The Pac-12 not only has the best lineup of quarterbacks in the country, it has the best lineup of quarterbacks that the so-called conference of quarterbacks has produced in many years.

I hit the books over the summer to find an appropriate comparison for the quartet of Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Luke Falk and Jake Browning, and it was not a quick process.

The 2010 class is the closest chronologically, with Andrew Luck, Matt Barkley, Jake Locker and Nick Foles — all four were mid-to-high round draft picks and had/have NFL careers.

The 2002 class wasn’t half bad, with Carson Palmer, Jason Gesser, Kyle Boller and Cody Pickett.

If I had to pick one, though, it would be the ’87 group — yes, that’s going way back — with Troy Aikman, Rodney Peete, Bill Musgrave, Timm Rosenbach and, Chris Chandler. (Chandler was a Pro Bowler, don’t forget.) Get Pac-12 Conference news in your inbox. Sign up for the Pac-12 Hotline newsletter.

I also thought it would be insightful to interview quarterback analysts about the Pac-12 top current passers.

Specifically, I asked for their QB-of-choice in each of three categories:

For one pass.

For one game.

For one career.

The responses weren’t entirely predictable.

Please note: The interviews were conducted prior to the season — although I don’t know that anything would have changed — and I limited the options to USC’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Washington State’s Luke Falk and Washington’s Jake Browning.

Oregon’s Justin Herbert is very talented, obviously, but he was also a slightly lesser-known commodity. (That was true of Stanford’s Keller Chryst, to an even greater extent.)

Bruce Feldman

Credentials: Reporter for Sports Illustrated and FOX, author of “The QB: The making of Modern Quarterbacks”

One pass: Falk

One game: Darnold

One career: Darnold

Comment: “Darnold is stronger, tougher to corral. He puts guys in positions to make plays. Falk is really smart. In that system, he’s asked to make a lot of throws on third-and-nine or fourth-and-six. Those are tough, and he makes them constantly. Rosen is the wild card. He’s the best pure passer.” Related Articles This Week in Pac-12 football: Ambush alert as Group of Five traps await

Ranking the top position groups

Ranking the quarterback comfort levels (post-training camp edition)

Daniel Jeremiah

Credentials: Starting quarterback for Appalachian State, former NFL scout, current analyst for NFL Network

One pass: Rosen

One game: Darnold

One career: Falk

Comment: “Rosen is the best pure thrower. Darnold finds a way to make plays when the game is on the line. For four years, I’d probably take Falk, because he’ll be there for four years, and he’s tremendously accurate. He’s not just a system guy. For an NFL career, I’d take Darnold, clearly, although it might be a little closer with Rosen than people might think.” (Jeremiah breaks down Rosen’s game in the video above.)

Joel Klatt

Credentials: Starting quarterback for Colorado, current analyst for FOX

One pass: Darnold

One game: Darnold

One career: Darnold

Comment: “The career would be close with Falk. He has an uncanny ability to execute tough throws into the intermediate spaces. That’s graduate-level quarterback play. For the college game, he’s got a great fastball. But I don’t know how that will work in the NFL. Most people undervalue Falk because of the system, but he’s doing more before the snap than most college quarterbacks. He understands structure. Rosen, I’d think about for one pass. He’s a superior talent. But the throws Darnold made in the Rose Bowl were the QB version of the SI swimsuit issue.”

Brady Quinn

Credentials: Starting quarterback for Notre Dame, seven-year NFL career, current analyst for FOX

One pass: Rosen

One game: Darnold

One career: Browning

Comment: “The way Darnold was able to make big plays in the clutch sets him apart. I’d take Browning for a career because by the time he’s done at Washington, he’ll have had a hell of a career.” For more Pac-12 coverage

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