Quinn and Clausen definitely had justification in being up there.
Even Golson had some claim to being there. He had a fully stocked offense, both in the trenches and at the skill positions, and came with the hype of an off-season of conditioning with Whitfield. If anything, he did live up to the hype in the first half of the season, until he imploded in the second half.
Wimbush doesn't belong in the top 20. Some people may say "well, Tony Rice was in that category," and I won't argue on that, since he had proven himself, bringing his team to a premium bowl game in 1987, and winning the national championship in 1988. Wimbush has done neither.
Again, I don't wish ill on him, and if he proves me wrong, I'll be the happiest crow eater on this forum.