Another week has passed and we are getting so close to the college postseason.
That means that draft-eligible quarterbacks are putting their best foot forward, trying to lead their team to either the College Football Playoff or a premier New Year’s Six bowl game.
In this exercise, we list out a few quarterbacks to watch for Minnesota Vikings fans as we draw closer to the pre-draft process.
Florida State QB Jordan Travis
FSU clinched a spot in the ACC title game with their 24-7 victory against the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday. A big part of that success came from the effectiveness of their run game and the play of their quarterback Jordan Travis.
Travis ended the game 22-of-36 for 360 yards and a touchdown. The offense as a whole started slow, and Travis was no exception. This was mainly because he was missing his top two targets on the outside in Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson.
But, when the offense did get going, Travis was getting the ball out quickly and to his playmakers, like Ja’Khi Douglas, in space.
The Seminoles are firmly in the hunt for a College Football Playoff spot, which could give Travis a bigger spotlight to show off his talents before the pre-draft process.
ACC fixed game so fsu could go to playoffs. What a joke!
— Don Beck (@djbeck123) November 5, 2023
USC QB Caleb Williams
The image that is circling around of USC quarterback Caleb Williams is one of vulnerability and shows the passion that the young man has for the game.
That being said, he has given everything that he has to this USC team and that includes last Saturday in a 52-42 loss against Washington.
Williams went 27-of-35 for 312 yards and three touchdowns while adding another touchdown on the ground. Williams played one of his best games of 2023, and lead his team on touchdown drives on six of his team’s ten offensive drives. And it wasn’t enough.
Williams has continued to show the insane talent that he possesses both in- and out-of-structure of the play. Some team is going to get a really good quarterback out of Williams.
CALEB WILLIAMS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/EK0SEs1mtP
— Footballism (@FootbaIIism) November 5, 2023
Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy continues to make it look easy as Michigan rolls through Purdue 41-13 at the Big House.
McCarthy ended the day 24-of-37 with a season-high 335 yards on the day. He didn’t have any touchdowns but had another solid day of getting the ball to his playmakers, especially Roman Wilson and keeping the ball out of harms way.
McCarthy continues to have success as Michigan’s quarterback as he is now 21-1 as a starter for the Wolverines.
Michigan’s tough slate of games starts this Saturday against #11 Penn State, making a tune-up game like this against Purdue necessary.
Michigan moves to 9-0 on the season as they blowout Purdue at home 41-13 at the Big House.
RB Blake Corum: 3 Touchdowns
QB J.J. McCarthy: 335 yards
WR Roman Wilson: 9 Receptions, 143 yards pic.twitter.com/Fo6wI3NCpo
— Cole Martens (@ColeMartensTV) November 5, 2023
Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
On the other side of the Williams’ debacle are the victors of the Washington-USC game in the #5 Washington Huskies.
Their offense looked as explosive as always, gaining 572 total yards for the day, and a large part of that was the play from Washington quarterback Michael Penix, Jr.
Penix went 22-for-30 for 256 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, while also adding another touchdown on the ground.
His ability to extend the play helped him go toe-to-toe with Williams and helped get his team the win at the end of the day.
While Williams showed off some of the magic that made him such a highly-touted prospect, Penix was not to be outdone. Penix and Washington will continue their quest to the CFP this week with a game against the #18 Utah Utes.
The All-22 of that Michael Penix Jr. TD pass to TE Devin Culp looks even more ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/hpG7hpyLhE
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) November 5, 2023
Oregon QB Bo Nix
Oregon quarterback Bo Nix put up an insane stat line against California, as they routed the Golden Bears 63-19.
Nix went 29-for-38 for 386 yards and four touchdowns, and added two more touchdowns on the ground.
Nix had this Oregon offense humming and played with a lot of poise as he navigated the pocket and went through his progressions.
There was a lot from this game to like, especially given that they started this game a bit disjointed with some early miscues such as mistimed snaps leading to a scoop-and-score.
But once these mistakes were rectified near the middle of the 2nd quarter, the Ducks punted only once more for the rest of the game.
This was just filthy by Bo Nix pic.twitter.com/mzbSbjGS1o
— quack 🦆 (@quack_attack21) November 5, 2023
