College Football News Preview 2022 preseason unit rankings, looking at the top ten quarterback situations and rankings by conference.
What teams have the best quarterback situations going into the 2022 college football season?
How do all of the quarterback depth charts rank in each conference – to go along with the top ten overall?
It’s tough to do with quarterbacks because, obviously, the superstar starter is among the most important players in the country, but what about the backups?
Which teams have a good No. 2 option, or a third, or have the right mix to work with? Making this even harder is the transfer portal – it’s impossible to keep a good backup quarterback now.
This isn’t a list of the top players – it’s about that depth chart and the overall unit rankings, to a point.
Quarterback unit rankings are different. The elite of the elite starters raise up the entire ranking, but some teams have a better overall situation because of the good backup to go along with No. 1 guy.
Doing the top ten overall and by conference, here are the 2022 quarterback unit rankings.
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CFN Preview 2022 Preseason College Football Unit Rankings: Quarterbacks
Unit Rankings By Conference: Quarterbacks
Top 10 | ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC
AAC | C-USA | Ind | MAC | M-West | Sun Belt
1 Ohio State
CJ Stroud is coming off a monster season and should be in for an even stronger one – he might be more effective, even if the stats aren’t as great if he doesn’t have to bomb away so much. Kyle McCord was a big-time prospect coming in last year, and true freshman Devin Brown isn’t going to be bad, but the reserves need experience.
2 Alabama
Go ahead and put Alabama No. 1 if you want – you’re not wrong assuming the team with the reigning Heisman winner has the best quarterback unit in the country. Bryce Young is obviously special, but the backups need some work. Five-star recruit Ty Simpson has the skills – but he’s a true freshman – and Jalen Milroe is a potentially dangerous dual-threat option.
3 LSU
Depth, depth, depth. There isn’t a starter as good as the main men up top here, but Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels could’ve gone just about anywhere, Myles Brennan has a world of upside if he can stay healthy, Garrett Nussmeier is an interesting option, and Walker Howard was a huge recruit who can do a little of everything.
4 USC
Caleb Williams – this ranking is all about the starter who should continue to shine under Lincoln Riley. It’s a thin room, though, with redshirt freshman Miller Moss the likely backup early on. Former Vanderbilt transfer Mo Hasan has a little experience and was around last year.
2022 CFN Predictions For Every Game
ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC
AAC | C-USA | Ind | MAC | M-West | Sun Belt
CFN 2022 Preseason Ranking of all 131 Teams
CFN 2022 Preview of all 131 Teams
5 Tennessee
Is this the year when Hendon Hooker gets national respect for being among the most consistent and effective passers in the country? All he did was throw for close to 3,000 yards with 31 touchdowns and three picks, and he didn’t even start the season – Joe Milton did. Milton struggled at Michigan and early on with the Vols, but he’s not a bad No. 2.
6 Texas Tech
Look … out. This is a nod to the depth and options to run the new high-powered offense that’s going to try to be what Western Kentucky was in 2021. Tyler Shough has NFL starter skills, but can the former Oregon transfer stay healthy and put it all together? Donovan Smith was terrific when Shough got hurt, and Behren Morton might eventually be the best of the bunch.
7 Wake Forest
You could take make this a whole list of ACC teams and not be too terribly far off. However, Wake Forest has the somewhat underappreciated star of the bunch in Sam Hartman, and the team has a reliable backup in Michael Kern to bring in if needed.
8 Coastal Carolina
Grayson McCall is going into his fourth season as one of the nation’s most efficient and accurate passers – and he can run, too. Backup Bryce Carpenter is going into his fifth year with the program, he knows what he’s doing, and he’s been fantastic when needed.
9 South Carolina
Just how much do you believe in Spencer Rattler? He was fine for Oklahoma – he just wasn’t Caleb Williams last year. The pro skills and arm are there to open up the South Carolina attack, and backup Luke Doty hit 60% of his passes over the last two years when needed. True freshman Braden Davis is an interest prospect to keep an eye on.
10 NC State
Devin Leary got lost in all the great ACC quarterbacks in 2021, but he had as strong a season as anyone with 35 touchdown passes and five picks with two rushing touchdowns. Ben Finley is in his third year as a backup, and Jack Chambers is a veteran option from Charleston Southern.
Unit Rankings By Conference: Quarterbacks
Top 10 | ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC
AAC | C-USA | Ind | MAC | M-West | Sun Belt