ESPN College Football

Before I started here at the ol' Big East blog, my esteemed colleague Mark Schlabach came up with a preseason ranking of the league's quarterbacks. It was a fine list -- at the time. But now that we've nearly gone through a full season, it's time to revisit and reorder those rankings.

1. Pat White, West Virginia: The senior has been pulled in a lot of different directions this year as the new coaching staff tries to figure out the best way to run the offense. His statistics are down from the previous two years. But he's still the most jaw-dropping talent at quarterback in this league, and the conference's foremost proven winner.

2. Tony Pike, Cincinnati: This is sure to be a controversial pick. But Pike keeps getting better and better and ranks second in the league in pass efficiency. He has 12 touchdowns and only four picks. Brian Kelly says Pike has a chance to be the best player in the Big East next year.

3. Matt Grothe, South Florida: Grothe would have topped this list in mid-October after he got off to a fabulous start. But he has struggled in conference play, undone by a porous offensive line and defenses that are geared up to put hands in his face. He's thrown eight interceptions in his last three games after cutting way down on his turnovers to begin the year. He's still a dangerous presence with his ability to run or pass.

4. Hunter Cantwell, Louisville: Cantwell's statistics (14 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 57.4 percent completions) aren't that impressive. But no other quarterback in the league has been more victimized by inexperienced receivers. Cantwell still has the best arm in the league, and if he had a chance to play with guys like Kenny Britt or Jonathan Baldwin -- or even his own injured wideout, Scott Long -- his numbers would look totally different.

5. Mike Teel, Rutgers: If we were judging on just the past three games, then Teel -- who has thrown for at least 276 yards in each of those games and has 12 touchdowns during that span -- would be No. 1. But we can't ignore his struggles in the other games.

6. Bill Stull, Pittsburgh: Another guy whose numbers aren't that flashy (five touchdowns, five interceptions), but that doesn't begin to tell the story of his value. Stull is a gritty, tough leader who makes enough plays to get wins.

7. Tyler Lorenzen, Connecticut: Lorenzen had uncharacteristic turnover problems early in the year, then got hurt. He's back now, and the Huskies saw what they missed without his veteran presence. His running ability allows UConn to play its favored low-risk style.

8. Cam Dantley, Syracuse: Dantley was a nice story early in the year as a walk-on who worked his way into the starting role. But he's had a rough time the past few weeks and has only held onto the job because his backup, Andrew Robinson, hasn't been any better. Bad quarterback play has been a staple of the Greg Robinson era, and it's a large reason why the coach earned his pink slip on Sunday.