After his team’s 27-13 loss to Rutgers at the 2011 Pinstripe Bowl, ISU coach Paul Rhoads joked that he wanted to create a quarterback controversy heading into spring ball.

With only weeks until the ISU football team’s spring football practices start, however, Rhoads’ jest is, in fact, anything but that. The question regarding who will be starting under center this spring and, more importantly, this fall heavily persists in the minds of ISU fans.

The reason for this is most likely the split playing time seen at the Pinstripe Bowl for Jared Barnett and Steele Jantz, both of whom combined to go 17-of-38 in pass completions and 220 passing yards and no touchdowns.

Jantz, who was put into the game for Barnett in the second drive of the second quarter, threw two interceptions in that game to drive his season total to 11 — the most by an ISU quarterback since Austen Arnaud threw 13 in 2009.

Jantz was 3-4 as the starter through the first seven games of the season, which included the 3-0 non-conference start — the team’s first undefeated non-conference campaign since 2005.

Barnett saw action in two of those losses in which Jantz started, priming him for a 3-0 start that included the biggest win in team history — the 37-31 double-overtime thriller against then-No. 2 Oklahoma State.

However, Barnett dropped three straight since then, including the Pinstripe Bowl loss in which he only saw action in the first quarter and first series of the second quarter.

The battle between Jantz and Barnett is pretty evenly split — Jantz is statistically superior, but Barnett has the poise and the trust of his team to lead the offense in dire situations.

Both have thrived; both have struggled.

There’s no way to quantifiably determine whether the team trusts Barnett instead of Jantz, but there was somewhat of an indicator when the Daily football reporters were in Columbia, Mo.

When asked about how Jantz performed after the team’s 52-17 loss to Missouri on Oct. 15, senior receiver Darius Reynolds said he could not really tell and that he was “busy running routes.”

When asked the same question about Barnett’s performance, Reynolds responded with a more definitive answer that he was encouraged by how he did.

Jantz played three quarters in that game; Barnett played one.

There are eight quarterbacks currently listed on the roster, but there are a few noteworthy factors that need to be addressed.

Jerome Tiller has probably already seen his last snap under center. The 6-foot-2, 211-pound native of San Antonio was deemed academically ineligible at the beginning of this season, thus he had to sit out.

Tiller was said to have taken reps at scout team wide receiver in practice at numerous points of the season, so that could indicate a change in positions for him for next season if he is re-instated. However, an official announcement regarding Tiller has yet to be made.

A candidate who could potentially contend for the starting job is Sam Richardson. When he was here, former offensive coordinator Tom Herman said Richardson, who redshirted this season, was the smartest freshman quarterback he had ever been around.

Even though Herman is now coaching at Ohio State, his past success in coaching quarterbacks in the spread offense may be a good indicator of how Richardson will emerge for spring ball if his comments about freshman hold any merit.

Do not be surprised if another quarterback on the roster emerges as a possibility to contend for the starting spot at quarterback. Spring ball is weeks away, and there is no definitive answer as to who will get the nod to take snaps with the first-team offense.

Barnett would likely be the favorite, but it would be hasty to rule out Jantz, who has one year left to prove to Cyclone Nation that his win against Iowa on Sep. 10 was not a fluke.

“I know coach Rhoads will get a good guy,” Jantz said after the Pinstripe Bowl loss. “Knowing the other quarterbacks and myself, we’re going to work hard, not only to win the battle but also to lead the team and get the offense rolling early.”

Whoever will be the starting quarterback during spring ball may not hold that title come fall. But only time will tell.