Analysis

Big Sky Conference quarterback rankings by team – Part II

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Editor’s note: From Idaho’s John Friesz and Doug Nussmeier to Weber State’s Jamie Martin to Montana’s Dave Dickenson to a seemingly endless string of gunslingers from Eastern Washington, the Big Sky Conference has long held a reputation as a quarterback-driven league.

But when one analyzes the 21st century landscape of the conference’s best teams, it becomes apparent that, whether its Montana between 2000 and 2009, Montana State from 2010 until 2014 or Weber State the last five seasons, teams with defensive identities win most of championships. Individual talents like Montana State’s Dakota Prukop, Sacramento State’s Garrett Safron, Northern Colorado’s Kyle Sloter and Northern Arizona’s Case Cookus all went on to the professional ranks. None won a Big Sky title.

That notion is bucked, of course, when you consider Eastern Washington, an offensive juggernaut that has produced eight different Big Sky MVP quarterbacks, a group that won 12 league Most Outstanding Player honors overall over the last 18 seasons.

This year’s Big Sky landscape is shrouded in mystery when it comes to the primary trigger men for teams across the league. With the season less than a month away, here’s a look at the quarterback situations, from most cloudy to most clear, across the Big Sky Conference.

Big Sky quarterback rankings by team – Part I (CLICK)

6. Northern Colorado

New Northern Colorado head coach Ed McCaffrey might be the most interesting man in the Big Sky coming into the season. His son and starting quarterback Dylan might be second. Dylan McCaffrey isn’t just a former Power 5 recruit like Montana State’s Matt McKay (NC State) and Northern Arizona’s Keondre Wudtee (Oklahoma State). McCaffrey is a former blue-chip recruit, the No. 6 quarterback prospect in the class of 2017 according to both 247Sports and ESPN, who played in 13 games at Michigan over four years in Ann Arbor before transferring.

“You know, our quarterback’s alright,” offensive coordinator and Dylan’s older brother Max McCaffrey said at the Big Sky Kickoff, suppressing a smile. “I’m obviously very biased, but I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in college football, and not just in the Big Sky, in the entire NCAA. So we’re excited as heck to get him here. He had a lot of options. A lot of FBS options, Power 5 teams reaching out.”

I have no idea how to rank McCaffrey. I don’t think he’d possibly be lower than this, although the lack of talent on the rest of Northern Colorado’s roster could make it hard to judge. As for his ceiling, your guess is as good as mine. He could be the best quarterback in the conference. He could be the best quarterback in the FCS. The Bears could still be winless. Redshirt junior Conner Martin has the next-most experience on the roster.

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About Colter Nuanez

Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.

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