After winning the Heisman Trophy in 2003, Oklahoma quarterback Jason White came right back in 2004 and led the Sooners back to the national title game while earning first-team All-Big 12 honors for a second straight year.
In the years since, the Big 12 has featured some fabulous quarterbacks, including Vince Young, Zac Taylor, Chase Daniel, Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Brandon Weeden, Robert Griffin III and Collin Klein -- all of whom also earned first-team all-conference honors.
None of the above, however, managed to achieve the honor in back-to-back seasons -- a distinction Baylor's Bryce Petty has the opportunity to earn this fall.
Last season in his first as a starter, Petty delivered the fifth-highest Adjusted QBR rating in the country while quarterbacking the Bears to their first Big 12 title. As a result, he was also the overwhelming pick for first-team All-Big 12 honors.
Now a seasoned senior with plenty of firepower back to surround him, Petty will be the heavy favorite to repeat as the Big 12’s first-team quarterback. But the feat has eluded every quarterback since White in 2003-04. And this year, Petty could face more competition than he did for the honor last year.
Sophomores Davis Webb and Trevor Knight will be gunning for all-conference consideration after breaking out in their respective bowl games.
In the National University Holiday Bowl, Webb threw touchdown passes on Texas Tech’s first four drives, and quarterbacked the Red Raiders to a convincing 37-23 victory over Arizona State.
Knight was equally as impressive in leading the Sooners to a 45-31 win over Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Knight threw for four touchdowns and 403 yards, and, like Webb, was named the bowl MVP.
True, both young quarterbacks are working off a small sample size. Webb didn’t start until the sixth game of the season, and eventually lost the starting job back to fellow freshman Baker Mayfield. Webb didn’t regain his status as a starter until after Mayfield revealed he was transferring before the bowl.
Knight won Oklahoma’s starting job last preseason, but started and finished only three games the entire year.
Still, the potential they flashed in their bowl performances is undeniable. And if they consistently reach that level as sophomores, they could seriously threaten Petty’s reign as All-Big 12 quarterback.
The same goes for Kansas State's Jake Waters, should he build on his phenomenal finish to the 2013 season. In leading K-State to wins in six of its final seven games, Waters actually produced a higher Adjusted QBR rating than Petty during the same stretch. Waters was also tremendous in his bowl, completing 21 of 27 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns as the Wildcats blasted Michigan 31-14 in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
As for the rest of the league, Kansas is the only other school that has declared a starter (sophomore Montell Cozart). But it’s likely just a matter of time before Oklahoma State follows suit and anoints J.W. Walsh its starter.
Walsh struggled with his accuracy and decision-making last season, and eventually lost the starting job back to Clint Chelf in October. But with Chelf gone, Walsh reestablished himself during the spring, performing with the poise and precision he did two years ago when he led the Big 12 in Adjusted QBR as a redshirt freshman.
Now, in our weekly Big 12 poll, we put the question to you. Who has the best chance of stopping Petty from becoming the first repeat All-Big 12 quarterback in a decade? Is it Webb or Knight? Waters or Walsh? Let us know what you think.