Ranking the Big 12 football starting quarterbacks ahead of Week 5

Houston's offense has been in the mud this season, scoring just 52 points in four games. Donovan Smith has thrown for just 610 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. Smith has talent, but Houston can't match him.

Alan Bowman surprised me with his play in the first three games, but was exposed in the first half of Saturday's game against Utah – so much so that he was substituted in favor of Garret Rangel, who also had issues with the Utes' relentless defense. Oklahoma State is an excellent team, but the Cowboys have issues at the quarterback position

Kansas struggled to start the season, falling to 1-3. Jalon Daniels compounded the Jayhawks' problems by frequently turning the ball over and throwing seven interceptions and two fumbles for loss. Daniels also struggled with accuracy, completing a Big 12-worst 56.3% of his passes.

Sam Leavitt has played better than expected in ASU's 3-1 start to the season, but he has struggled with accuracy, completing just 59.1% of his passes. Leavitt has also thrown three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Dequan Finn had ups and downs in his first two appearances, including a 9-21 performance against Utah in a game in which he was injured. Finn is always a dangerous weapon with his legs, but backup Sawyer Robertson showed he can also be a two-way threat by rushing for 82 yards against the Colorado Buffaloes.

Garrett Greene, another dual-threat quarterback who got off to a slow start, has completed just 56.8% of his passes (second to last in the Big 12). Greene did well on the ground, rushing for 209 yards and two touchdowns, but I expected more after his fantastic 2023.

Kansas State was considered one of the top teams in the Big 12 before the season began, but their recent loss to BYU casts doubt on that. Avery Johnson has done more damage with his legs, which isn't surprising given his usage last season. He needs to get better at the passing game if K-State wants to achieve greater success.

Brendan Sorsby got off to a flying start this season, throwing eight touchdowns with no interceptions and finishing fifth in the conference with 1,055 passing yards. Can he continue his hot start against the Big 12's top teams?

Rocco Becht was solid in the first three games of Iowa State's schedule, keeping the offense on track with a very high completion grade (68.4%) without making any major mistakes. The Cyclones want to run the ball and Becht does nothing to stop them, but I want to see what happens when Iowa State sees a big deficit and is forced to rely on Becht's arm.

Josh Hoover slingshots the ball all over the court, but it hasn't resulted in wins for the Horned Frogs. Hoover currently leads the Big 12 with 1,418 passing yards and is second with 11 touchdowns. He also leads the Big 12 in completion percentage (68.5), but TCU is just 2-2 after a big loss to in-state rival SMU.

Noah Fifita's Arizona Wildcats defeated New Mexico and Northern Arizona before being sent off in a non-conference matchup against Kansas State. Now Fifita faces Utah, Texas Tech, BYU and Colorado in a stretch that could define Arizona's season. If Fifita plays like it did against K-State, things could go downhill quickly.

The Big 12's early-season surprise quarterback, Jake Retzlaff, has led BYU to a 4-0 start, including a win over Kansas State in Week 4. Retzlaff ranks in the top half of the conference in passing yards (990). ) and touchdowns (nine).

Injuries have again sidelined Utah quarterback Cam Rising, but backup Isaac Wilson held his own against Oklahoma State last weekend despite throwing two interceptions in the first quarter. Wilson has thrown five touchdowns and five picks this season, while Rising has seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. Luckily, the Utes' defense and running game were dominant.

Behren Morton and the Red Raiders have recovered well from a shaky first two weeks of the season. Texas Tech barely survived Abilene Christian before losing on the road to Washington State. Since then, Texas Tech has dispatched North Texas and Arizona State, with Morton throwing six touchdowns and no interceptions.

Any offense led by KJ Jefferson will rely heavily on the running game. Even when UCF struggled early against TCU 14-0, the Knights called for far more run plays than pass plays. If you want to beat the 250-pound battering ram Jefferson, you have to force him to make plays with his arm, something no team has done this season.

Shedeur Sanders played like a top NFL draft pick to start the season, ranking in the top three in the Big 12 in passing yards (1,340), total touchdowns (12) and completion percentage (67.9) while At the same time he was exposed to strong pressure from the opposing defensive linemen. Sanders' playmaking abilities were on full display against Baylor, as he escaped trouble on multiple occasions before making a huge finish.