Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Loyal Big Ten blog readers know that quarterback play has been my No. 1 sticking point in the ongoing effort to improve Big Ten football. Until the league stops losing the arms race, it won't start winning many big nonconference wins during the season and in the bowls.

Five weeks into the 2009 campaign, it's time for a quarterback checkup. How has this year's crop of Big Ten signal-callers fared so far? It's a bit of a mixed bag.

There have been nice surprises like Michigan's Tate Forcier and Wisconsin's Scott Tolzien, while Illinois' Juice Williams, a four-year starter and the league's most experienced quarterback, was benched this week in favor of Eddie McGee. Penn State's Daryll Clark has been pretty solid, while three other veteran quarterbacks -- Minnesota's Adam Weber, Iowa's Ricky Stanzi and Indiana's Ben Chappell -- have had their ups and downs.

As for Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor? The jury remains out for many observers, though the sophomore has done some nice things the last three games after a rough night against USC.

You could make the argument that first-year starters like Tolzien, Forcier, Purdue's Joey Elliott, Michigan State's Kirk Cousins and Northwestern's Mike Kafka have turned in the league's better performances this fall. Although the Big Ten returned its top six rated passers from 2008, first-year starters occupy the top five spots on the league's pass efficiency chart right now.

From a national standpoint, the Big Ten still appears to be lacking in quarterback play. No Big Ten quarterbacks are on the radar for the Heisman Trophy, which in my view has turned into a glorified quarterback competition. Big Ten quarterbacks rank among the top 10 nationally in just two major statistical categories -- completion percentage and completions per game.

Stats certainly aren't everything, and quarterbacks are ultimately judged on wins and losses. Tolzien and Stanzi are obviously perfect in that department, while Forcier has been brilliant in the clutch. But aside from Forcier's late heroics against Notre Dame, Big Ten quarterbacks have struggled to push their teams over the top in nonconference games. Cousins' late miscues proved costly against Notre Dame, Elliott had two turnovers returned for Oregon touchdowns at Eugene and Kafka's late interception against Syracuse allowed the Orange to prevail.

Bottom line: there's a long way to go.

Here's where Big Ten quarterbacks stack up in the national statistics:

Big Ten passing leaders Big Ten leader Rank National leader Passing average Joey Elliott, Purdue (255.2 ypg) 22nd Case Keenum, Houston (424 ypg) Completions Mike Kafka, Northwestern (24.8 cpg) 8th Case Keenum, Houston (36 cpg) Completion % Mike Kafka, Northwestern (70.1) 3rd Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan (71.6) Pass efficiency Scott Tolzien, Wisconsin (154.7 rating) 18th Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame (179.3 rating) Total passing yards Joey Elliott, Purdue (1,276) 14th Taylor Potts, Texas Tech (1,817) Points responsible for Joey Elliott, Purdue (14.4 ppg) T-18th Case Keenum, Houston (24 ppg) Total offense Joey Elliott, Purdue (270.8 ypg) 22nd Case Keenum, Houston (436.8 ypg)