[DC 86]

Yes, with 2 or 3 games under one's belt, there is only so much one can extrapolate.  Still, Browning leads the country in pass efficiency, and UW is hardly the only team to have scheduled 3 cupcakes at home.

BC

Of the teams in the AP top 25 there are 5 others that have played three home games, but these have either included a ranked opponent or at least an all-FBS schedule. Michigan and Florida come closest to UW in terms of opponent weakness, but UW's schedule is the exception since the playoff committee criteria has motivated teams to schedule more aggressively; even the SEC has taken heart.

But getting back to Browning:

He is a good quarterback, very good considering that this is his true sophomore year.
The fact that he leads the nation in pass efficiency is basically meaningless considering the opposition.
Consider his performance last year, broken down into two tiers of six opponents each, divided according to Jeff Sagarin's final rankings.

Lower Tier (vs FCS Sacramento State, vs 74 Utah State, vs 55 Arizona, at 106 Oregon State, vs 43 Washington State, Bowl vs 70 Southern Miss) - cumulative statistics of 110-153 (72%), 13 TD and 2 interceptions.

Upper Tier (at 38 Boise State, vs 32 Cal, at 14 USC, vs 20 Oregon, vs 24 Utah, at 41 Arizona State) - cumulative statistics of 123-215 (57%), 3 TD and 8 interceptions.

He was injured and didn't play against Stanford, which would have been his toughest opponent according to the rankings.

So Browning has already proven that he can rack up big numbers against weaker teams; his performance against stronger teams certainly doesn't indicate that he is among the most efficient QB in the country or that we should overlook Rosen while preparing to face a superstar in two weeks.

Of course it's true for all quarterbacks that they will pump up their statistics against weaker opponents and struggle (relatively) against stronger opponents, and that venue plays a big role. See Jared Goff last year for another obvious example. My point is not to denigrate Browning, but rather to state that his performance against Rutgers/Idaho/Portland State is entirely consistent with his performance last year, not noteworthy in and of itself, and certainly not indicative of how he should be projected to perform against stronger opposition.

[DC 86]

Yes, with 2 or 3 games under one's belt, there is only so much one can extrapolate.  Still, Browning leads the country in pass efficiency, and UW is hardly the only team to have scheduled 3 cupcakes at home.

BC

Of the teams in the AP top 25 there are 5 others that have played three home games, but these have either included a ranked opponent or at least an all-FBS schedule. Michigan and Florida come closest to UW in terms of opponent weakness, but UW's schedule is the exception since the playoff committee criteria has motivated teams to schedule more aggressively; even the SEC has taken heart.

But getting back to Browning:

He is a good quarterback, very good considering that this is his true sophomore year.
The fact that he leads the nation in pass efficiency is basically meaningless considering the opposition.
Consider his performance last year, broken down into two tiers of six opponents each, divided according to Jeff Sagarin's final rankings.

Lower Tier (vs FCS Sacramento State, vs 74 Utah State, vs 55 Arizona, at 106 Oregon State, vs 43 Washington State, Bowl vs 70 Southern Miss) - cumulative statistics of 110-153 (72%), 13 TD and 2 interceptions.

Upper Tier (at 38 Boise State, vs 32 Cal, at 14 USC, vs 20 Oregon, vs 24 Utah, at 41 Arizona State) - cumulative statistics of 123-215 (57%), 3 TD and 8 interceptions.

He was injured and didn't play against Stanford, which would have been his toughest opponent according to the rankings.

So Browning has already proven that he can rack up big numbers against weaker teams; his performance against stronger teams certainly doesn't indicate that he is among the most efficient QB in the country or that we should overlook Rosen while preparing to face a superstar in two weeks.

Of course it's true for all quarterbacks that they will pump up their statistics against weaker opponents and struggle (relatively) against stronger opponents, and that venue plays a big role. See Jared Goff last year for another obvious example. My point is not to denigrate Browning, but rather to state that his performance against Rutgers/Idaho/Portland State is entirely consistent with his performance last year, not noteworthy in and of itself, and certainly not indicative of how he should be projected to perform against stronger opposition.