Odds on Coan vs Mertz Battle for Wisconsin Starting QB Spot Have Both at -120

• Alex Hornibrook’s departure opens the door for a new starting quarterback in Wisconsin in 2019
• Jack Coan and Graham Mertz have identical odds to be the Badgers starting QB in Week 1
• Which quarterback should be the favorite?

The Badgers have an open starting quarterback position entering the 2019 season after three-year starter Alex Hornibrook transferred to Florida State, where he’s likely to backup James Blackman.

Wisconsin struggled at the quarterback position in 2018 and needs someone to step into the starting role. Returning junior Jack Coan and highly-rated freshman Graham Mertz have identical odds to land the Badgers’ starting QB role in 2019, which starts with a tricky test against AAC contenders South Florida on Aug. 30th.

Badgers 2019 Starting QB Odds

Odds taken 07/31/19.

For a little context on the team, the Badgers enter August with +1500 odds to win the Big Ten (which is fifth-best in the conference) and +6800 odds to win CFP National Championship.

Coan Has More Experience Than Mertz

Coan gave up a redshirt season last year to start four games for the Badgers while Hornibrook was out with a head injury. Coan completed 60.2 percent of his passes for 515 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions in five games in 2018.

Coan should be the favorite to start over Mertz because he has more experience. While he wasn’t a major standout last year, he had a couple really strong outings. Coan completed 16-of-24 passes for 160 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in a triple-overtime win at Purdue, and was responsible for two touchdowns in the Badgers’ Pinstripe Bowl win over Miami.

Mertz is the quarterback of the future for Wisconsin

Yet, while Coan may be the safer bet to start in 2019, Mertz – a much-hyped recruit – certainly has the higher ceiling. 

Mertz threw 96 touchdown passes in his final two high-school seasons and was an Elite 11 finalist. He won Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Kansas and MVP honors at the All-American Bowl in January. He’s the highest-rated QB commit in Badgers’ history, according to the 247Sports Composite.

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A post shared by Graham Mertz (@graham_mertz5) on Jun 29, 2019 at 4:00pm PDT

Even after committing to Wisconsin in 2017 prior to his senior season, Mertz later received offers from Michigan,  Ohio State, Clemson, and Alabama (among others). 

The Badgers are likely going to ease Mertz in instead of throwing him into the fire. Even if Coan gets the Week 1 start, Mertz could very well take over the gig pretty quickly. But when it comes to who gets that first start, Mertz’s lack of experience puts him a tier below Coan entering the season.

Verdict

Coan appears to have the slight edge to start given his experience advantage, having started four games for an injured Hornibrook last season.

There’s no denying Mertz is going to be a special player for Wisconsin.  He’s a developing quarterback, however, and there will be an adjustment period as he adapts to the collegiate level.

Mertz has all the makings of a starting quarterback for the Badgers, but there won’t be a rush to get him into action. Coan’s prior starting experience should make him slightly favored over Mertz to be the Week 1 starting QB for Wisconsin.

Pick: Jack Coan (-120)