It's rare that a highly-ranked college football team has a quarterback controversy in November, but that's exactly what's happening at Kansas State. The Wildcats have had a very strong season so far, sitting at 6-2 and ranked 13th in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. However, Kansas State football now has an interesting dilemma on its hands.

Nebraska transfer Adrian Martinez won the starting job before the season and has held it for most of the year. Martinez isn't the most prolific passer, but he makes up for it with his electric running ability. He has also led the Wildcats to some big wins, including a 41-34 road victory over then-No. 6 Oklahoma where he accounted for five total touchdowns.

Martinez suffered an injury in a game against TCU on Oct. 22, leaving junior Will Howard as the next man up. Howard had experience at Kansas State football, appearing in 14 games over the last two seasons, but never looked like a true starter. This season, though, Howard has taken the opportunity and ran, with great performances against TCU and Oklahoma State.

Martinez is progressing, but still not 100% ahead of Kansas State's showdown with Texas on Saturday. On Tuesday, Wildcats head coach Chris Klieman said that either quarterback could start against the Longhorns. Now that game day is here, the Wildcats still don't have a definitive answer at QB.

This indecisiveness seems to indicate that Kansas State football has a quarterback controversy to deal with. Let's go over a few reasons why the Wildcats' decision under center is so difficult.

3. Howard is the better passer

If the Wildcats are looking for a more traditional quarterback, then it's hard to argue against Howard. He has a smaller sample size than Martinez this season, but he has shown that he is the more capable passer.

From the moment he came in against TCU, Howard has been dynamic throwing the ball. He completed 13 of 20 passes for 225 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against the Horned Frogs. He then had an even better performance against Oklahoma State the following week, completing 21 of 37 passes for 296 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Wildcats to a 48-0 rout over the then-No. 9 Cowboys.

Meanwhile, Martinez has been a solid passer this season for Kansas football, but not much more. He has only thrown for more than 200 yards twice, and has zero games over 250 yards. He also has not thrown for multiple touchdowns in a game this year, and has just four all year.

Martinez is a strong quarterback in his own right, but passing isn't his best attribute. Howard is the much better passer if that's what the Wildcats want from their signal-caller.

2. Martinez is the better dual-threat QB

On the other hand, Martinez is a clear choice if the Wildcats want a QB who can run. In fact, that is by far Martinez's greatest strength.

Martinez has been electric running the ball this season, with 565 yards and nine touchdowns in only six full games. He has had some incredible rushing performances too, with 148 yards and four touchdowns against Oklahoma and 171 yards and three touchdowns against Texas Tech.

Even before he came to Kansas State, Martinez has always been a great runner. In four seasons at Nebraska, Martinez rushed for 2,301 yards and 35 touchdowns. He had at least 500 yards and seven touchdowns rushing in each season, including the seven-game 2020 season.

On the other hand, Howard can run but often choose not to. He had 31 yards on nine carries against TCU, then just three yards on five carries against Oklahoma State.

Kansas State football also has one of the best running backs in the country in Deuce Vaughn. Pairing him with the mobile Martinez has worked well, and they both can give defenses a headache. If the Wildcats want that pairing again, Martinez is the clear answer.

1. There is no wrong answer

There's a saying that every football fan has heard at some point in their life: “If you have two quarterbacks, you have no quarterback.” It makes sense on paper, as that usually means that neither quarterback can establish themselves over the other. However, this feels like an exception to that old rule.

Both Howard and Martinez have played very well this season, and have proven they can lead the Wildcats to big wins. As it stands now, there really isn't a bad choice between the two. If the Wildcats are feeling experimental, they could even opt to use both quarterbacks.

This decision comes down purely to the skillset that Klieman and his staff prefer. No matter what, the Wildcats will be in good hands doing forward.