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Don’t be glued to the numbers.

That’s what I’ve tried to tell myself when compiling these rankings every week of the 2017 season. If I was, I’d simply rank SEC quarterbacks based on touchdown passes and passing yards. My job would be pretty easy.

Instead, I try and take all things into consideration. I value numbers, but I also value how a quarterback performs when the game is on the line. After all, these rankings are based on which guy I’d want leading my team to victory to play a game tomorrow. Period.

That’s why I haven’t been so high on Drew Lock yet. Everyone knows that the Missouri quarterback racked up plenty of big-time numbers against non-SEC foes but struggled against better competition. Call me crazy, but I’m changing my tune on Lock. And no, it isn’t just about lighting up UConn.

Take Lock’s example into account with these Week 11 SEC Quarterback Rankings.

14. Jarrett Guarantano, Tennessee

Guarantano got banged up against Southern Miss, but he didn’t exactly set the world on fire when he was healthy. He has still yet to throw a touchdown pass against a Power 5 team. Without the return of John Kelly, the Vols might’ve been in even worse shape than they were on Saturday. If Guarantano stays healthy, he’ll get two favorable matchups (Missouri, Vanderbilt) in the final three weeks of the Butch Jones era. I mean, of Tennessee’s season.

13. Feleipe Zaire, Florida

Ah, the return of Feleipe Zaire! How do you think Feleipe Franks would feel if he knew I meshed his name with Zaire’s? Based on his “I’m the better quarterback” comment, Franks wouldn’t be too happy. Neither really showed that they were the better anything Saturday against a woeful Missouri defense. Instead, both again showed why the Florida offense has been such a disaster in 2017. There’s nothing to see in Gainesville, especially not at the quarterback position.

12. Nick Starkel, Texas A&M

With Starkel finally healthy, he took over the job that was once his. Credit Starkel for at least giving the offense life after Kellen Mond struggled to do anything in the passing game. That wasn’t an easy situation to walk into, and Starkel handled it well.

Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Sumlin hinted that he’ll be the guy down the stretch. The question is if Starkel can lead A&M to three consecutive victories to possibly save his coach’s job. That’s a tall ask.

11. Cole Kelley, Arkansas

Nobody said Kelley was a star, but nobody thought he’d need to lead the Hogs on a late rally to beat 1-7 Coastal Carolina, either. My goodness. The Arkansas defense was awful, and the offense wasn’t much better until late. Kelley did score the game-winning touchdown on a keeper, which capped the day off in better fashion than it began.

10. Jordan Ta’amu, Ole Miss

So apparently the Ole Miss offense can still do some things without Shea Patterson. Ta’amu and D.K. Metcalf were on point all game — especially on the game-winning touchdown pass — and the Rebels pulled off their most impressive win to date. After collapsing down the stretch against Arkansas, Ta’amu stepped up on the final drive. Who knows what Ta’amu’s future holds as Ole Miss’ signal-caller, but the junior has a big-time opportunity to go off in these final three games of 2017.

9. Stephen Johnson, Kentucky

Johnson got one-upped in winning time by Ta’amu, but that was more on the Kentucky defense. Johnson still led the Cats to a decent offensive day, one in which Benny Snell shined against Ole Miss’ disastrous run defense. One more defensive stop and we’re talking about Johnson being in prime position to lead the Wildcats to their first winning season in SEC play in 40 years. Still, Wildcats fans can’t be disappointed in the job that Johnson has done this year.

8. Danny Etling, LSU

Well, Matt Canada didn’t have the secret recipe to upset Alabama. Give the Tigers credit for trying to test the Alabama secondary. The problem was, Etling couldn’t stretch the field in the way LSU needed to have a chance. Until the Tigers get a quarterback who can truly take the top off a defense, that isn’t changing. Etling is still going to put the Tigers in position to win more games down the stretch, but he’s just not going to be the guy to light up the scoreboard against that good of a defense. Not many humans are.

7. Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt

Hey! Shurmur got to play with a lead! And Vanderbilt had balance! Why am I using so many exclamation points?! Well, Shurmur has been put in some difficult spots the past six games. But against Western Kentucky, Shurmur and the Commodore offense did what it was supposed to do.

Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Shurmur’s 20-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio is impressive, but half of those scores came in non-conference play and all three of those interceptions were against SEC foes. On the bright side, Shurmur has three prime opportunities to pick up SEC victories to end the season.

6. Jake Bentley, South Carolina

I know. Dropping Bentley a few spots for not having a great game against Georgia seems silly, especially when he didn’t have his best weapon in Deebo Samuel. But Bentley’s Year 2 has not gone exactly as well as many hoped. He struggles throwing the deep ball with any consistency, he still takes too many sacks and the offense doesn’t seem to have that high gear. Bentley will be higher on this list down the road, but for now, it’s hard to consider him an elite SEC quarterback.

5. Jarrett Stidham, Auburn

Early on, it looked like Stidham could be in for a long afternoon in College Station. Instead, he and the Tigers adjusted and cruised to one of their more impressive wins of the season. Stidham’s deep ball has gotten considerably better. Either that or Gus Malzahn has figured out that the big-armed quarterback is pretty good at pushing the ball downfield. Either way, Stidham and the Tigers will need to take plenty of shots against that dominant Georgia defense.

4. Jake Fromm, Georgia

So who says Fromm can’t throw now? The freshman signal-caller delivered the best non-Missouri performance of his young career against an improved South Carolina defense. With the Gamecocks daring Fromm to beat them, he did just that. It might not have been Georgia’s best all-around effort of 2017, but Fromm still did more than enough to make sure the game was never in doubt, including…blocking?

3. Drew Lock, Missouri

It’s time. After weeks and weeks of slighting Lock’s statistical achievements because they didn’t come against SEC defenses, I believe it’s time to give the the Missouri quarterback some perhaps overdue credit. Against a Florida defense that’s been somewhat competent, Lock threw for 228 yards and four touchdown passes while completing 75 percent of his throws. In his past four SEC games — against Auburn, Kentucky, Georgia and Florida — Lock threw for 12 touchdown passes and just three interceptions. It took me awhile, but I’m finally coming around to the hype.

2. Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State

Well, that wasn’t how that was supposed to go. UMass, the unofficial 15th SEC team, put a scare in the Bulldogs. Instead of a laugher before the Alabama game, Fitzgerald and the MSU offense had to grind out a hard-fought win against the Minutemen. Once again, it was Fitzgerald’s legs that shined brightest. Since the bye week, Fitzgerald has rushed for 100-plus yards in all four games (115 average) and the Bulldogs averaged 37.3 points per game. We’ll see if that continues against Alabama.

1. Jalen Hurts, Alabama

Another SEC game, another game in which Hurts and the Tide never lost control. Alabama’s running game wasn’t its usual dominant self, but Hurts still did plenty to lead the offensive attack against a red-hot LSU squad. The sophomore threw for 184 yards and a score, and he led Alabama with 44 rushing yards and a touchdown.

That was actually the fourth time this year that Hurts led the team in rushing. Hurts’ accuracy was atypically off, but that was also a credit to an improving LSU secondary. Still, he didn’t turn the ball over. Again. Few college quarterbacks, maybe ever, protect the ball as well as Hurts. That’s becoming more evident with each Alabama win.