And the best college quarterback is ...

Weinreb: So if you were a college coach chasing a national championship, which of these guys would you prefer to have on your roster? And beyond that, which of these guys — and which other under-the-radar QBs — do you enjoy watching every week?

Rooney: It only follows that if you really want the win, you go with the guy who’s got a proven track record of getting it done. Don’t we all wish Tom Brady could be cloned to line up under center for our respective NFL favorites? By that metric, I’ve gotta go with Tagovailoa as my top seed.

What is there really to say about Tua that hasn’t already been said? Forget for a minute that he leads the nation in touchdown passes, and just set an Alabama record with 86 career TDs. Forget that he accomplished that in just 20 starts. Tagovailoa simply passes the eye test. As you mentioned, he’s incredibly accurate (70.2 career completion %), and 2018 title game notwithstanding, possesses great instincts.

As for other current championship winner in the conversation, Lawrence is embodying the phrase “sophomore slump” to an almost comical degree. Don’t bother looking at any statistics: You won’t find him in the top 20, let alone the top 10, in any significant category. In addition to his woeful touchdown-interception ratio (8-5), Lawrence has slipped significantly in the Heisman odds. Were it not for his touchdown that saved the day against North Carolina last week, this would be a whole different piece. Still, he displays just enough flashes of brilliance to not be entirely written out of the narrative.

But for me, Lawrence is totally overshadowed by Jalen Hurts. It’s not exactly a shocker. I think we tend to forget just how many fantastic things he’s done in his career, because man, he’s had some bad luck in championship games. 

Remember how great Hurts was as a freshman? He destroyed a host of school records en route to a perfect record season for Alabama, earning SEC Offensive Player and Freshman of the year awards. Remember how great Hurts was as a sophomore? He threw just one interception that year while leading the Crimson Tide to another title game. Seriously, if not for the fact that his backup proved to be probably the best Bama QB ever, we might be using that very superlative for Hurts.  

Now, Hurts is leading the nation in passing efficiency (249.90), a statistic I prize in a college quarterback. He’s completed 77.6 percent of his passes. And talk about fun to watch. Well, if you like offense, Hurts and the Sooners’ 55-16 dismantling of Texas Tech was the game for you.

I’ve also been enjoying the action from a couple guys who might not be in the Heisman headlines. At the top of that list is Utah’s Tyler Huntley, who was a favorite of mine last season. He’s another QB on the short list of those who haven’t thrown a pick yet this season. Combine that with the way he stepped up against Washington State in the absence of Zack Moss -- a 38-13 win for the Utes -- and for once I’m almost more interested in a Kyle Whittingham offense than I am his defense.

Rooney: Any quibbles with my short pecking order? Assuming you’re a fellow fan of Tua and Hurts, who else lands in your top five? And who’s your pick for a QB we might not be, but should be watching?

Weinreb: The first thing I thought in watching Hurts in his Oklahoma debut against Houston was, “Why don’t I fly to Vegas every summer and wager my entire 401(k) on an Oklahoma quarterback to win the Heisman?” I still don’t know how much of this is Hurts and how much of it is Sooners coach Lincoln Riley, who appears to have found a way to devise an offense where every receiver is criminally wide open on every play, but Hurts looks virtually unstoppable. If he dominates Texas on Oct. 12 in the Red River Showdown, I might even be convinced that Oklahoma is on the same plane as Alabama and Clemson. But I’m not putting either the Sooners or Hurts on the same level yet, even if he may put up massive numbers and wind up with the Heisman.

I’m not particularly worried about Trevor Lawrence. While your case for Tua at the top of this hierarchy makes perfect sense, it seems inevitable that Lawrence was going to hit a wall. He had no pressure last season, no expectations of carrying his team; he had all of that burden going into this season, along with a bunch of new faces to work with, and he’s laboring  through it. Don’t be surprised if that clutch throw to Tee Higgins that helped the Tigers edge UNC sparks his entire season. He even has a bye week this week before the Florida State game Oct. 12 to get himself right. If I were an NFL GM, he’s probably still at or near the top of my list for 2021.

So if you’re going to pin me down to a present-moment list, I'd go:

1.) Tua 

2.) Joe Burrow, who’s turned LSU into a legitimate top-5 team with an actual offense.

 3.) Hurts 

4.) Lawrence

Beyond that, it’s a toss-up. Did you know, for instance, that Minnesota sophomore Tanner Morgan is fourth in quarterback rating, behind those three guys — and that he completed 21 of 22 passes for four touchdowns against a wretched Purdue defense last week? And what happens when Justin Fields and Ohio State finally face a semi-legitimate defense— and a rival quarterback who’s also rising up draft boards, Brian Lewerke — when they host MIchigan State on Saturday? If Fields proves his worth against MSU, he could easily rise into that top four.

Also, let us not neglect Texas darling Sam Ehlinger merely because his defense couldn’t seem to stop LSU — or Oregon’s Herbert, who may have lost that opener to Auburn’s rapidly improving freshman QB, Bo Nix, but has been incredibly solid through the first third of his season.
And sure, I’ll give you Huntley, who might carry Utah to a Rose Bowl bid, but I’ll still argue that he isn’t even the best quarterback in his own state — Jordan Love’s been pretty quiet at Utah State so far this season, and he may struggle against LSU’s NFL-ready secondary. But how many quarterbacks can make back-foot across-the-body 40-yard touchdown throws like this one? He’s the guy you should be tuning into late at night in the second half of this season, and not just because he may be on your favorite NFL team’s roster next year.

Weinreb: But let me frame this discussion a little differently: Which of these guys on a top-tier team is most important to his team’s playoff/major-bowl chances? And which quarterbacks on contending teams make you the most nervous heading into the meatier portion of the schedule?

Rooney: I love that question, because I find the case occasionally made that a quarterback is of overrated importance to be compelling, but perhaps not totally grounded in reality. The Trent Dilfers and Brad Johnsons of the world give some weight to that argument on the pro level, but what of the college game? As fun as it is to watch some of these prolific and athletic quarterbacks, the past 20 years of title winners are peppered with forgettable players at the position. For every Deshaun Watson and Cam Newton, there’s a Jake Coker and a Matt Mauck.

But I do still think a top-tier QB is a crucial element to a championship. Some of the contenders, like Clemson, have the pieces in place to succeed even when their QB struggles. But that’s certainly not the situation for all the teams on the path to a playoff.

You made a case for Joe Burrow, and he’s probably where my list of MVQs (Most Valuable Quarterbacks) begins. Burrow was pretty good last season. Now, under the direction of flashy pass game coordinator Joe Brady, poached from the New Orleans Saints, he’s great. LSU leads the nation in scoring with  57.8 points per game. Burrow is No. 2 in my aforementioned favorite category, pass efficiency, and his six touchdowns against Vandy last week are a school record.

I’m not gonna say he’s doing it solo — LSU returned eight starters on defense, including consensus All-American Grant Delpit — but it wasn’t exactly encouraging to see them give up 530 yards to the only really tough team they’ve played in Texas. That game was the jewel in the crown that is Burrow’s season so far, and LSU wouldn’t be where it is in the rankings without it. It’s hard to envision the Tigers winning any of the tough games ahead — Florida, Auburn, at Alabama —without Burrow as we’ve seen him these last weeks.

I’m less convinced about some of the QBs leading the charge for what I would consider fringe contenders Auburn and Wisconsin. While we seem to be living in the golden age of true freshman quarterbacks, and Nix is the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, I have my doubts about his ability to withstand the impending gauntlet. 

For the Badgers, Jack Coan is in his first full season as starter. After a good start to the season, he struggled mightily against Northwestern. Doesn’t instill a ton of confidence with Ohio State and Iowa still to come. You get the feeling that Wisconsin’s chances for success are more predicated on running back Jonathan Taylor than on what Coan does. 

Finally, I’m also a little undersold on this year’s version of the Jake Fromm Show. He was underwhelming against Notre Dame last week, and probably like most people, I’m starting to wonder what the Bulldogs would look like if Justin Fields were still there.

Could any of those guys surprise me and/or prove me wrong? Without a doubt. I’m not putting any money on Heisman finalists or CFP berth-winners just yet.