CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Four => Big Ten => Topic started by: OrangeAfroMan on March 11, 2026, 07:02:54 AM
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There's a Mt Rushmore channel on my youtube popping up, covering all topics from country music singers to MLB pitchers, so I thought we could do positions for college football.
Starting with QB.
List 4 and only 4. No explanations, just the names. Your Mt. Rushmore of college football QBs from 1869-2025, however you choose to select them.
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VY, Tim Tebow, Cam, and Joey B.
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I think Vince Young and Tim Tebow are locks. The other two are tougher, but the quarterback position has also become far more important in the last 40 years, so most of the best are pretty recent. Trying to overcome that bias, what about Frazier? Brees? Staubach? Plunkett? Lujack? Pat Sullivan? You guys are tired of me mentioning John Elway. Dan Marino? More recently, RGIII and Cam Newton are candidates. Matt Leinert? Manziel? Mayfield? Lawrence? Luck? Winston? Mariota? Tagovailoa? An embarrassment of riches in the last 20 years.
I guess I didn't follow the rules, so...
Tim Tebow
Vince Young
Roger Staubach
Johnny Lujack
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This is obviously a variant of rankings. My notion in life is to celebrate the greats and not get all wound up about which are top four or top 20 or whatever.
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Man, the cradle of Quarterbacks has been in an off cycle for a while, but Purdue's top 4 rate pretty well. I would say:
Drew Brees
Bob Griese
Len Dawson
Kyle Orton
Stanford non-national-title-contending teams ain't bad at the position, either:
Plunkett
Elway
Luck
John Brodie
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Pat Sullivan, Auburn
Tommie Frazier, Nebraska
Tim Tebow, Florida
Joe Burrow, LSU
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Vince Young
Cam Newton
Joe Burrow
Tommie Frazier
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VY, Tim Tebow, Cam, and Joey B.
Hard for me to argue with this list.
(Even though I want Peyton on it in the worst way.)
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(Even though I want Peyton on it in the worst way.)
Wouldn't be a bad choice.
The best quarterbacks are all in the last 25 years, but if we're talking the Mount Rushmore, well, Teddy Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson deserve representation, too.
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Sammy Baugh
Roger Staubach
John Elway
Michael Vick
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cam, tebow, vy, & vick.
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I think Vince Young and Tim Tebow are locks. The other two are tougher, but the quarterback position has also become far more important in the last 40 years, so most of the best are pretty recent. Trying to overcome that bias, what about Frazier? Brees? Staubach? Plunkett? Lujack? Pat Sullivan? You guys are tired of me mentioning John Elway. Dan Marino? More recently, RGIII and Cam Newton are candidates. Matt Leinert? Manziel? Mayfield? Lawrence? Luck? Winston? Mariota? Tagovailoa? An embarrassment of riches in the last 20 years.
I guess I didn't follow the rules, so...
Tim Tebow
Vince Young
Roger Staubach
Johnny Lujack
Lotsa names listed up there, which is good.
I think to be on Mt. Rushmore, you need to have a trophy, and not the Hypesman.
So that absolutely disqualifies my homer submission, the Michael Vick before Michael Vick: Michael Bishop, who has been sent to the CFB Hall of Fame. He really started the era of the true dual threat QB, an accurate cannon and the wiggle/speed to kill on the run.
More non-champs: Pat Mahomes? Put that guy on a good team...
How about Bernie Kosar?
I'm too distracted to think much harder for now. Frickin job.
None of my submissions will make the rock, but just adding random thoughts.
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The "Mt Rushmore" is somewhat of a bastardized criteria. The four presidents that were selected weren't chosen as some sort of consensus Top Four. They were merely presidents that oversaw major shifts in the Nation.
I mean does anyone really rank Theodore Roosevelt in their Top Four?
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The "Mt Rushmore" is somewhat of a bastardized criteria. The four presidents that were selected weren't chosen as some sort of consensus Top Four. They were merely presidents that oversaw major shifts in the Nation.
I mean does anyone really rank Theodore Roosevelt in their Top Four?
He's a lock.
- Theodore Roosevelt (https://www.google.com/search?q=Theodore+Roosevelt&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS1055US1055&oq=who+started+natioanl+park+system&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQABgNGIAEMggIAhAAGBYYHjIICAMQABgWGB4yCAgEEAAYFhgeMggIBRAAGBYYHjIICAYQABgWGB4yCAgHEAAYFhgeMggICBAAGBYYHjIICAkQABgWGB7SAQoxMjA0N2owajE1qAIIsAIB8QUrkwllyLZCzQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&ved=2ahUKEwimjsz67JiTAxXSl4kEHTwdEmMQgK4QegYIAQgAEAs) (1901–1909): Known as the "conservation president," he used the 1906 Antiquities Act to create 18 national monuments, 5 national parks, and 51 bird sanctuaries
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Yeah, Teddy consistently gets pretty solid reviews. Leaving anyone in the last 45 years out of it because there's just too much politicking to discuss here, there are a lot of Craig Krenzels, Tony Rices, and Buck Belues on the Presidential rolls. To be fair, Jefferson rates pretty high, too, although it is often for his non-Presidential role--so maybe that's how you get Peyton, who was certainly good in college, but was outstanding in the League.
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He's a lock.
- Theodore Roosevelt (https://www.google.com/search?q=Theodore+Roosevelt&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS1055US1055&oq=who+started+natioanl+park+system&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQABgNGIAEMggIAhAAGBYYHjIICAMQABgWGB4yCAgEEAAYFhgeMggIBRAAGBYYHjIICAYQABgWGB4yCAgHEAAYFhgeMggICBAAGBYYHjIICAkQABgWGB7SAQoxMjA0N2owajE1qAIIsAIB8QUrkwllyLZCzQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&ved=2ahUKEwimjsz67JiTAxXSl4kEHTwdEmMQgK4QegYIAQgAEAs) (1901–1909): Known as the "conservation president," he used the 1906 Antiquities Act to create 18 national monuments, 5 national parks, and 51 bird sanctuaries
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Well now you know why he was selected for a presidential National Memorial, but the fact that you had to look up what he did sort of proves the point.
Ironically the monument flies in the face of his conversationalist agenda, as Mt Rushmore is projected to outlast anything else humanity has ever constructed, after our extinction.
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Well now you know why he was selected for a presidential National Memorial, but the fact that you had to look up what he did sort of proves the point.
Ironically the monument flies in the face of his conversationalist agenda, as Mt Rushmore is projected to outlast anything else humanity has ever constructed, after our extinction.
I didn’t “have to look it up”.
I did that for your benefit, assuming you didn’t know that he is basically the father of the National Park system and the most conservationist POTUS to ever serve.
Mt. Rushmore seems as conservationist as they come, I’d think. As you say, it’ll be there forever.
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Nevertheless, for this exercise Stone Mountain would be a better analogy; albeit limiting it to a top three instead of a top four.
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The "Mt Rushmore" is somewhat of a bastardized criteria. The four presidents that were selected weren't chosen as some sort of consensus Top Four. They were merely presidents that oversaw major shifts in the Nation.
I mean does anyone really rank Theodore Roosevelt in their Top Four?
That's my thoughts on the picks. It shouldn't just be the best QBs we've seen recently, but the ones who changed how the game was played.
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There are folks who think Rushmore is a travesty. It's a bit similar to the carving on Stone Mountain (both started by the same dude). Some folks want the carving to be sand blasted off. There currently is a state law preventing that.
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VY
TTebow
Jeaux Bureaux
Mahomey or Johnny Football neither had much to work with
all of them after 2000,hard to compare across generation
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It would be perhaps interesting to do this by decade, I've relearned the 1940s top QBs didn't pass much ... ha.
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The "Mt Rushmore" is somewhat of a bastardized criteria. The four presidents that were selected weren't chosen as some sort of consensus Top Four. They were merely presidents that oversaw major shifts in the Nation.
I mean does anyone really rank Theodore Roosevelt in their Top Four?
Without a doubt. So many accomplishments.
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That's my thoughts on the picks. It shouldn't just be the best QBs we've seen recently, but the ones who changed how the game was played.
I give you Jim McMahon.
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The two most exalted Presidents, in general, of course are Washington and Lincoln. From there I think it gets more murky and one could argue for several more candidates, Jefferson would come to mind for me, then one could consider FDR as having had enormous influence over life today.
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If Mount Rushmore were carved today, I'd say there would likely by 6 guys and not 4.
Probably add another Roosevelt and for sure add Ronald Reagan. JFK just didn't have enough time to make it 7.
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We are excited about the return of the fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore National Memorial on Friday, July 3, 2026. The State of South Dakota is partnering with the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service on this signature America 250 event.
As it was in 2020, the July 3rd event is a ticketed event. The public ticket lottery, hosted by Recreation.gov, will be live and accepting applicants from April 8-12, 2026. Lottery details, application information and FAQs will be available on the National Park Service website.
A few of the specifics:
The ticket lottery will open at 8 a.m. MT on April 8.
There is a $1 non-refundable lottery application fee.
Each applicant may apply for up to four (4) tickets.
Lottery results will be announced on April 14.
Only lottery ticket winners will be admitted to the park and to the event on July 3rd. Tickets are non-transferable. The park will close to the general public on the evening of July 2nd and remain closed on July 3rd.
It will be important to note to visitors: Mount Rushmore National Memorial will resume regular hours on July 4th with Independence Day programming open to all visitors.
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*Timeout*
I was fretting seeing Staubach up and down this thread, but instead, Mahomes has been mentioned multiple times.
Could someone kindly tell me what he did IN COLLEGE that Graham Harrell, Kliff Kingsbury, Seth Doege, BJ Symons, and Sonny Cumbie didn't do?
I really, really don't mean to criticize, but c'mon guys. You've GOT to be able to separate what a guy did in college vs what he did in the NFL. No, Montana, Brady, Favre, Mahomes, etc were not special in college.
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Which QBs were so-so in college and then lit it up in the pros? Tarkenton comes to mind, but I don't know much about Tittle, Stauback mentioned above, Starr was solid in college even though his numbers by today's metrics are mundane. I'm thinking back then NFL teams would get some QB and keep him for a decade or more and maybe he was so so in college. I'm trying to think of the other guy, went to Lousiana something something. Geesh, Bradshaw, I had to search for it.
How many top QBs in the NFL were spectacular in college? Stafford was pretty good in college, you could see the raw talent.
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*Timeout*
I was fretting seeing Staubach up and down this thread, but instead, Mahomes has been mentioned multiple times.
Could someone kindly tell me what he did IN COLLEGE that Graham Harrell, Kliff Kingsbury, Seth Doege, BJ Symons, and Sonny Cumbie didn't do?
I think that's exactly why he wasn't picked until #10 in his draft. "System" Qb as perceived. Lucky for me, being a Chiefs fan since 1981.
I did say you need to have the MNC to be considered for Mt. Rushmore. Which actually doesn't mean you were the best. Lots of great talent played on crap teams and became superstars in the No Fun League, especially at that position.
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*Timeout*
I was fretting seeing Staubach up and down this thread, but instead, Mahomes has been mentioned multiple times.
What's wrong with Staubach?
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How about a QB who won two NCs?
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I wholeheartedly disagree with the notion that an MNC makes for a top-tier college quarterback. It is a team sport, and guys like Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Andrew Luck did a lot more at their position in college than Craig Krenzel and the like ever did. Were Cal, Purdue, or Stanford ever legitimate MNC contenders? Of course not--it's a team sport, and they didn't have the teams. But those three guys made those teams click because they were that good. There's a reason that they were high draft picks and Heisman candidates, despite not playing for the right teams to get them the trophy. That's more an indictment of the Hypseman than the players who didn't win one. Cal went 11-1. Cal. They haven't been to a Rose Bowl since 1959--and didn't go Rodgers' last year because Texas went instead, which, itself is a bit of controversy. Brees took Purdue to the Rose Bowl. First time in over 30 years. Luck took Stanford to the Orange Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl. I would take those three, based on their body of work in college, over most college quarterbacks who have won national titles. And...none of them made my Mt. Rushmore.
Staubach did enough playing for Navy in the waning years of academy football relevance to get it to #2 and a shot at #1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl. There's a reason he won the Heisman. Do his stats measure up to modern standards? Not close. Is there a reason he was considered the best player in college football in 1963? Yes there is. Was he a "system" quarterback who was just the most recognizable player on an otherwise good team? His years in the NFL suggest not. But his performance in college won him the Heisman and won Navy a whole bunch of football games. Good enough for me.
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I don't want to get into it about Staubach.
As for NC winners vs not NC winners, it's up to the person/poster. Neither of you is right or wrong, it's just your opinion. So volunteer your 4 names however you wish.
Going forward, for all of these Mt Rushmore threads, just please assume the player died in a tragic accident the day after their last college game.
Thank you.
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I don't want to get into it about Staubach.
As for NC winners vs not NC winners, it's up to the person/poster. Neither of you is right or wrong, it's just your opinion. So volunteer your 4 names however you wish.
Going forward, for all of these Mt Rushmore threads, just please assume the player died in a tragic accident the day after their last college game.
Thank you.
Oh I was just curious. I'm no student of history, but I feel strongly that a Mount Rushmore type of assembly means getting players from different eras of football. Staubach stood out to me for being the best of his day, but it's not like I did a deep dive into the matter.
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I wholeheartedly disagree with the notion that an MNC makes for a top-tier college quarterback. It is a team sport, and guys like Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Andrew Luck did a lot more at their position in college than Craig Krenzel and the like ever did.
Watch yourself,Buster. Craig seemingly had the bizarre ability to drive the stake in on absolutely the last play possible. His performance usually tormently yeoman like - just enough to believe certain defeat was inevitable yet yank the rug out at the end.Almost like Columbo would QB a team, how any Buckeye fan had a liver left after that season is beyond me
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I don't want to get into it about Staubach.
As for NC winners vs not NC winners, it's up to the person/poster. Neither of you is right or wrong, it's just your opinion. So volunteer your 4 names however you wish.
Going forward, for all of these Mt Rushmore threads, just please assume the player died in a tragic accident the day after their last college game.
Thank you.
Honors & Awards
Member of Two Nebraska National Championship Teams (1994, 1995)
University of Nebraska Graduate (December, 1995)
Phillips 66 Academic All-Big Eight (1995)
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Nominee (1995)
Second-Team All-Big Eight (AP, 1994)
Honorable-Mention All-Big Eight (Coaches, 1994)
ABC/Chevrolet Nebraska Player-of-the-Game (Oklahoma, 1994)
Four-Time Big Eight Offensive Player-of-the-Week Nominee (1994)
7-0 Record as NU's Starting Quarterback (1994)
Career
Brook Berringer led the Huskers to the national title game in 1994 with a 7-0 record as a starter. Berringer was called to action when Tommie Frazier went out with blood clots. Berringer was instrumental in the Huskers' 24-17 win over Miami for the 1994 national title in the Orange Bowl, hitting tight end Mark Gilman for a 19-yard touchdown to bring NU within 10-7. Berringer served as Frazier's backup in 1995 as well in the Huskers' run for their second title. With good size, speed and arm strength, he was sure to be picked in the 1996 NFL Draft on April 20-21, but was killed in a plane crash on April 18. In his career, Berringer passed for 1,769 yards, rushed for 396 and scored 20 touchdowns.
1995 (Senior)
Berringer spent majority of his senior season on the sideline after narrowly losing the starting job to a returning Frazier. Berringer selflessly accepted his backup role, appearing in nine games, completing 26-of-51 passes for 252 yards, as the Huskers rolled to a second straight national title.
1994 (Junior)
Berringer was 94-of-151 passing in 1994 for 1,295 yards. He owned a 62.3 completion percentage with 10 TDs and five interceptions. With his 1,000 passing yards, Berringer joined 18 other Huskers who had accomplished that feat before him (since 1946). His pass efficiency rating stood at 149.5, which led the Big Eight and would have ranked seventh nationally (did not qualify for NCAA rankings which required at least 15 attempts per game).
Although he started just seven games, Berringer ranked second in the Big Eight to KSU's Chad May in touchdown passes with 10 on the season. His 62.3 completion percentage (.630 in 1993) was the best for a Husker starter on a season since Craig Sundberg completed 53-of-84 in 1984 (.631). Berringer passed for over 100 yards in seven games, including the last five. He rushed 71 times for 279 yards and six touchdowns (3.9 yards per carry, 23.3 yards per game) and was sacked just five times. Berringer started 99 drives and led NU to a score on 40 of them (35 TDs) for a 41.4 efficiency rating. He was 26-of-32 (.813) on drives in the red zone. He earned second-team All-Big Eight honors from the Associated Press and honorable-mention by the coaches.
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Which QBs were so-so in college and then lit it up in the pros? Tarkenton comes to mind,
twice first-team All-SEC,
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Yeah, he was that, but in an era as noted when QB statistics often were ... unimpressive, by standards of today. He likely was the best SEC QB among a legion of mediocre alternatives. It's just interesting to me. Some of these lesser known dudes then lit up the NFL after a rather prosaic college career.
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I understand, just pointing out that he was better than so-so
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Yeah, he wasn't "so-so", my terminology is inept, as usual. I might have said instead "one with rather mediocre looking stats".... then they become HoFers in the League.
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It's a team sport. I'm baffled at how often that gets ignored. (Not by you guys, of course!)
OAM, I fully understand your rules, but I would point out that Jefferson himself thought his presidency was a failure. The Louisiana Purchase turned out to be brilliant, but in 1809 that wasn't obvious. So is Rushmore like the Heisman for greatest Americans, but most voters believed if you hadn't been President, you didn't qualify? TR only won one presidential election. Maybe the presidency was Jefferson's NFL career? But Lincoln's greatest achievements came during his presidency...
:)
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It's a team sport. I'm baffled at how often that gets ignored. (Not by you guys, of course!)
This is true of course, though we also know the QB position is often make or break for the team.
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More so now than ever before.
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It's a team sport. I'm baffled at how often that gets ignored. (Not by you guys, of course!)
OAM, I fully understand your rules, but I would point out that Jefferson himself thought his presidency was a failure. The Louisiana Purchase turned out to be brilliant, but in 1809 that wasn't obvious. So is Rushmore like the Heisman for greatest Americans, but most voters believed if you hadn't been President, you didn't qualify? TR only won one presidential election. Maybe the presidency was Jefferson's NFL career? But Lincoln's greatest achievements came during his presidency...
:)
Lincoln is obviously a Michael Vick figure, gaining notoriety through speeches/highlights and ultimately coming up short for a senate seat/NC....yet winning in the end: president/#1 overall draft pick.
It's funny you post this, as the most recent youtube video of the channel inspiring this is the Mt Rushmore of non-president Americans...Franklin, King, etc.