J.T. Barrett and Trace McSorley are the two quarterbacks from the B1G that everyone has been talking about this offseason. They’re the two biggest playmakers playing for arguably the two best teams in the conference.

It’s not hard to see why those two QBs are getting most of the attention.

But are Barrett and McSorley really the two best quarterbacks in the B1G? Former Alabama gunslinger and current ESPN analyst Greg McElroy doesn’t believe so. He’s got an underdog candidate in the running.

McElroy went with Northwestern’s Clayton Thorson. And he gave a pretty good reason for his selection.

Thorson did show enormous improvement from his freshman season to his sophomore campaign. Last year, he threw for 3,182 yards and 22 touchdowns while completing nearly 59 percent of his passes. As a freshman, Thorson had just 1,522 yards and seven touchdowns with a  completion rate just above 50 percent.

He threw nine interceptions in each of the last two seasons.

McElroy points to Thorson’s size, athleticism and accuracy as a passer. The Northwestern quarterback has certainly demonstrated he’s capable of being a high-level passer in the B1G.

If Thorson continues to improve as he did from Year 1 to Year 2, he easily could be the top gunslinger in the conference.