A 33-3 touchdown-interception ratio in your first season as a starter is a pretty good announcement you're one of the best in college football. While his arm gets the attention, Petty's athleticism gets overlooked both in terms of his speed and ability to elude defenders on designed runs. He can hit just about every spot on the field given his accuracy but really forces defenses to adjust quickly after the snap given the quickness of his release. Petty has looked great in various competitions over the summer and is primed to rise even higher on this list with a talented supporting cast around him.
Pulling back the curtain on the vote
There's been a lot of discussion about whether Petty is a product of the Baylor offensive system. That seemed to come across in our voting. He was ranked as high as fourth by one panelist (three panelists placed him in their top 10), but one had him near the back end of his top 20, and two failed to rank him at all.
What some of our analysts are saying about Petty
"Talented quarterback who spearheads the nation's most explosive offense."Â - Bucky Brooks
"He produced some terrific numbers in 2013 and never really got his due."Â - Charles Davis
"He's looked great over the summer and is primed to rise even higher on this list."Â - Bryan Fischer
"After a 4,200-yard season and a 32-3 TD-INT ratio, Petty can't help but be one of the most valuable players in the college game."Â - Chase Goodbread
"Yes, the Baylor offense is extremely QB-friendly, but Petty makes the Bears' offensive machine hum along. He has a gunslinger mentality, and those are fun QBs to watch."Â - Mike Huguenin
Where do fans rank Petty?
We asked Twitter and Facebook users who they considered the best player in college football. Petty garnered 2 percent of the more than 19,000 votes cast, and he finished 11th among the 14 players to receive votes. Not bad, considering the higher profile quarterbacks out there and the fact he plays at Baylor.
