Where Does Josh Hoover Rank Among Quarterbacks In The Big Ten?

When discussing the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten, names like Ohio State's Julian Sayin, USC's Jayden Maiava, Washington's Demond Williams Jr., and even Minnesota's Drake Lindsey are likely to come up. All of them have put together impressive statistical seasons, but Indiana's Josh Hoover deserves to be firmly in that conversation as well.

In fact, when you look beyond total passing yards and examine efficiency, touchdown production and ball security, there's a legitimate argument that Hoover is at or near the top of all quarterbacks in the entire conference.

Through eight games, Hoover has completed 116 of his 187 passing attempts (62.0 percent) for 1,741 yards, 18 touchdowns and just one interception. His 170.93 passer rating ranks third among Big Ten quarterbacks, trailing only Sayin (184.53) and Northwestern's Aidan Chiles (177.09).

That's pretty impressive company.

What really separates Hoover from most of his conference counterparts is his ability to produce touchdowns without turning the football over. His 18 touchdown passes are tied for second in the Big Ten, trailing only Sayin and Maiava, who each have 19. However, Hoover has thrown just one interception compared to four for Sayin and five for Maiava.

That gives Hoover an incredible 18-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, easily the most impressive marks in the conference.

There's also something to be said about his efficiency. Hoover is averaging 9.3 yards per passing attempt, which ranks fourth among the conference's primary starting quarterbacks. Only Sayin (10.5), Chiles (9.9) and a handful of others are producing comparable numbers through the air.

Interestingly enough, Hoover ranks just 10th in the conference in passing yards per game at 217.6. However, that number doesn't necessarily reflect his overall effectiveness. Indiana hasn't needed Hoover to throw the football 35 or 40 times every Saturday, particularly with the Hoosiers' ability to run the ball and play outstanding defense.

Hoover is averaging just 23.4 passing attempts per game, considerably fewer than Maiava (34.3), Purdue's Ryan Browne (31.6) and Maryland's Malik Washington (37.3).

And yet, he's producing touchdowns at nearly the same rate as the conference's most prolific passers.

There's certainly room for improvement. His completion percentage ranks toward the middle of the conference, and his recent performance against Michigan demonstrated that even experienced quarterbacks can struggle against quality defenses.

Still, the overall body of work speaks for itself.

Sayin probably deserves the top spot in the Big Ten quarterback conversation right now, but he may just be done for the season with a shoulder injury. With that said, Hoover has a legitimate argument to be among the next one or two names mentioned.

When you combine touchdown production, efficiency and taking care of the football, Josh Hoover isn't just one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten. He's making a compelling case to be one of its most valuable.