Michigan State Football: Top 10 quarterbacks in school history

Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Connor Cook (18) looks to pass during the first quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference football championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

1. Connor Cook (2012-15)

Who would have though that Connor Cook, a former 2nd/3rd string quarterback, would be the best all-time quarterback in Michigan State history? Not me. Heck, three years ago when Andrew Maxwell started the 2013 season as the No. 1 guy, it seemed like quarterback play for the Spartans would go through a dark period.

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However, Cook rose to the occasion and is now 34-4 all-time as a starter for Michigan State. Besides being the winningest quarterback of all-time, he also leads the Spartans with 71 career touchdown passes and he is 148 yards away from being No. 1 in school history in terms of passing yards — he has 8,984 yards and Kirk Cousins finished with 9,131 yards.

Cook might be the most clutch quarterback in Michigan State history and the fact that he can protect the ball better than anyone in the Big Ten is also a plus. In fact, during his three years as a starter, Cook has thrown just 20 interceptions in 1,130 attempts. He doesn’t even touch the top-10 interception totals in school history despite having the second-most attempts.

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How much of a winner is he? Well, he’s had more success than any quarterback in school history, winning two Big Ten title games, a Rose Bowl, a Cotton Bowl and he now has a chance to lead Michigan State to a national title after the 2015 season as the Spartans are currently in the second-annual College Football Playoff.

Yeah, he’s deserving of this No. 1 ranking.