Best quarterbacks in college football for 2016

Watson is the front-runner to win the Heisman and has already been crowned by Alabama head coach Nick Saban as the best college quarterback since Cam Newton. He helped Clemson to the College Football Playoff last season, completing nearly 68 percent of his passes while throwing for 4,104 yards and rushing for 1,105 more in his sophomore season.

Mayfield, a Texas Tech transfer, was spectacular for Oklahoma last season, throwing for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns as he led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff. Oklahoma is the clear leader in the Big 12 entering the season, and Mayfield could help the Sooners to a National Championship.

Falk is more than just a product of coach Mike Leach's system. He completed more than 69 percent of his passes last season, with 38 touchdowns. Falk's incredible accuracy could put him in the Heisman conversation.

Kelly has proclaimed himself the best quarterback in the country. While he's in the conversation, Ole Miss fans would prefer he avoid some of the risks that he took last season. Jim Kelly's nephew threw for 4,042 yard and 31 touchdowns, but he also threw 13 picks and loses some of his top-shelf supporting cast this year.

Some don't give Ward credit since he plays in a mid-major conference, but there's no doubt the Houston offense has been humming with him as the starter over the last two years. The duel-threat quarterback is a clear Heisman candidate after throwing for 2,828 yards and rushing for 1,108 yards last season, with 38 total touchdowns.

Kaaya is arguably the best NFL prospect in football, with many projections making him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. For now, he should benefit from the stability of new head coach Mark Richt after throwing only 16 touchdowns last season.

Mahomes can really pile up stats in the Red Raiders' offense, and if his sophomore season is any indication, he could be set to blow the roof off the Big 12 this year. He threw for more than 4,600 yards and 36 touchdowns last season, adding 10 scores on the ground.

Considered the top freshman quarterback in the country last season, Rosen threw for 3,670 yards but also showed the inconsistency expected of a first-year player. He could make a big jump with one year in the Bruins' system, and some even see him as a dark-horse Heisman candidate.

Barrett finally has the starting job all to himself in Columbus, though the losses on offense, in particular Ezekiel Elliott, will hurt. He's completed more than 64 percent of his passes with 45 touchdowns over the last two seasons.

This will be an interesting year for Baylor football without offensive mastermind head coach Art Briles. Despite transfers and losing recruits to their off-field scandal, the Bears still have plenty of talent on the field. Russell was on a Heisman Trophy pace last season before suffering a major neck injury. He averaged an incredible 10.5 yards per pass attempt with 29/6 TD/INT ratio. If he can return healthy, Russell has a chance to re-emerge as an elite quarterback.

Jackson made his share of freshman mistakes last season, but his development was clear late in the year. Head coach Bobby Petrino has shown that he can develop quarterbacks, and Jackson put up nice numbers with 1,840 passing yards and 960 rushing yards in what was effectively 10 games.

Last season was Beathard's first as a full-time starter, and he was quite solid for the Hawkeyes. He threw for 2,809 yard and 17 touchdowns, convincing some NFL scouts that he could be a top-round pick. Of course, Iowa also played a soft schedule and lost significant talent this year, so Beathard will be challenged.

The Cowboys could be in the National Championship conversation again if Rudolph progresses as much as he did last season. He threw for 3,770 yards and 21 touchdowns in his sophomore season, with a strong 8.9 yards per attempt.

Rypien showed great flashes in his freshman season, throwing for 3,350 yards. He has a high ceiling, and some expect the Broncos to compete for the College Football Playoff this season if he shows enough improvement.

Kizer emerged as a strong quarterback for Notre Dame last season, replacing Malik Zaire. If he can beat Zaire in the quarterback competition, Kizer shows huge upside after throwing for 2,884 yards and rushing for 520 yards in 11-plus games last season.

Mullens is one of college football's elite stats producers, though he's performed against subpar competition in Conference USA. Still, it's hard to overlook a quarterback who passes for 4,476 yards and 38 touchdowns, as Mullens did in his junior season.

The AAC had an underrated crop of quarterbacks last season, and Evans was among them. The Tulsa signal caller had 4,332 passing yards and 25 touchdowns in his junior season.

Kiel missed time to injury last season but still showed progress with 2,777 passing yards and 19 touchdowns. Cincinnati didn't put great talent around him, but Kiel's physical tools still make him an NFL prospect going into his senior season.

Tennessee is a major sleeper to not only win the SEC, but the National Championship this season. That will be very dependent on Dobbs' stability. He threw for 2,291 yards and rushed for 671 yards last season, but he needs to throw down the field more effectively for the Vols to beat their toughest competitors.

Washington is considered a sleeper by some to win the Pac-12, and Browning is a big reason. He threw for nearly 3,000 yards in his freshman season and helped the Huskies close out the season with three straight wins. There are high hopes he can make a big jump in his sophomore season.

Prukop is competing for the Oregon starting job after transferring from Montana State. He's likely to win the job, which is usually a coup for quarterback stats in the Ducks' offense.

Howard wasn't the most accurate passer for the Mountaineers at about 55 percent, but he still had more than 3,100 passing yards and 502 rushing yards in his junior season. West Virginia could compete in the Big 12 if he takes another step forward.

Armstrong isn't particularly accurate, but his athleticism helps move the ball for the Huskers. He threw for 3,030 yards and rushed for 400 more yards last season, but Nebraska will need more consistent play this season.

Lunt presented consistency for a bad Illinois team in his junior season, throwing for 2,761 yards and 14 touchdowns in 12 games. He gets more credit with the lack of talent around him, and there's hope the arrival of head coach Lovie Smith will help the Oklahoma State transfer in his senior season.

The younger brother of four-year Arkansas starter Brandon Allen, Austin has now spent time in the Razorbacks' system under his brother, and some feel he has a higher ceiling. Brandon finished his senior season with 3,440 passing yards and 30 touchdowns last year.