Top College Quarterback Rankings 2023: Caleb Williams, Michael Penix Jr., Shedeur Sanders Order 1, 2, 3

It’s time. They’re here. We’re updating the top college quarterback rankings for the 2023 season in real time this year. Caleb Williams has shown he belongs at the top. For the first time in our ranking history, we have a top three from the same conference in our top college football quarterbacks.

Top College Quarterback Rankings Criteria

After months of excruciating film watching, hours-long sessions of data analysis, and a bevy of spreadsheets, the rankings are here. Okay, kidding, to the excruciating aspect, as I love every minute of watching college football and quarterback play in our great sport.

Before we get to the rankings, it’s imperative to set the tone and let you understand how these rankings were formed. Like always, the film-watching portion of these rankings dictated a heavy portion of the weight on where a player landed.

Injury history, head coach or offensive coordinator changes, roster turnover, and general quarterback mechanics all over the field were also added into the mix. Stats mean a lot, but they’re not the end-all, be-all for college quarterbacks.

As always, this is not a list of their pro-level abilities. We’re not looking at them as NFL Draft prospects — I leave that to our friends at Pro Football Network now. Instead, these college quarterback rankings are solely based on how each player has fared in their time in college or, in some cases, back to their high school days.

Just like our preseason rankings, the film through two games has largely been added to a wealth of information and data at hand for every quarterback across the country.

Let’s get to it. Remember, you can fire any questions you may have to me on Twitter regarding these rankings. And if you missed any of our college QB rankings at the conference level, they’re all listed below.

All QB Rankings: ACC | B1G | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC | AAC | C-USA | MAC | MWC | Sun Belt | FBS Ind. 

FBS College Football QB Rankings, 1-133

133) Brendon Lewis | Nevada

Mountain West Rank: 12/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 133rd

If you missed the Nevada game against Kansas, don’t fret, you didn’t miss much from the Nevada offense despite the final score. Brendon Lewis scored twice on the ground and the rushing attack at Nevada kept them in it.

Lewis struggled, however, as a passer. He was inaccurate to each level of the field and ball security issues reared their ugly heads again. The Wolf Pack put forth a valiant effort but the inability to throw it past the sticks cost them the game.

132) J.T. Shrout | Arkansas State

Sun Belt Rank: 14/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 131st

As you would expect, Arkansas State got a victory over Stony Brook. The rushing attack ran the ball well but the passing attack still struggled. Completing fewer than 50% of their passes between both Jaxon Dailey and Jaylen Raynor, this situation is still a complete mess.

131) Ben Bryant | Northwestern

Big Ten Rank: 14/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 125th

A brutal performance from the Northwestern defense forced the quarterback play into tough situations and Ben Bryant, nor Brendan Sullivan could get them out. Bryant was sluggish to make his reads and couldn’t hit his receivers consistently enough to get the ball rolling or sustain a drive.

They struggled with keeping their quarterbacks upright and both Bryant and Sullivan made poor decisions under duress. It was a bad day against a tough opponent.

130) Keegan Shoemaker | Sam Houston

CUSA Rank: 9/9
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 132nd

Like Jacksonville State, the Sam Houston Bearkats need to figure out what’s going on with their quarterback position and their offense in general. With no answers from their bye week in Week 3, we leave you with what we wrote after Week 2’s defeat at the hands of Air Force:

Maybe it’s time to make a change at the quarterback position for Sam Houston. Keegan Shoemaker has struggled, to say the least, to start the season. He’s completed just over 55% of his throws for three interceptions and just four yards per attempt.

Shoemaker hasn’t seen the field well. He’s tried to force throws into windows that didn’t exist and has been under constant pressure, making matters even worse.

The most worrying aspect around the fact that we haven’t seen a QB change yet is this: How bad did the other quarterbacks on the roster look in preseason camp that they’ve decided to continue to ride it out with Shoemaker?

129) Logan Smothers, Zion Webb | Jacksonville State

CUSA Rank: 8/9
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 124th

There is still work to be done for Jacksonville State, especially at the quarterback position. With no game in Week 3, we’ll leave you with what we wrote following their Week 2 outing:

We’ve got ourselves a bonafide quarterback quandary on our hands at Jacksonville State. Zion Webb and Logan Smothers have alternated starts over the first three games of the season for the Gamecocks and each has fared equally as puzzling in their starts.

Webb was benched in favor of Smothers in Week 2, indicating that their trend of alternating starts may continue. One thing is for sure, however, and that’s that this team has to get consistent play at the quarterback position before we can move them up a tier or before they can compete in any C USA games this season.

128) Garret Rangel, Alan Bowman, Gunnar Gundy | Oklahoma State

Big 12 Rank: 14/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 108th

We were hesitant to move up the quarterback situation for Oklahoma State last week despite knocking off Pac-12 foe Arizona State. Here’s what we said:

Somehow, this idea works for Mike Gundy and Co. in Stillwater, though using a three-QB system once the rigors of Big 12 play hits seems unlikely. We’ve still got plenty of questions for this quarterback situation, but until they lose a game, it’s certainly not been an issue as their roster has overperformed expectations already.

Well, they didn’t even hit Big 12 play before the issues reared their ugly heads and they’ve lost a game in convincing fashion, drawing criticism around the quarterback situation. And rightfully so.

Each quarterback played once again against South Alabama in a game that saw the Cowboys completely overwhelmed and kicked in the mouth. Alan Bowman got the start, Garret Rangel and Gunnar Gundy each played their allotted drives. And it wasn’t good.

Together, they completed fewer than 50% of their passes and could never get into a rhythm. As we said in Week 2, this team is going to have to ride the hot hand and not try to change these three out as Big 12 play is here. Otherwise, it’s going to get ugly.

127) Jiya Wright | UL-Monroe

Sun Belt Rank: 13/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 128th

It was going to be ugly against Texas A&M, and there was no denying that for UL-Monroe. However, they competed for the first 15 or so minutes before it got out of hand, but unfortunately, Jiya Wright wasn’t the reason.

ULM’s defense carried the team as they clearly have to figure out what’s going on with the quarterback situation. Wright completed 40% of his passes and seemingly locked on to his receivers downfield, trying to force the ball to Tyrone Howell far too often.

126) Rocco Becht | Iowa State

Big 12 Rank: 13/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 117th

It wasn’t all that bad for Rocco Becht against Ohio. In fact, he made some ‘wow’ throws, including his touchdown over the middle of the field that he layered beautifully and put it in a place where only Jayden Higgins could make the grab.

It was his overall game management and flow that stymied the Cyclones against MAC foe Ohio. Becht has to do a better job of sensing pressure, not trusting his arm too much, and living to play another down for Iowa State to contend in any games moving forward.

125) Treyson Bourguet, Jack Salopek | Western Michigan

MAC Rank: 12/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 107th

Short of one good throw, Treyson Bourguet struggled against a talented Iowa secondary. He was too careless with the football and far too inaccurate with his throws to every level of the field to put much fear into any upcoming opponents.

Bourguet or Jack Salopek, something’s got to be figured out moving forward for Western Michigan because neither have shown to be the answer in 2023.

124) Trenton Bourguet, Jacob Conover, Drew Pyne | Arizona State

Pac-12 Rank: 12/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 75th

With Jadan Rashada set to miss a good portion of the 2023 season, the Arizona State Sun Devils were forced to turn to last year’s season-ending starter Trenton Bourguet as well as transfers Jacob Conover and Drew Pyne against Fresno State.

Against the Bulldogs, neither impressed, and rather each were equally disappointing. It’s clear to see now, why the Sun Devils started Rashada over this trio as neither could move the ball effectively against Fresno State.

Something’s got to give with this QB situation while they wait for Rashada to return.

123) Luke Altmyer | Illinois

Big Ten Rank: 13/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 85th

Making the biggest tumble of the weekend in the Big Ten is Luke Altmyer and the Illinois Fighting Illini. Throwing four picks will do that, especially when those interceptions came off poor decisions and inaccurate throws all the same.

John Paddock was unable to spark life into the Illinois offense either, despite a touchdown toss in what amounted to garbage time. It’s looking more and more likely that we underappreciated the level of play Tommy DeVito gave the Fighting Illini last season.

122) Layne Hatcher, Kadin Semonza | Ball State

MAC Rank: 11/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 118th

Getting the start and looking like he’s going to hold on to the position for the future, Kadin Semonza played well enough to field a complete game against Indiana State. Semonza, however, still showcased room for growth as the true freshman made some freshman mistakes.

He threw for two touchdowns and completed nearly 80% of passes, but got away with two errant decisions and was powered by the Ball State defense and a rushing attack that ran for over 300 yards. Ball security and accuracy: Semonza needs to improve greatly on some game-altering facets.

121) Tai Lavatai | Navy

AAC Rank: 14/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 113th

A few big rushes from the Navy running backs kept the Midshipmen in the game, but Tai Lavatai couldn’t take advantage of a few short fields and Memphis mistakes to take advantage for a potential upset.

Blake Horvath was inserted into the lineup and, though the moment appeared too big for him, there is still hope in his talent, even if he was unable to show it. There is promise for Navy, we just haven’t seen it yet.

120) Byrum Brown | USF

AAC Rank: 13/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 112th

There was a chance for USF to upset Alabama on Saturday, as slim as that was. It was there, though; there is no denying that. Byrum Brown did all he could with his legs but in order to upset a team like Alabama, you’re going to have to fire on all cylinders in all facets.

Brown had an ugly day from the pocket and even worse once he broke contain. He was inaccurate from all angles and didn’t help matters with some poor decisions. As athletic as Brown is, you have to think if this team got a few more accurate passes from the pocket, they would’ve pulled off the upset against Bama.

119) Athan Kaliakmanis | Minnesota

Big Ten Rank: 12/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 120th

What could have been a halfway decent game against North Carolina was ripped to shreds by the quarterback play from Minnesota. Athan Kaliakmanis struggled to find his receivers in any sort of open window and all too often forced the issue.

Kaliakmanis limped his way to a poor showing of less than 40% completions and multiple poor decisions that led to just 4.6 yards per attempt and a pick. This is not quite the play from a quarterback that we’ve come to expect in the P.J. Fleck era of college football, whether at Minnesota or Western Michigan.

118) Rocky Lombardi | Northern Illinois

MAC Rank: 10/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 116th

The final score notwithstanding, it was a bad day for Northern Illinois. Rocky Lombardi struggled to see the field and completed fewer than 40% of his throws against Nebraska. Lombardi got away with a couple of poor decisions and with the run game nonexistent, failed to impress on standard dropbacks.

Ethan Hampton got the final scoring drive in garbage time (yes, and a backdoor cover that hurt bettors nationwide), and Lombardi will have to improve his down-for-down consistency moving forward.

117) Jalen Mayden | San Diego State

Mountain West Rank: 11/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 133rd

As much as we love the story of Jalen Mayden, the fact of the matter remains: He’s a limited quarterback when it comes to his downfield passing and this team is not built to come from behind. Finding themselves down against Oregon State, the Aztecs were reminded of that fact on Saturday afternoon.

Mayden still threw for a respectable outing, but it was far little far too late against the Beavers. Finding more success deep is the key, or at the very least, throwing catchable passes past the sticks will do as they move forward.

116) Ben Wooldridge, Chandler Fields, Zeon Chriss | Louisiana

Sun Belt Rank: 12/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 127th

After Ben Wooldridge went down (he’ll be out 4-6 weeks), it was Zeon Chriss who propelled the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns to a victory over UAB on Saturday. Chriss accounted for three touchdowns, two on the ground and one through the air, as he paced Louisiana’s offense in a dominant outing.

Was this more of a case of UAB game-planning against Wooldridge and Chriss throwing a wrinkle, or was this Chriss’ ability to lead this team actually? As his confidence grew, so did his downfield shots, but make no mistake about it: He won’t be kept clean as long as he was in every game in what was an ultra-impressive outing from his offensive line.

115) Cam Fancher | Marshall

Sun Belt Rank: 11/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 122nd

Marshall was on a bye week in Week 3, so we’ll leave you with last week’s writeup:

Last week, we said we needed to see Cam Fancher and the Marshall Thundering Herd stop relying on Rasheen Ali and the ground game before we move him up. In Week 2, though they got the win over ECU (no real surprise), Fancher didn’t do much with his arm to warrant staying in the Average Tier.

Forced off his spot multiple times, Fancher scrambled for his life and will absolutely need to work on his ball security if this is the new norm. He struggled to read the defense at times, but did have some well-placed throws over the middle of the field.

Fancher will have to see the field better and read defenses quicker as Sun Belt play approaches.

114) Nicco Marchiol, Garrett Greene | West Virginia

Big 12 Rank: 12/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 109th

The Backyard Brawl is always fun to watch. Nicco Marchiol thought he would be watching but was thrust into action after Garrett Greene went out.

The game plan on offense changed when Marchiol entered the lineup and Pittsburgh looked stunned as such. Marchiol attempted just nine passes and threw a touchdown, but it’s clear the plan was never to let him unleash the ball with his arm.

They better figure out what they’re doing at quarterback quickly in Morgantown.

113) Ashton Daniels | Stanford

Pac-12 Rank: 11/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 115th

What started off as a promising season for Ashton Daniels with his performance against Hawaii has now turned sour. Daniels struggled against USC and saw similar issues against Sacramento State.

Justin Lamson started the second half for the Cardinal and didn’t fare much better. It’s a unique situation for Troy Taylor to lose to his former team, and the quarterbacks, unfortunately, deserve some of the blame.

It was always going to be a work in progress for Stanford and Daniels, but there is some serious concern that it may not be getting any better any time soon.

112) Cade McNamara | Iowa

Big Ten Rank: 11/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 104th

The Iowa Hawkeyes scored 41 points AND won on the back of their defensive prowess in Week 3. Now that’s a shocker.

Cade McNamara, however, was not his sharpest in the 41-point outing against Western Michigan. He found his receivers underneath just fine, but when it came time to push the ball to the boundary or downfield, his accuracy dipped and he threw for just north of 100 yards with two interceptions to his two touchdowns.

The rushing game carried their offense, literally, and as we said last week: It’s another season of below-average QB play in Iowa City.

111) Mason Garcia, Alex Flinn | ECU

AAC Rank: 12/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 114th

We were confounded as to why the offense for ECU couldn’t move the ball down the field with Mason Garcia at the helm, especially given Alex Flinn’s insertion into the lineup in Week 2. Flinn was given the start against App State in Week 3, and a spark certainly appeared early on.

However, it fizzled out all too quickly with three interceptions and some ill-fated decisions. Sure, his playmakers didn’t help him, but Garcia eventually returned to the lineup and this situation is getting murkier by the day.

Something’s got to give here as AAC play summons.

110) Gavin Wimsatt | Rutgers

Big Ten Rank: 10/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 79th

It was a disaster in terms of aerial performances from Gavin Wimsatt against Virginia Tech in Week 3. Throwing for all of 46 yards, Wimsatt didn’t do much to move the needle in his favor of these Big Ten QB Rankings.

Sure, he was effective with the ground game and that was enough to defeat Virginia Tech, but that’s likely not going to be the case in conference play here. Wimsatt must improve his mechanics and decision-making first as the Scarlet Knights enter Big Ten play.

109) Cardell Williams, Roman Fuller (Braylon Braxton) | Tulsa

AAC Rank: 11/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 76th

We had high hopes for Tulsa’s quarterback room coming into the season and especially after Cardell Williams took over for Braylon Braxton. With two Power Five games under their belt, however, it’s clear that they needed the benefit of some reps before going up against Washington and Oklahoma.

Against the Sooners in Week 3, Williams had some ball security issues yet again and Roman Fuller didn’t fare any better getting the start. AAC play can’t come soon enough for the Golden Hurricane.

108) Phil Jurkovec | Pittsburgh

ACC Rank: 14/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 71st

The Backyard Brawl is usually fun to watch. However, Phil Jurkovec made it almost unbearable to watch the Pittsburgh offense when it was on the field. Jurkovec threw three picks and struggled to find his receivers at every level of the field.

All too often, the air was taken out of the ball and allowed the West Virginia defenders to close on receivers who had given separation on long-to-go situations. It was a disastrous performance and one that is head-scratching, given the level of play we’ve become accustomed to seeing in Pittsburgh.

With the success Kedon Slovis is seeing at BYU just a few months removed from this Pittsburgh backfield, it makes you wonder how much of it is the system in place at Pitt and how much longer it can last without some major changes in the Steel City.

107) Jeff Sims, Heinrich Haarberg | Nebraska

Big Ten Rank: 9/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 119th

Heinrich Haarberg stepped up with Jeff Sims out against Northern Illinois, completing just enough passes to get the job done against a struggling Huskies team in Week 3. Haarberg had some drops by his receiving corps, deflating his completion percentage as some fans have pointed to, but it was a decent performance of turnover-free football from a Nebraska signal-caller.

With Sims’ status up in air for Week 4, Haarberg likely gets a chance to improve on what he showcased in Week 3 against a Louisiana Tech team that is far behind on defense this season.

106) Anthony Colandrea | Virginia

ACC Rank: 13/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 110th

What a ride it’s been for Anthony Colandrea. Tony Muskett was announced as the starter in Week 3 and warmed up as such during pregame drills, but when it came to the first snap of the game, it was Colandrea who played in Week 3 against Maryland.

Colandrea caught the Terrapins off guard with his gunslinging ability, pushing the ball well downfield and leading the charge to a 14-0 lead. However, the freshman mistakes caught up with them as the scripted offense went by the wayside.

He was forced off his spot and struggled to find his receivers downfield, trusting his arm a bit too much in the end. Colandrea is a gifted quarterback and one of the most fun QBs to watch sling it. Harnessing his talent and getting game reps in will be best as they continue to evolve as a team in Charlottesville.

105) Grant Wells, Virginia Tech

ACC Rank: 12/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 86th

When the opposing team throws for under 50 yards and you still lose the game by nearly 20 points, there’s bound to be finger-pointing. Especially when that opposing team isn’t a Service Academy.

Kyron Drones played for the Hokies against Rutgers and though it wasn’t a poor performance from a passing perspective, the offense couldn’t get out of their own way. It was hardly a team-elevating performance and less than inspiring.

Some help from the playmakers for Tech may be warranted to get this team going in the right direction.

104) Sawyer Robertson | Baylor

Big 12 Rank: 11/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 81st

Baylor has got to figure out what they’re going to do at quarterback because this is too talented a roster to waste in Big 12 play. Credit to Sawyer Robertson for continuing to battle through it at quarterback but he’s far off from where Blake Shapen is, and that’s not too much higher in these rankings.

Robertson was not at his best against LIU and couldn’t hit an open receiver to save his job or give hope of things to come until Shapen returns. Does Robertson even get the start against rival Texas in Week 4?

103) Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi | Colorado State

Mountain West Rank: 10/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 130th

Everyone watched as Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi wowed with some throws against Colorado. Somehow, we hadn’t seen this level of talent from Fowler-Nicolosi before Saturday night, and while we’re cautiously optimistic he can grow from this outing, we’ll move the Rams’ QB up just a few spots.

It was a unique performance, a gunslinging type of outing for Fowler-Nicolosi. He picked on the Buffaloes defenders over the middle and found great success in doing so. Can he push the ball to the boundary and keep the same accuracy and power, though?

102) Cooper Legas, McCae Hillstead | Utah State

Mountain West Rank: 9/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 102nd

What to make of this quarterback situation in Logan? The Air Force defense stymied Cooper Legas on a primetime midweek game in front of the whole national audience, and the world watched as McCae Hillstead moved the ball up and down the field on the Falcons.

Is Hillstead the long-term answer? The freshman surely looked it against Air Force as he was letting throws rip downfield, left and right, and dominating over the middle. He was terrific from inside the pocket and made quick decisions.

If he’s the starter going forward and plays more games like he did against Air Force, look for this group to move up, quickly.

101) Sam Jackson, Ben Finley | Cal

Pac-12 Rank: 10/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 99th

The Cal offense needed one o these quarterbacks to step up against Idaho and Sam Jackson did his best. Without multiple starters on offense, Jackson threw for two scores and ran for another as they came from behind against the FCS Vandals.

Jackson wasn’t quite as sharp as you’d expect against Idaho but he did what was necessary on the ground to keep drives alive. It’s got to get better for the Golden Bears if they want to stay in this tier here, and more importantly, win any more games this year.

100) Jalen Milroe | Alabama

SEC Rank: 14/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 91st

What a disaster Week 3 was for Alabama. Sure, they won. Sure, they know that Tyler Buchner nor Ty Simpson are the best options at quarterback.

But any time you bench your QB one week just to see others fail and don’t even think to turn to Jalen Milroe, is very concerning. Milroe gives the Crimson Tide a chance to win, even if it is with his legs, and he will absolutely have to get better at throwing the football accurately if ‘Bama wants to contend this year.

We said it to Florida fans over the past few weeks, and we’ll say it here: Look, Bama fans, you can only go up from here.

99) Tayven Jackson | Indiana

Big Ten Rank: 8/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 123rd

It was a sound performance overall by Tayven Jackson against Louisville. However, it just wasn’t enough to move the needle too much from a tiered perspective here. Jackson nearly hit the 300-yard mark but was ineffective in crucial situations for the Hoosiers.

They move up five spots, however, because Jackson gives them a potential advantage with the off-script ability he showcased against the Cardinals. We’ll remain optimistic that they can turn things around under Tom Allen, but we’re not quite sure if this team is ready to compete without an elite quarterback.

98) Carlos Davis | UMass

Ind. Rank: 4/4
Last Week’s Rank: 94th

What was a promising start for UMass in 2023 has withered away and Carlos Davis has struggled as the team’s starting quarterback. Against Eastern Michigan, he threw three interceptions but it could’ve been even worse.

Yes, he threw for over 300 yards, but it there were far too many fatal mistakes at critical times to overcome Eastern Michigan in the end. Davis will have to make better decisions and play well out of structure if this team wants to make much noise down the stretch.

97) Ta’Quan Roberson | UConn

Ind. Rank: 3/4
Last Week’s Rank: 96th

This is not your normal FIU team that UConn nearly upset. The Panthers are led by a dynamo at quarterback in Keyone Jenkins and Ta’Quan Roberson just couldn’t quite keep up.

It’s not due to a lack of trying, though, as Roberson continued to push the ball past the sticks through the air, it’s more of a lack of accuracy issue that’s holding this offense up. Roberson played a valiant game against FIU but his play under duress (and he was under pressure a lot) certainly did them no favors.

96) Graham Mertz | Florida

SEC Rank: 13/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 129th

It was Graham Mertz’s finest hour on Saturday, knocking off Tennessee from the Swamp and completing nearly 80% of his passes. But, even as his own coach put it following the game, Mertz simply managed the outing for the Gators. It wasn’t truly a fine passing performance, he just didn’t make any mistakes.

The Gators’ rushing attack paced the play and Mertz was simply an air traffic controller, dishing passes out to the short area of the field or behind the line of scrimmage. We’re all too fond of crowning quarterbacks as victors when their team rolls over another, but this was not Mertz’s best game we’ve seen.

95) Casey Thompson, Daniel Richardson | FAU

AAC Rank: 10/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 77th

It’s a terrible way to possibly end your college career for Casey Thompson, and we feel for him dearly. The sixth-year quarterback tore his ACL and MCL against Clemson and will miss the rest of the season. With his status for a potential return in jeopardy, the show had to move on against the Tigers in Week 3.

Daniel Richardson, who transferred in from Central Michigan two years ago, was inserted into the lineup under dire circumstances. We know Richardson’s talent from a pocket-passing standpoint and we’ll not hold this Clemson performance against him too much until we see what the offense looks like with him leading the charge.

94) Jalon Jones, Trexler Ivey | Charlotte

AAC Rank: 9/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 100th

Jalon Jones’ legs were key to Charlotte’s attempt at a comeback against Georgia State in Week 3, just as much as Trexler Ivey’s arm was. Together, they fought hard but consistently finding themselves behind on the scoreboard will force some errant decisions.

Ivey looked terrific, however, through the air, while Jones was nearly impossible to stop on the ground. If this is the wave of the future for the Charlotte football team, then they’ll be tough to figure out on offense.

93) Chandler Rogers | North Texas

AAC Rank: 8/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 103rd

Despite 77 combined points, it was an ugly game for the most part between North Texas and Louisiana Tech. Chandler Rogers was a bright spot, and as such, he moved up a few spots in our AAC QB Rankings.

Rogers gives the Mean Green a chance to win with his dynamic ability. He’s not nearly as accurate as we’ve seen from him in the past, but that’s likely because he’s attempting to move it downfield more. He threw for over 300 yards and two scores while adding an ability to extend plays from inside the pocket with his athleticism.

92) Michael Alaimo | Kent State

MAC Rank: 9/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 111th

A game against Central Connecticut State could be just what this Kent State team needed, especially QB Michael Alaimo. A talented and big-armed quarterback, Alaimo hasn’t been able to get into a rhythm in 2023, with tough road trips to UCF and Arkansas in his bag early on.

Yet, he’s still flashed the talent that led him to Purdue in the first place and Alaimo could use this game against CCSU as a building block. He completed passes at a high rate and tested the waters deep with accuracy and power. It was a sound performance to grow with.

91) Austin Smith | Eastern Michigan

MAC Rank: 8/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 91st

Coming back in Week 3, Austin Smith played well enough to get the victory against former conference foe UMass. It wasn’t without its difficulties, however, as there were a few mistakes along the way that made it an uncomfortable victory.

Smith was solid when pressured and outside of the structure of the offense, but concerning factors include the fact that he made a couple of near-fatal mistakes without pressure and with the aid of a play fake. He’ll have to improve, especially considering the fact that his offensive line is rounding into form.

90) Grant Wilson | ODU

Sun Belt Rank: 10/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 87th

Old Dominion almost got a huge upset win over Wake Forest, but it certainly wasn’t because of their offense. Grant Wilson struggled against the Demon Deacons secondary and was inaccurate on most of his throws.

Sure, he was pressured and sacked far too often, but Wilson had his fair share of chances to put the game out of reach and they were unable to capitalize. His throw to Javon Harvey, however, on a deep shot was a thing of beauty.

89) Donovan Smith | Houston

Big 12 Rank: 10/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 90th

The Donovan Smith Experience is coming full circle for Houston this season. He wasn’t terrible against TCU but he certainly wasn’t at his best. Smith wasn’t accurate to hardly any level of the field and wilted against pressure.

The worst part is, he was under pressure a decent amount and in critical situations. When the Houston offense needed something from him, Smith failed to deliver.

88) Tyler Shough, Behren Morton | Texas Tech

Big 12 Rank: 9/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 105th

We’re putting Behren Morton on here because we had him ranked as the Texas Tech starting quarterback in the preseason. Against Tarleton State, he showcased why, as he was great in relief of Tyler Shough. Morton is the needle-mover for us in these Big 12 QB Rankings.

Shough, though, certainly appears to be the starter moving forward as he’ll start against West Virginia, even though he struggled against Tarleton. He hasn’t had his best season despite a close-fought loss to Oregon, and Shough could use a rebound performance to buoy his spirits and keep Morton from taking his place.

87) Billy Wiles | Southern Miss

Sun Belt Rank: 9/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 93rd

Southern Miss walked into a buzzsaw against Florida State and Tulane in consecutive weeks and Billy Wiles first season as a starting quarterback couldn’t have gotten much tougher of a schedule. Still, Wiles was more than competent against Tulane, the Green Wave were just too good in every facet for the Golden Eagles to pull off another upset.

Wiles averaged just over 5.0 yards per attempt but that was hardly his fault as he did a good job of managing the game and not pressing his luck against a feisty secondary.

86) Brayden Schager | Hawaii

Mountain West Rank: 8/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 57th

They might throw the ball all over the field, but if your receivers can’t hang on to it and your quarterback can’t place balls accurately away from coverage, you won’t win many games. The Oregon defense surely is a tough nut to crack and Hawaii’s Brayden Schager wasn’t able to figure them out.

Still, we know what he’s capable of when Schager is on his game and they’re a fun offense to watch when he’s humming. It’s fair to say he likely won’t face many defenses as tough as Oregon’s for the rest of the season.

85) Bert Emanuel Jr., Jase Bauer | Central Michigan

MAC Rank: 7/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 51st

It wasn’t a fun day for Central Michigan fans, nor Jase Bauer, when they were overmatched by the Norte Dame Fighting Irish. Bauer completed south of 50% of his passes and lost the ball far too often on the ground to put any real threat into the Notre Dame defense.

Bert Emanuel Jr. reportedly missed the Notre Dame game with an illness, and he’ll have to return to health and form with his passing ability as the Chippewas have struggled to play consistent football through the air this season.

84) Gavin Hardison | UTEP

CUSA Rank: 7/9
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 82nd

It wasn’t all bad for Gavin Hardison and UTEP against Arizona. Hardison surely tested the waters deep enough and found some great success in the process; they just couldn’t convert through the air against an Arizona secondary that has shown lapses this season.

Hardison has all the arm talent in the world, but like so many big-armed gunslingers, the accuracy hasn’t reached the strength and power he possesses. Getting some consistent reps and down-for-down accuracy improvements will be key to his growth this season and potentially for the next level.

83) Hank Bachmeier, Jack Turner | Louisiana Tech

CUSA Rank: 6/9
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 65th

Hank Bachmeier is as tough as they come. But even the toughest quarterbacks can’t sustain some of the hits he has throughout his career and bounce right back.

Such was the case against North Texas in a game that was there for the taking for Louisiana Tech, as Bachmeier left with a shoulder injury and Jack Turner replaced him. Availability is the best ability for a quarterback, and it’s tough to see this team obtaining many more wins with this kind of play from their offense.

Bachmeier has done some good things in his time in Ruston, and Turner played relatively well against the Mean Green. Where they turn and how they start to avoid some of the hits on the quarterback will be telling of the rest of their season’s success.

82) Brady Cook | Missouri

SEC Rank: 12/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 95th

A clean performance from Brady Cook was all Missouri needed to upset Kansas State on Saturday. That and a 61-yard game-winning field goal from Harrison Mevis. Cook was solid against the Wildcats, though.

He threw for over 350 yards and two scores, averaging 10 yards per attempt. That kind of performance will move you up in our SEC QB Rankings and win you some serious ball games. The best part of the performance, however, was Cook’s ability to spot his receivers open down the field and deliver accurate shots, especially to Luther Burden.

81) Dylan Hopkins | New Mexico

Mountain West Rank: 7/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 89th

It wasn’t a bad performance for Dylan Hopkins against his new rival New Mexico State. Still, the loss hurts his chances of moving up as he made a couple of ill-fated decisions that ultimately could have gone the other way.

Hopkin’s familiarity with the offense is clear and he certainly isn’t afraid to test the deep waters; he just needs to improve his accuracy when doing so. Like so many other quarterbacks, consistency is the name of the game for Hopkins.

80) Noah Kim | Michigan State

Big Ten Rank: 7/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 51st

All things considered, we were probably too quick to be so high on Noah Kim after he looked sharp in the first three weeks of the season. He came back down to Earth with a lackluster performance against Washington in Week 3 but through this point of the season, he’s been a lone glimmer of hope in an otherwise disastrous season for the Spartans.

What this team looks like after Week 4 is a completely different story but look for their players to put their best effort forward in their fourth game of the season before transfer intents are likely to be announced following their Week 4 outing.

79) Andrew Peasley | Wyoming

Mountain West Rank: 6/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 56th

Evan Svoboda was forced into action against Texas in Week 3 in Andrew Peasley’s absence, and found little to no success. While it remains to be seen if Peasley would have found success, or if he’ll play in Week 4, one thing is clear: He gives the Cowboys the best chance for a victory when he’s on the field.

A gritty playmaker, Peasley has an edge to him. He finds receivers open downfield from the pocket or buys time with great pocket presence as well as field vision to extend plays and keep drives alive. Wyoming will need him for conference play.

78) AJ Swann | Vanderbilt

SEC Rank: 11/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 68th

It wasn’t a terrible outing at all for AJ Swann, he was just bested by Doug Brumfield and let down by his offense against UNLV on Saturday. Swann was absolutely banged up in this one, however, so we’ll cautiously hold off on sinking the ship here.

When he’s at his best, Swann has a big arm and trusts it to hit every open window he can. He threw for three touchdowns are was chucking balls downfield well against the Rebels, it just wasn’t to be due to a few errant throws.

77) Thomas Castellanos | Boston College

ACC Rank: 11/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 106th

The talent Thomas Castellanos possesses is evident. He’s a dynamic dual threat and he gave the Florida State defense fits on Saturday. In the end, however, he was outdone by a superior defense as he couldn’t convert in crunch time.

While that may come in time, the Eagles will consistently be an intriguing team to watch. From struggling against Holy Cross and losing to Northern Illinois to battling the Seminoles, you never quite know which BC team you’re going to get.

76) Cade Klubnik | Clemson

ACC Rank: 10/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 84th

It was another performance from a Clemson quarterback that left you wanting more. Sure, the Tigers completed a 48-13 drubbing of FAU but Cade Klubnik hardly tested the ball downfield and averaged just over six yards per attempt.

He threw for under 170 yards against a struggling secondary and a team that lost their starting quarterback. Klubnik is as talented as they come with his arm talent, but this Clemson offense feels stuck in the mud at times.

75) Payton Thorne, Robby Ashford | Auburn

SEC Rank: 10/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 92nd

They continue to impress at Auburn, both quarterbacks. However, how they won against Samford may not be replicable against SEC defenses, and as such, we’ll wait to move them up a tier. Payton Thorne accounted for three touchdowns while Robby Ashford scored twice, but it wasn’t all that pretty overall.

Thorne needed his legs far too often and made a couple of ill-fated decisions despite some open throwing lanes. Again, it was a good performance, there are just some items that need to improve before Thorne and Ashford strike fear into opposing defenses.

Any discrepancies are likely to be exposed in the next few weeks when they take on Texa A&M and Georgia in consecutive weeks.

74) Carson Beck | Georgia

SEC Rank: 9/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 69th

Finally forced into action a bit, Carson Beck was able to throw off the game-manager moniker for Georgia this weekend. He was able to deliver the ball on time all around the field and thrived over the middle with some clear lanes and clean pockets.

We’re cautiously optimistic that he’ll keep improving as the season goes along, but there are still moments when he’s late to make reads and too reliant upon a rushing game that is starting to find its groove.

73) Chandler Morris | TCU

Big 12 Rank: 8/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 101st

A big-armed Chandler Morris came up big against Houston for TCU in Week 3. While last week’s game against Nicholls was never going to be a needle-mover, this performance against now-Big-12 foe Houston certainly is.

Morris tested the waters deep and was terrific when doing so. He spotted his receivers quickly and did a great job of manufacturing throwing lanes to reach his receivers downfield. Morris didn’t force it anywhere, he played with what the defense gave him.

It was a good sign of things to come for TCU as they continue to gel together.

72) Diego Pavia | New Mexico State

CUSA Rank: 5/9
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 64th

After grabbing a win against in-state rival New Mexico, Diego Pavia moves down a few spots mainly because of the play of the two in his conference above him, not because of anything he has or hasn’t done.

Pavia has been sound in 2023, taking his game to potential new heights with some accurate downfield passes we haven’t seen out of him before. He’s reading the field well, and despite a porous offensive line so far in 2023, he’s fared relatively well inside and outside of the structure.

71) Doug Brumfield, Jayden Maiava | UNLV

Mountain West Rank: 5/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 88th

Thanks to Jayden Maiava, the Mountain West knocked off their second Power Five opponent in Week 3 as the UNLV Rebels came from behind and knocked off Vanderbilt in dramatic fashion. Maiava was cool from the pocket and remarkably poised for a quarterback thrown into action against an SEC defense.

He spotted the ball downfield with accuracy and touch, layering shots when necessary and keeping the offense on schedule. When Maiava needed to, he pushed it deep and came away with success, none more noteworthy than his shot deep to Ricky White down the left sideline that set up the game-winning field goal.

Brumfield is the quarterback of the 2023 season we were reminded after the game, but it’s a great thing to know that they have Maiava in the wings in case Brumfield is injured again.

70) Connor Bazelak, Camden Orth, Hayden Timosciek | Bowling Green

MAC Rank: 6/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 72nd

Thanks to the defense, the Bowling Green Falcons were in it for a while against Michigan. That is, of course, without much help from their signal-callers. Connor Bazelak missed the game and Camden Orth nor Hayden Timosciek could spark the offense against the Wolverines.

They stay put in our MAC QB Rankings for 2023 as Bazelak has shown promise with the Falcons this season. He looked sharp against Eastern Illinois and could be a factor into Bowling Green potentially playing spoiler in the MAC this season.

69) DJ Irons (Jeff Undercuffler) | Akron

MAC Rank: 5/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 97th

Like many MAC QBs who have faced SEC opponents this season, it wouldn’t be pretty for Akron when they headed to Lexington for a date with Kentucky. The Zips QB held his own against the Wildcats, taking care of the ball and not forcing any errant decisions against a talented secondary.

Still, there were some throws and reads that DJ Irons may have missed that Akron could have exploited but the defenses don’t get any better than what they faced in Week 3.

68) Devin Leary | Kentucky

SEC Rank: 8/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 74th

Devin Leary found his groove against Akron on Saturday, fending off a few SEC QBs in the process in our rankings. Leary has all the talent in the world and a game against Akron may do just enough for his confidence moving forward.

For the third straight game, however, he threw an interception for the third straight game as his decision-making has just not quite been what it’s been in the past. But, after a solid outing, his second in a row, he’s back on track it appears.

67) Gunnar Watson | Troy

Sun Belt Rank: 8/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 70th

It wasn’t his finest outing, but it certainly wasn’t Gunnar Watson’s worst game against JMU. Watson lived up to his stature and threw for over 300 yards with a pair of touchdowns, nearly leading Troy back against JMU. However, it was a little too late in the long run and their rushing game did them no favors.

Watson was dotting throws left and right but also missing open receivers and making too many ill-fated decisions for the victory. Troy is a good team, but they’re great when Watson plays up to his standards.

66) Brennan Armstrong | NC State

ACC Rank: 9/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 78th

While it wasn’t quite a vintage Brennan Armstrong performance, it was a solid outing for the NC State quarterback when the Wolfpack played VMI in Week 3. Armstrong threw for over 250 yards on well over 80% completions and led a competitive charge on every drive.

The left-hander was dominant to the left and over the middle, hardly having to fight to his right or read that side of the field. Before we move Armstrong up too much more, however, we’ll want to see him scan the whole field and continue this level of play against FBS foes in the near future.

65) Jacob Zeno | UAB

AAC Rank: 7/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 45th

What started off as a potentially dominant offense for UAB has crashed and burned in recent weeks. Jacob Zeno played admirably against Louisiana, but it was a few errant decisions that ultimately made the difference in a lopsided affair.

Zeno has great talent with his throws but failed to harness much consistency regarding downfield accuracy. He hit a few deep passes but if he had to push it past the sticks consistently, the Blazers found themselves on the wrong end of an incompletion.

Cleaning up some mechanical issues and picking his shots better is key to this team’s growth going forward.

64) Tanner Mordecai | Wisconsin

Big Ten Rank: 6/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 62nd

The Wisconsin defense was the star of the show against Georgia Southern, forcing six turnovers and sacking Davis Brin more than a handful of times. Tanner Mordecai had multiple short fields to work with and diced up the defense in the short area of the field.

He took something off his passes in this game and though it was a blowout in the end, it wasn’t really a dominant performance until they started to feature Bralon Allen on the ground. Wisconsin and Mordecai will have to improve downfield if they want to compete for the Big Ten in 2023.

63) Keyone Jenkins | FIU

CUSA Rank: 4/9
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 126th

The training wheels are off, if they were ever on, for Keyone Jenkins at Florida International. The FIU quarterback has grown in every start and with every rep since taking over in Week 1 against Maine.

In three starts, Jenkins has thrown for 867 yards and five touchdowns, with another 64 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The coaching staff has the utmost trust in Jenkins as they’re allowing him to make the right reads and throw it downfield seemingly at will.

Given a tough scenario to enter, Jenkins has opened eyes and continues to impress, most notably against a tough UConn defense in Week 3 where he threw for two touchdowns and averaged 10.5 yards per pass.

62) Cam Rising | Utah

Pac-12 Rank: 9/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 49th

Once again, we’ll reiterate the point we’ve made the past two weeks about Cam Rising’s fall here: The best ability for any player on the football field is availability, and that’s been Rising’s only knock throughout his Utah career.

We’re adding Nate Johnson to the ranking here and no discredit to Johnson, he’s clearly a talented quarterback. He’s just not quite on par with the experienced signal-callers in the Pac-12’s top tiers just yet.

Against Weber State, Johnson needed just 21 attempts to throw for nearly 200 yards and get a comfortable win, but his downfield throwing will need to improve on a consistent basis. Johnson is as talented as they come on the ground, but the Utes’ pro-style system will need him to improve his passing from within the structure if they want to defend their back-to-back Pac-12 titles.

You can bet Johnson will still be apart of this offense even when Rising returns.

61) JT Daniels | Rice

AAC Rank: 6/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 83rd

We signed off last week’s writeup of JT Daniels with: “Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come for the Rice offense.” After his second straight dominant outing, it’s apparent that the good things are here for Rice.

Daniels tore apart the Texas Southern defense for 255 yards on just 11 completions. He threw for four touchdowns and dotted accurate passes to every level. Standard dropbacks were key to his success as he dished from the pocket and found his receivers all across his progressions.

This is the type of performance you’d expect from a former five-star recruit and one-time USC/Georgia/WVU quarterback.

60) John Rhys Plumlee, Timmy McClain | UCF

Big 12 Rank: 7/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 43rd

The debut of Timmy McClain in place of the injured John Rhys Plumlee looked good on paper and even better on film. Yes, it was against Villanova, but there were plenty of translatable attributes that McClain put forth that gives hope for UCF while they’re without Plumlee.

McClain spotted his receivers outside the numbers well, pushing the ball to the boundary with ease. He was solid with his decisions and short of some ball security issues on the ground, McClain played a pretty flawless game against a team you’d hope he would do such a thing.

59) E.J. Warner | Temple

AAC Rank: 5/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 61st

A reprieve before their game against Miami, Temple and E.J. Warner were gifted Norfolk State at home ahead of their trip to South Florida. Warner dissected the Spartans’ defense and hardly needed to do much in the long run.

He used this outing to test his deep ball as he spotted receivers downfield at ease and dropped in a few accurate passes to his receivers deep against Norfolk State. Ultimately, it could’ve been a better game from a statistical point of view had it not been for the Temple ground game averaging over seven yards per carry.

58) Hudson Card | Purdue

Big Ten Rank: 5/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 63rd

A loss is a loss, but Hudson Card proved he has the talent to be one of the top quarterbacks in the Big Ten in a non-conference loss to Syracuse. Card slung it around the field, patiently allowing his receivers to clear and finding his playmakers in space.

He trusted his arm a few too many times and got in trouble with ball security and an inability to sense pressure, but there are more signs of promise than not in his game.

57) Jordan McCloud | JMU

Sun Belt Rank: 7/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 60th

It wasn’t pretty, but wins against Troy rarely are, and Jordan McCloud did everything he could and needed to in order to defeat the Trojans. The JMU signal-caller has turned heads this season and looked drastically improved from what we saw of him during his time at USF and Arizona.

McCloud has thrown four touchdowns against no interceptions and littered the field with noteworthy throws to every level for JMU. It’s a shame this team can’t compete in postseason play because 12-0 is a real possibility with McCloud leading the charge.

56) Mitch Griffis | Wake Forest

ACC Rank: 8/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 30

Mitch Griffis almost squandered away a game to Sun Belt foe Old Dominion. Though he pulled it together in the end, a better opponent would have locked up a victory against Wake Forest if Griffis continued that sluggish level of play.

He was slow to read and made too many late throws to the boundary. Griffis was also poor with his ball security in the pocket and both his major poor decisions led to defensive touchdowns. He’ll have to improve for Wake Forest to continue to compete.

It’s a good thing for the Demon Deacons that they have an underrated defense.

55) Emory Jones | Cincinnati

Big 12 Rank: 6/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 48th

It was an ugly game from an offensive standpoint in the battle for the Victory Bell. Cincinnati let their in-state rivals take home the Bell in the end and Emory Jones’ two interceptions did no help in retaining it in the Queen City.

Jones struggled to make reads downfield and was too reliant upon his legs in Week 3. That will have to improve and he’ll have to see the field better if they want to compete in the Big 12 this fall.

54) Zac Larrier | Air Force

Mountain West Rank: 4/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 90th

For an offense that has arguably the top defense in the Mountain West at its disposal, Zac Larrier certainly knows how to keep things moving for the Falcons. The Air Force signal-caller ran a clean game against Utah State, moving the ball up and down the field against the Aggies, totaling over 350 yards on the ground and nearly 100 through the air.

It’s a new-look offense with Larrier’s speed leading the way, and it’s worked to the tune of a 3-0 start to the year. With some tough conference matchups ahead, Larrier’s command of the offense is clear and his confidence is growing. He’s a player to watch whenever he takes the field.

53) Kyle McCord | Ohio State

Big Ten Rank: 4/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 52nd

Paced by their defense and a dominant ground game, Kyle McCord and Ohio State rolled over Western Kentucky. With Notre Dame on the horizon, McCord took care of business with three scores and over 300 yards through the air.

It wasn’t the prettiest performance overall, but McCord has the OSU offense humming as he continues to garner game reps and acclimate himself to the speed of the game. It’s a promising sign, but Notre Dame was always going to be the biggest test of the early portion of their season.

52) KJ Jefferson | Arkansas

SEC Rank: 7/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 40th

BYU is being slept on, nationally, and Arkansas found that out the hard way on Saturday. KJ Jefferson threw for over 240 yards and made some nice throws overall, but it was far too inconsistent for him to keep his ranking here.

Ultimately, far too many mistakes led to their defeat and Jefferson will have to do better with ball security if the Razorbacks want to win many more games this year.

51) Joe Milton | Tennessee

SEC Rank: 6/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 42nd

The result was bad for Tennessee on Saturday, losing to their rival Florida Gators in the Swamp at night, a notoriously terrible place to play for opponents. But Joe Milton wasn’t all that terrible, at least throwing the ball.

Though there were hiccups, it wasn’t a bad performance overall from within the pocket and pushing it downfield. Surprisingly, the dynamic athlete struggled when he was pressured and on play-action passes, making his lone mistake on such an attempt.

They’ll grow and get better as long as they put this performance behind them and take what worked against the Gators.

50) Will Rogers | Mississippi State

SEC Rank: 5/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 25th

We’re not ready to set sail on our hopes for Will Rogers, the quarterback, but maybe we are as Will Rogers, the leader of this struggling offense. Rogers and the Bulldogs have yet to truly find an identity and it’s been downhill for our preseason No. 1 ranked quarterback in the conference.

Rogers was quick to make his reads against LSU, but he was far too inaccurate. Making matters worse, he was inaccurate when he was inside the structure of the offense. He’ll have to get better for Mississippi State to compete as they go forward.

49) Haynes King | Georgia Tech

ACC Rank: 7/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 50

For the second straight week, an Ole Miss final score doesn’t indicate just how close the game actually was. And this week, it’s Haynes King who kept the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the picture with Ole Miss.

King has drastically improved since we first saw him with Texas A&M back in 2020 and he’s clearly in the midst of a career year. His decision-making has been solid and he’s understanding when to trust his arm and force throws.

A few fortunate bounces and a slight uptick in accuracy and King could be a top-tier quarterback in no time.

48) Davis Brin | Georgia Southern

Sun Belt Rank: 6/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 28th

What if I told you, Davis Brin’s passing performance wasn’t all that bad against Wisconsin? Would you believe me? Brin got hit with some terrible luck, starting with the first interception of the day that clanged off his receiver’s hands, and it snowballed from there.

The fumbles and Brin not feeling pressure from the blind side are the worrisome features of his performance against Wisconsin as we knew Brin was this kind of gunslinger. He’ll hone in on those mistakes if his career trajectory is any indicator, and he’ll be high-flying against Sun Belt defenses in no time.

47) Jayden de Laura | Arizona

Pac-12 Rank: 8/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 58th

Six of the top 20 passers in the country in terms of yards come from the Pac-12 and Jayden de Laura currently lands at 12th in that overall group. De Laura has thrown for 912 yards and rebounded nicely from a shaky performance against Mississippi State a week ago.

UTEP’s secondary couldn’t figure out de Laura’s field-reading ability as he scanned the field brilliantly and fared well with ample time to dissect the Miners’ defense from the pocket. A clean performance against UTEP lends hope for Arizona as they look to play spoiler to one of the current favorites to win the Pac-12.

46) Nicholas Vattiato | Middle Tennessee

CUSA Rank: 3/9
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 67th

What a start it’s been for Nicholas Vattiato at Middle Tennessee. Entering his first season as the lone starter, Vattiato has improved in each game and looked more like the QB that flashed some top-tier potential as a freshman back in 2021.

Vattiato did have some mistakes against Murray State in Week 3, throwing for his second interception of the season, but his good throws and command of the offense are not in question.

45) Bryson Daily | Army

Ind. Rank: 2/4
Last Week’s Rank: 73rd

Putting on a display of excellence against a stout UTSA defense, Bryson Daily continues to impress as Army’s quarterback. Though he hasn’t come close to encroaching on Sam Hartman’s territory, Daily certainly has warranted the move to the second tier here in our FBS Independent QB Rankings.

Daily torched UTSA’s defense on the ground and utilized his arm talent to keep the lead against the Roadrunners in a marquee victory for the program. He was a beast to take down on the ground and when the going got touch against UTSA, they went to their bread and butter with Daily running the option.

The Black Knights are 2-0 since a sluggish performance against UL-Monroe to open the season and have a big test against Syracuse in Week 4.

44) Jack Plummer | Louisville

ACC Rank: 6/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 47

The comfort level Jack Plummer has within the Scott Satterfield offense is evident. He commands a great game plan for the Cardinals and keeps them on schedule more often than not. He uncorked a few beautiful throws against Indiana and kept his offense on the field when it mattered most with some crucial throws.

Plummer has thrown for 732 yards this season and five touchdowns, but that hardly tells the whole picture. He’ll pick his shots well and push the ball when necessary or allow his playmakers to do the dirty work for him all the same.

43) Joey Aguilar | Appalachian State

Sun Belt Rank: 5/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 59th

We’ll remind you of what we wrote in Week 2’s iteration of the Sun Belt QB Rankings:

Joey Aguilar’s performance — in relief — against Gardner-Webb is the kind of performance that starts legends.

Aguilar followed up his Gardner-Webb performance with a dramatic effort against North Carolina that saw him move up to sixth in our rankings and his performance against ECU in Week 3 moves him up another. He’s now in contention with the top quarterbacks of the conference.

42) Brett Gabbert | Miami (OH)

MAC Rank: 4/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 66th

The Victory Bell returns to Oxford and Brett Gabbert was certainly worthy of carrying it home up 27. He threw for 237 yards and three scores against rival Cincinnati, littering the field with impressive throws, most notably on some seam shots up the middle of the field.

This Miami offense is beginning to hum and Gabbert’s accuracy, poise, and decision-making are returning to his MAC Championship season levels.

41) Taylen Green | Boise State

Mountain West Rank: 4/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 44th

It was nice to see Taylen Green and Boise State get back in the win column and even nicer to see how they did so. Riding a strong rushing attack mixed with Green pushing the ball well downfield, it was a sound victory and great performance overall.

We all know Green is a dynamic athlete, but more performances from within the structure of the offense like the one against North Dakota are signs of promise that he’ll take the next step as a passer instead of just an athlete for the Broncos.

40) Preston Stone | SMU

AAC Rank: 4/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 55th

SMU finally got rolling on offense thanks to a visit from Prairie View A&M. Preston Stone tossed five touchdowns but hardly had to do anything in this game. He averaged nearly 15 yards per pass, and it could’ve been a much bigger finish had his receivers not cost him with a couple of drops.

Still, Stone has rallied from a few slow performances to start the season and may be rounding into the form that has so many excited around the SMU program as AAC play hits.

39) Cole Snyder | Buffalo

MAC Rank: 3/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 36th

It wasn’t all bad for Buffalo on Saturday against Liberty. Sure, Cole Snyder threw two picks (they were both tipped balls and not necessarily his fault), but Snyder also rebounded after each turnover and threw for four touchdowns and nearly 300 yards.

The Liberty defense has been a takeaway machine in 2023, so limiting the mistakes to just two is actually a surprising feat against the Flames. Snyder will certainly hope to improve as MAC play kicks off, but he’s certainly got the talent to rebound from this 0-3 start.

38) Chevan Cordeiro | San Jose State

Mountain West Rank: 2/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 18th

The San Jose State Spartans needed just one more throw or one fewer mistake from Chevan Cordeiro if they wanted to knock off MAC favorite Toledo. Cordeiro played too much of a boom-or-bust game against the Rockets, and has lost his top spot to Keene in the process.

Still, Cordeiro has wowed with his arm talent and against Toledo that was no different. His downfield power is unmatched and he’s a willing gunslinger. Harnessing his talent to a consistent pass-for-pass basis is key to his growth this year.

37) Will Howard | Kansas State

Big 12 Rank: 5/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 32nd

Kansas State was bested by an SEC foe and a huge leg when Harrison Mevis blasted a 61-yard game-winning field goal as time expired. Will Howard didn’t have his best game but he certainly wasn’t the culprit for the loss.

Throwing for 270 yards and a trio of scores, Howard did a good job of pushing the offense down the field and keeping them on schedule through most of the game. His decision-making was clear and sharp, the offense will need to get better as a whole if they want to repeat in the Big 12, however.

36) Conner Weigman | Texas A&M

SEC Rank: 4/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 53rd

A nice rebound performance from Conner Weigman and Texas A&M actually got off to a bit of a slow start against UL-Monroe. Still, Weigman completed almost every pass and it wasn’t just dink-and-dunk attempts. He pushed the ball down the field well and was a magician over the middle.

Weigman’s turned the corner and pushed the Miami performance behind him it appears. If he’s this consistent and this sharp as they enter SEC play, Weigman should make some serious noise.

35) Cam Ward | Washington State

Pac-12 Rank: 7/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 38th

A week after impressing against Wisconsin, Cam Ward was once again dominant in Week 3. He threw for 330 yards and four scores, testing the field at every level against Northern Colorado.

Ward, who we said needed to work on ball security this season, took great care of the football against an inferior opponent as you’d expect someone with his talent to do. He’s sixth in the nation in passing with 986 yards and has yet to throw an interception compared to his nine touchdowns.

34) Carter Bradley | South Alabama

Sun Belt Rank: 4/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 41st

Carter Bradley and the South Alabama Jaguars started off slowly this season, but with two impressive performances in a row, things are looking more and more like they’ll compete for the Sun Belt as we expected. Bradley and the Jags marched into Stillwater and beat the brakes off Oklahoma State.

Bradley was terrific against the Cowboys and found his top playmaker, Caullin Lacy, on numerous occasions to highlight this growing relationship that is easily one of the Sun Belt’s best QB-WR combinations.

33) Kedon Slovis | BYU

Big 12 Rank: 4/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 34th

When the Cougars needed a big play, it was Kedon Slovis who treated. It wasn’t his best performance overall, but in hostile SEC country, Slovis delivered. So did Chase Roberts, but we’re not here to discuss Roberts’ ridiculous one-handed, OBJ-esque touchdown grab in the back of the end zone.

Or maybe we are? You know who immaculately placed that pass for Roberts to snare it out of the air with one hand? Kedon Slovis.

Slovis came up big in the clutch and made amends for early mistakes against Arkansas. Going up against Daniels, who sits right above him on this list, Slovis will have to limit mistakes and make more of those ‘wow’ throws BYU fans have come to expect out of him.

32) Mikey Keene | Fresno State

Mountain West Rank: 1/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 37th

A defensive shellacking and a terrific outing from Mikey Keene gave Fresno State a marquee blowout win over Pac-12 foe Arizona State. Keene threw for nearly 300 yards and was solid in doing so.

There weren’t any ‘wow’ moments, just a masterfully run game plan and flawlessly executed offensive performance that indicates what the baseline of this offense is if Keene is playing mistake-free football. That’s a sign of great things to come for Jeff Tedford and Co.

31) Jalon Daniels | Kansas

Big 12 Rank: 3/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 33rd

We welcomed Jalon Daniels back to the party last week against Illinois and he once again didn’t disappoint in Week 3 against Nevada. The Wolf Pack kept it closer than Kansas fans would have wanted but Daniels still showcased why he’s so highly regarded.

Completing nearly 80% of his throws for just under 300 yards will do that for a quarterback, especially when that same QB is putting up those numbers from a clean pocket on standard dropbacks. Daniels is dynamic but the growth he’s shown from throwing inside the structure through two weeks is inspiring.

30) Kurtis Rourke | Ohio

MAC Rank: 2/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 39th

It’s not the high-flying attack we’ve come used to seeing from Ohio with a Rourke at the helm, but the Bobcats and Kurtis Rourke pulled off a marquee upset over Big 12 foe Iowa State in Week 3. Rourke’s box score may not indicate how sharp he was against the Cyclones and their excellent secondary, but when you watch what he was able to do, you’ll be impressed.

There are certainly items to clean up for Rourke and Ohio, but this win (and how strong their defense has been this season) is a potential sign of things to come with MAC play on the horizon.

29) Tyler Van Dyke | Miami (FL)

ACC Rank: 5/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 46

For a quarterback to be considered one of the best in the country, they need to dismantle inferior foes. Tyler Van Dyke did just that on Thursday, blowing through Bethune-Cookman to the tune of two scores through the air and another on the ground in a near-perfect performance.

He made correct reads on the ground and even better reads of the defense through the air. BC wasn’t going to move the needle too much in terms of his season growth, but it was a refreshing sight to see Van Dyke continue the resurgence to his 2021 level of play.

28) Seth Henigan | Memphis

AAC Rank: 3/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 23rd

On Thursday night of Week 3, Seth Henigan had a chance to shine and improve his stock in these AAC QB Rankings. The win was nice, but Henigan failed to take advantage of a porous Navy secondary in front of a national audience.

Henigan had a sound drive to open the game and his talent was evident. Forced off his spot and to make some throws happen outside of the structure of the offense as the game went along, Henigan failed to put away the Midshipmen.

He was bailed out by a few miraculous catches at the catch point but still displayed the accuracy and arm talent that makes him a special QB.

27) Taulia Tagovailoa | Maryland

Big Ten Rank: 3/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 31st

For the second straight week, Maryland started off slowly in a game. They found themselves down 14-0 to Virginia before Taulia Tagovailoa turned on the jets.

With his zippy arm and quick decisions, he threw for nearly 350 yards and a score, averaging 11 yards per pass attempt, most of which came on consecutive drives that saw the Maryland offense score 42 consecutive points.

The preseason No. 1 Big Ten QB is looking more and more like the Tagovailoa we knew from the past few years and if he is back to form, avoiding those slow starts will keep this team in every Big Ten game remaining.

26) DJ Uiagalelei | Oregon State

Pac-12 Rank: 6/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 19th

For the first time this season, DJ Uiagalalei and the Oregon State Beavers faced some adversity. In the face of trouble and a challenging secondary, Uiagalelei threw his first interception of the season but rebounded in a way we haven’t seen him do in his college career.

Uiagalalei threw for nearly 300 yards against a stout San Diego State secondary and rallied the team around him for a comfortable victory in the end. He’ll need to improve his downfield accuracy as the season wears on, but this Oregon State team is for real with Uiagalelei leading the charge.

25) Frank Harris, Eddie Lee Marburger | UTSA

AAC Rank: 2/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 15th

With Frank Harris out, Eddie Lee Marburger got the start against Army on Friday night of Week 3. Though the result was ultimately not what they wanted, Marburger still played a solid football game.

The Army offense controlled the ball for most of the game, notably most of the first quarter, and the UTSA hardly got through their scripted offense before halftime. Marburger threw or three scores and started to grow with his confidence as the game went along.

Ultimately, it was too little too late, but one wonders if Harris had even been in the lineup had it gone the other way. Not with how Army played.

24) Spencer Rattler | South Carolina

SEC Rank: 3/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 26th

Spencer Rattler’s final box-score numbers won’t show it, but his performance against Georgia did enough to bring him back into the top three among our SEC QB Rankings. Rattler started off hot and showcased his elite arm talent.

But when the going got tough, he forced the ball into too many tight windows, trusting his arm maybe a bit too much. We’re confident of the fact that if he didn’t have to force the ball down two scores with under a minute left, he wouldn’t have had multiple interceptions in this one.

South Carolina has a lot to clean up after the Georgia game, but Rattler is hardly one of them.

23) Jaxson Dart | Ole Miss

SEC Rank: 2/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 21st

They got the win against a feisty Georgia Tech team, and you better believe the game Jaxson Dart played was a big reason why. Dart consistently pushed the ball down the field accurately when the play called for it, and ran a terrific performance on the ground with his legs.

It wasn’t as we’ve come to expect from Dart, but it was another wrinkle that SEC defenses are going to have to contend against as he continues to gain confidence.

22) Garrett Shrader | Syracuse

ACC Rank: 4/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 22

Keeping his place at No. 4 and on the edge of the Elite Tier, Garrett Shrader ran through the Purdue defense, literally. He looked sharp as a passer, despite what the generic box score will show fans.

Shrader dropped some accurate passes to his receivers in stride all over the field, and was nearly perfect over the middle of the field. When push came to shove, though, it was Shrader’s dual-threat ability and ridiculous performance on the ground against Purdue that gave him the edge over the charging Tyler Van Dyke from Miami.

21) Dante Moore | UCLA

Pac-12 Rank: 5/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 20th

We knew Dante Moore was special based on his recruiting tape, but what he’s put forth in his short career at UCLA is awe-inspiring. With another ridiculous, albeit short outing against NC Central, Moore has proven his elite-level skills translate to the college football field in a short period of time.

Moore is averaging 12.1 yards per pass attempt this season and still completing passes at a high rate. He’s pushing the ball incredibly well downfield and seeing the field brilliantly. The tests get a bit more difficult as the season progresses for UCLA, but Moore appears ready for the challenges.

20) Drew Allar | Penn State

Big Ten Rank: 2/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 16th

Quietly, Drew Allar has put forth a terrific start to the 2023 season. Against Illinois, Allar struggled to find his receivers open downfield, and sure he had some issues with his playmakers dropping the ball, but it was an underwhelming performance in what amounted to a blowout performance.

Still, Allar picked his shots well and kept the ball out of harm’s way against a tough defense. The Penn State offense may not run through Allar at this time, and that’s just fine. Time will tell if he’s able to spark the offense when the going gets tough.

19) Michael Pratt, Kai Horton | Tulane

AAC Rank: 1/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 8th

We all know how gifted Michael Pratt is for the Tulane Green Wave. And we know that had he played against Ole Miss, things might have gone differently. Pratt and Tulane have lost their spot in the Elite Tier until his return, but Kai Horton has served as a more-than-average replacement.

Horton fared well enough to give Tulane a chance against Ole Miss in Week 2 and played a solid performance against Southern Miss in Week 3. He threw for nearly 200 yards at nearly 10 yards per attempt, taking great care of the ball and not forcing throws against a talented Southern Miss secondary hellbent on repeating last year’s upset.

Though Horton appears limited in the sense that Pratt gives the Green Wave a chance to win any contest, Horton has improved with each rep.

18) T.J. Finley | Texas State

Sun Belt Rank: 3/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 29th

T.J. Finley was lights out, as you would expect, against Jackson State in Week 3. He threw for three scores and littered the field with accurate passes, pushing the ball to the boundary equally as well as he threw over the middle of the field.

Finley and Texas State have taken the Sun Belt by storm and there’s seemingly no stopping them.

17) Grayson McCall | Coastal Carolina

Sun Belt Rank: 2/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 14th

For the second week in a row, Grayson McCall has returned to form. He slides in our rankings here not because of anything he did, but rather everything that Grainger has done.

A top showdown looms between Coastal Carolina and Georgia State as the conference’s two best quarterbacks duel. It’s the best Thursday night game we’ve had in a long time in college football.

16) Dequan Finn | Toledo

MAC Rank: 1/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 13th

Toledo’s non-conference schedule was never going to be kind to the Rockets nor Dequan Finn this season. Yet, they’ve come out with a 2-1 record and were a field goal away from pulling the upset against Illinois.

Finn didn’t have his finest performance against San Jose State in Week 3, landing short of 100 yards through the air, but he did enough of what his team needed to pull them to victory. He’s rounding into form and remains the top quarterback in the MAC so far this season.

15) Kaidon Salter | Liberty

CUSA Rank: 2/9
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 35th

We’ve seen enough. Kaidon Salter is elite. And he’s running an elite offense led by Jamey Chadwell at elite levels.

Salter earned QB of the Week honors for his Week 3 performance and landed on our First-Team in our Week 3 Team of the Week after dominating the Buffalo Bulls on Saturday.

He placed accurate passes in the back of the end zone from 50 yards away and powered shots through holes in zone coverages all the same. In the end, Salter accounted for six touchdowns and did so in eye-opening fashion.

Salter is every bit of an elite athlete and terrific passer who is running one of the most QB-friendly offenses in the country.

14) Austin Reed | Western Kentucky

CUSA Rank: 1/9
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 11th

A tough test against Ohio State yielded little positivity for Austin Reed and Western Kentucky. Yet, Reed played an inspiring game against all odds. He took relatively good care of the ball and still flashed some of his elite arm talent.

The road gets easier as the schedule continues for WKU and Reed, and the reemergence of Malachi Corley against Ohio State is a sign of good things to come. Reed’s still top 40 in the country in passing yards, and he’s yet to find his truly elite groove.

13) Riley Leonard | Duke

ACC Rank: 3/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 17th

Riley Leonard hardly had to do anything against Northwestern as his run game dismantled the Wildcats’ defense. Still, Leonard completed passes at a high clip and did so with some impressive pocket work and off-script ability.

A dynamic player, Leonard continues to prove just how talented he is with strong performances through the air and with his legs. The schedule gets tougher, but Leonard looks more and more like the guy to push Duke over the proverbial hump.

12) Darren Grainger | Georgia State

Sun Belt Rank: 1/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 27th

For two weeks in a row, we’ve told you that Darren Grainger is must-watch TV.

He proved that yet again in Week 3 and now gets a nationally-televised Thursday night showdown with No. 2 on this list, Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall.

Grainger is generating real Heisman talk and playing some of the best football of any quarterback in the country. He’s well on his way to record-breaking numbers in his third season with the team, each season in which he’s shown tremendous growth.

He and the Panthers must get by Coastal on Thursday night before we can say this with much gusto, but the sky is the limit for Grainger.

11) Jayden Daniels | LSU

SEC Rank: 1/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 24th

We wanted to wait a bit to see if Jayden Daniels would rebound from the season-opening performance on a consistent basis. After Week 3, that’s all we needed to see to crown him the first SEC quarterback in our Elite Tier.

Daniels was lights out in the first half against Mississippi State and accounted for four touchdowns (two through the air, two on the ground). Daniels played a flawless game against the Bulldogs and completed nearly 90% of his throws against an underrated defense.

10) J.J. McCarthy | Michigan

Big Ten Rank: 1/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 7th

The going got tough for J.J. McCarthy on Saturday night against an underrated Bowling Green secondary. He was picked off three times, all decisions McCarthy is going to want back and failed to take advantage of an overmatched defense overall.

It’s fine to have a bad outing or an off night once in a while, but these kinds of performances won’t keep McCarthy here in the Elite Tier for much longer, nor will it win their games once they get to Big Ten play.

9) Bo Nix | Oregon

Pac-12 Rank: 4/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 12th

It was only a matter of time before Bo Nix got moved up into the Elite Tier of Pac-12 quarterbacks. There is no shortage of them out west, and Nix belongs in the mention with the big three that grab national headlines.

Nix has hardly had to play a full four quarters this season, and against Hawaii in Week 3, that was the case again. He threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns against the Rainbow Warriors and has completed 77.6% of his passes this season.

Well on his way toward some elite college football career records, Nix is once again proving he’s one of the top quarterbacks in the country.

8) Quinn Ewers | Texas

Big 12 Rank: 2/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 10th

With the run game moving the ball all too well, Quinn Ewers didn’t have to do much against Wyoming. The Cowboys’ secondary is no joke, and Ewers didn’t have his finest performance, yet it didn’t matter. Ewers still threw for two scores and did a great job of picking his shots when necessary.

We know what Ewers is at his best and though Week 3 wasn’t his pinnacle, he’s absolutely one of the two best QBs in the Big 12.

7) Dillon Gabriel | Oklahoma

Big 12 Rank: 1/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 9th

It was over in the first half for the Oklahoma Sooners against Tulsa, and to be honest, maybe even before they stepped on the field. After Washington picked apart the Tulsa secondary, Oklahoma had a good roadmap of how to do such a thing as well.

From the confines of home, Dillon Gabriel dotted the field brilliantly against the Golden Hurricane, proving once again that he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. Gabriel was a magician over the middle of the field, finding his receivers at every level and throwing them open or perfectly in stride.

He made a few errors under pressure, but we’ll chalk those up to trusting his arm too much in a not-so-closely contested game.

6) Sam Hartman | Notre Dame

Ind. Rank: 1/4
Last Week’s Rank: 6th

Notre Dame ran through Central Michigan with ease in Week 3 and Sam Hartman leads the nation with 13 touchdown passes. Notably, however, Hartman is one of just two quarterbacks with double-digit touchdown passes and no interceptions, joining only Caleb Williams, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, in doing so.

Hartman has taken great care of the football and, after easing into the Notre Dame offense back in Week 0 in Ireland, has looked every bit the part of one of the nation’s top quarterbacks.

He’s got the arm talent and Hartman’s adjusted to the new offense at Notre Dame just fine, exceeding even the loftiest of expectations. All that’s left is a marquee victory to his name. He’s got the chance to do that against Ohio State in Week 4.

5) Jordan Travis | Florida State

ACC Rank: 2/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 2nd

It wasn’t all Jordan Travis’ fault against Boston College, no, not at all. However, an injury sustained at the end of the first half gave cause for concern.

Travis answered any doubts, however, with a deep downfield shot to Johnny Wilson on the opening drive of the second half to show he was feeling just fine. Still, the Seminoles had to escape Chestnut Hill with some defensive heroics after a costly fumble and multiple lapses on the defensive side of the ball.

Travis was a play or two short in the long run, opening a window for BC. He’s still one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country, and FSU fans will hope this was the lone road apple on an otherwise successful season ahead.

4) Drake Maye | North Carolina

ACC Rank: 1/14
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 3rd

Drake Maye was lights out against a talented Minnesota defense with some serious next-level players. Maye dotted his passes accurately and all over the field against the Gophers, throwing for over 400 yards and two scores.

He had a few ill-fated decisions that he’ll probably want back, but this performance indicates just how bulletproof Maye is as a quarterback. He’s 17th on the season passing yards list and yet it feels like he hasn’t scratched the surface of a full four-quarter performance.

3) Shedeur Sanders | Colorado

Pac-12 Rank: 3/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 5th

Shedeur Sanders led the Colorado Buffaloes back against Colorado State in what could only be described as in a “Tom Brady-esque” way. Sanders impressed with his second-half passing against the in-state rival Rams. He was spot on more often than not and continues to show he’s ready for the biggest of stages.

He trails only Penix in total passing yards this season and though he had his first interception of the season against CSU, it was hardly his fault as it came on a 50-50 ball. Sanders is dominating the action and faces his first true test in Week 3 against Oregon’s secondary.

2) Michael Penix Jr. | Washington

Pac-12 Rank: 2/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 4th

Michael Penix Jr. has quite simply been on a tear this season. He leads the nation with 1,332 passing yards and his 12 touchdowns trail only Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman, who has a game advantage on Penix.

Dotting the fields left and right with accurate passes to every level of the field, the Big Ten was reminded of the elite status of Penix as he dominated Michigan State’s secondary. He’s pushing the boundaries of what he can do and doing so with precision, accuracy, and great success.

Penix is making a case for his own Heisman candidacy and climbing closer and closer to Williams’ throne atop the Pac-12 (and national) QB rankings.

1) Caleb Williams | USC

Pac-12 Rank: 1/12
Last Week’s Overall Rank: 1st

Caleb Williams sat back and watched as his Pac-12 counterparts impressed all afternoon on Saturday. With a Week 0 game in his bag, William’s lone midseason bye week came ahead of a two-game road stretch that includes their first true test, which comes on September 30 against Colorado.

Here’s what we said last week about Williams:

While Stanford wasn’t quite an uptick in competition for Caleb Williams, it was nice to see him dominate against a Power Five opponent all the same. Williams created well, found his receivers in space equally as impressively, and was nearly perfect on the day.

Through three games this season, Williams has 12 touchdowns against zero interceptions. Making that all more impressive, he’s done so with pretty much flawless execution and decision-making.