Best college football quarterback in every Power 5 conference for 2023
By John Buhler
Pac-12: USC’s Caleb Williams only needs to raise one finger for his draft position
This is so beyond obvious. We are truly fortunate to get one more season of Caleb Williams running Lincoln Riley’s offense at USC. Not to say he is repeating as the Heisman Trophy winner, but he will be a finalist for the award again, no doubt. More importantly, barring a cataclysmic collapse in his true junior season, the Pac-12’s version of Patrick Mahomes will be going No. 1.
The shame in it all is that the Pac-12 is by far and away the best-quarterbacked conference in the Power 5. Whether it is Oregon’s Bo Nix or Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., three of the best five returning starters hail from West Coast teams. Even guys like Cameron Rising at Utah can really play. We cannot wait to see what Shedeur Sanders does at Colorado playing for his father Deion.
But let’s be real. Until proven otherwise, Williams is the best quarterback at the college level. While I have major reservations about him leading the Trojans to a national title, the 2023 campaign should be viewed as College Football Playoff or bust. If the Trojans cannot beat the Utes again, then we will see a tormented Williams turn pro with a smidge of regret like C.J. Stroud did.
When it comes to college football quarterbacks, it’s Caleb Williams’s world, and we’re just living in it.