Big Ten Football Preview: Quarterback Rankings
14. Rutgers Scarlet Knight: Chris Laviano, Redshirt sophomore
Nov 1, 2014; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Chris Laviano (5) throws a pass against the Wisconsin Badgers during the forth quarter at High Points Solutions Stadium. Wisconsin Badgers defeat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 37-0. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
When the Rutgers football program released their spring practice depth chart, they listed Laviano, redshirt sophomore Hayden Rettig, and redshirt freshman Giovanni Rescigno at the co-starters to open camp. However, it should be noted that Laviano is the favorite to be the starter come Week 1, having been Gary Nova’s backup last season.
Laviano played in five games last season. He completed 11 passes for 107 yards. He did not throw any touchdowns, but did throw an interception. It’ll likely be a long season for Laviano, but it will help that star receiver Leonte Carroo is returning for his senior season.
13. Purdue Boilermakers: Austin Appleby, Junior
The starting quarterback spot at Purdue is still up for grabs at this point, but expect Appleby to be under center when the Boilermakers start the season. Appleby took over the reigns as the signal-caller after Danny Etling was benched due to his inconsistent play. Let’s remember, this is Purdue we’re talking about, so Appleby struggled as well. In 10 games, he completed 52.9 percent of his passes and totaled 1,449 yards and 10 touchdowns, but he also threw 11 interceptions.
12. Northwestern Wildcats: Zack Oliver, Redshirt senior; Matt Alviti, Redshirt sophomore
Trevor Siemian is now gone, so the starting quarterback spot is up for the taking right now. The two top contenders at the moment are Oliver and Alviti. Alviti obviously has not played very much, so Oliver is definitely the favorite to win the job simply based off of his experience. Oliver started for the Wildcats in their final game and he completed 23 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown, but he had three interceptions. Expect a long year for Northwestern as well.