregon State
Sean Mannion was at his finest in what might be the most impressive win for the Beavers in his time in Corvallis. 19-33 for 251 and two touchdowns is itself a good day, but it was made more impressive by his decision making and precision under the pressure of needing to put away a very good team. This didn’t follow the classic upset archetype of needing constant breaks and failures from the other team, the Oregon State offense was just plain better.
2. Cody Kessler, USC
It must be a little frustrating to be having one of the best quarterback seasons in the country, but to have a talent like Marcus Mariota also playing in your conference. He’s the only quarterback to have less than three interceptions on more than 300 attempts, and his 31-42 for 371 yards and four touchdowns wasn’t even his best game of the year. If the Trojans were just a tiny bit better, he would be getting major Heisman hype. For now, that’s a potential dream for next year.
3. Travis Wilson, Utah
Every performance against Stanford this season needs to have something of an adjustment applied to it. 21-28 for 177 yards and two touchdowns isn’t an astonishing day for Wilson, but that level of efficiency allowed the Utes to spring the "upset" against Stanford. He, too, has to be dreaming of a potentially giant year next year.
4. Jared Goff, Cal
It says something about Jared Goff that 29-47 for 279 yards and three touchdowns is arguably one of his worst performances of the year. The Bears are one win away from bowl eligibility with games against two teams playing out the string on deeply disappointing seasons, and most of this is thanks to the play of Goff this year. The 122nd ranked defense isn’t getting him much help, and neither is the 90th ranked rushing offense.
5. Cyler Miles, Washington
Washington isn’t very good this year, but Cyler Miles is quietly having a very good year. He is one of only four quarterbacks to attempt 200 passes with two or fewer interceptions, and he played well in the Huskies’ upset bid against Arizona. 20-29 for 233 is good, although the lack of scoring came back to bite them.
Another decisive week in the Pac-12 is coming up, with the potential for some clarity in the south to finally arrive. The teams striving for playoff positions, the teams striving for bowls bids, and even the teams who are just trying to end the season on a high note will all be in action, all looking for that next win. It should be a fun one!