A comparison of how a team's quarterback efficiency ranking correlates with the team's win total in 2019 ( https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/991756/ )
Roland Rivers III, Collin DiGalbo, Quinton Maxwell and Tyson Bagent. What do they all have in common?
They've all led their teams to at least 10 wins this season while also accumulating a quarterback efficiency rating of at least 164.
In college football, and really across all levels of football, having a quarterback who can serve as the team's best player is the best way to build a successful program. There are obvious exceptions, mainly at the professional level, but looking back at recent national championship games show one thing:
The quarterback is king.
Trevor Lawrence dissected the vaunted Alabama defense en route to a blowout in the national championship game at the Division I level. In a barn burner last season, Valdosta State defeated Ferris State behind star quarterback Rogan Wells' 350 passing yards and five touchdown passes.
Without the efforts of a strong quarterback, winning at any level is tough. Slippery Rock football coach Shawn Lutz said the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is no different.
Slippery Rock defeated Kutztown in the PSAC championship game this season, 37-35, behind the play of star quarterback Roland Rivers III. Rivers' 192.7 quarterback rating leads all of Division II football while his team is one of six undefeated teams in Division II football.
DiGalbo is no slouch, however, as his 172.9 quarterback rating ranks second in the conference. He led his squad to a program-best 10-0 record and a first round victory over Tiffin in the NCAA playoffs.
Indiana (Pa.) quarterback Quinton Maxwell and Shepherd quarterback Tyson Bagent met in the first round of the NCAA playoffs, with Bagent getting the better of Maxwell, but both players ranked in the top four of PSAC quarterback efficiency rating.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the four teams in the PSAC with just two wins this season had quarterbacks finish in the bottom seven of the conference.
Only Edinboro, who finished with just three wins this season, finished with a worse quarterback efficiency rating than Gannon, Millersville, Seton Hill and Lock Haven.
East Stroudsburg, Mercyhurst and California (Pa.) each finished in the middle of the pack this season, racking up six or seven wins, and each had quaterback ratings that ranked toward the median of the conference.
Teams that had poor quarterback play ended the season with poor records and vice versa. Except for Shippensburg and West Chester.
Shippensburg, possibly due to a tough schedule, finished the season with just four wins, but quarterback Brycen Mussina recorded a 140.5 quarterback ranking, which ranked fifth in the conference.
Conversely, West Chester, a nine win squad which made it to the NCAA playoffs, suffered from subpar quarterback play this season. Golden Rams' quarterback Paul Dooley recorded a season of 128.7 quarterback rating, good for eighth in the conference.