What an incredible opening weekend of quarterback play across the country. We came into the season with questions about who would emerge as the Alpha QB for 2024 after losing both Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams to the NFL, and honestly, it's harder to figure out now than last week.
And it's not for a lack of options.
There's a lot of change in this week's power rankings, which isn't uncommon early in the season, but it wasn't easy to figure things out this week. It's never easy whittling the list down to 10 players when there are usually between 15-20 worthy options, but this week was harder than ever.
The lack of upsets and preponderance of games against FCS competition didn't help. Before we get to the rankings, here is a quick reminder about our guidelines.
This is not a draft board ranking, nor is it based on any kind of statistical formula. Your numbers matter, sure, but overall, I'm ranking quarterbacks based on the "juice" they have at the current moment in time. It's a combination of how well you're playing, what you have accomplished and what you might accomplish in the near future. If you believe a QB I haven't listed should be listed, I only kept them off the list because I don't like you. Or, perhaps it's this second part.
I don't rank any QB the week after a loss. You could be the greatest QB of all time, but if you lose on Saturday, you won't be here. That's the burden the QB must carry. If you win, it's because your teammates did their jobs. If you lose, it's on you. Embrace it.
Let's get to it.
1 |
Carson Beck
Georgia Bulldogs QB
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There may have been a lot of great performances over the weekend, but there was never any question about leaving Beck at No. 1. Not only did he complete 23 of his 33 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns, but he did so against a top defense in Clemson. In a weekend that saw most of our guys going against walk-ons, Beck proved himself against some of the best again. (Last Week: 1) | |
2 |
Cam Ward
Miami (FL) Hurricanes QB
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OK, so I didn't rank Cam Ward during the offseason because I have concerns about his consistency. I was particularly concerned about how a QB who doesn't mind taking a risk or twelve would fare on the road in a tough environment in his first game with a new team. Concerns squashed! Ward lit The Swamp on fire, throwing for 385 yards, rushing for 33 more and throwing three touchdowns. Not only did he help the Canes vanquish a bitter rival, but he established Miami as the team to beat in the ACC. (Not Ranked) | |
3 |
Jalen Milroe
Alabama Crimson Tide QB
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I'm not sure I've ever seen this before, but Jalen Milroe is currently tied for third nationally with five total touchdowns and has the highest passing efficiency in the country (374.4), but he doesn't qualify as the nation's leader because he didn't throw enough passes. Milroe threw only nine times against Western Kentucky but completed seven for 200 yards and rushed for 79. He averaged 22.2 yards per attempt! He did fumble twice, though, which is something to keep an eye on. (3) | |
4 |
Shedeur Sanders
Colorado Buffaloes QB
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It was a classic Shedeur performance in Colorado's close call against North Dakota State. There were the moments where Sanders caused you to shake your head because he did something incredible and the moments where you shook your head because you had no idea what he was thinking. I'm not talking about checking to a pass late in the game, either. Sometimes, he stands in the pocket and waits far too long to get rid of the ball. On the one hand, you admire how tough he is and that he's willing to take the hit for his team, but at the same time, you worry he will get killed back there. In the end, he finished with 462 total yards and four touchdowns. Just another day at the office. (5) | |
5 |
Quinn Ewers
Texas Longhorns QB
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Quinn falls a few spots this week, not because he played poorly but because he just didn't play as well as the guys ahead of him. Texas abused Colorado State for 60 minutes en route to a 52-0 victory that allowed Deputy Ewers to sit quite a bit in the second half and let Arch Manning light social media on fire with his touchdowns. Ewers finished 20-of-27 passing with 260 yards and three touchdowns. (2) | |
6 |
Nico Iamaleava
Tennessee Volunteers QB
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I already shared plenty of thoughts on Iamaleava's performance on Saturday, and you can read them all here. If you're too lazy to do that, just know that even if it was against Chattanooga, the things Nico did will not change my overall opinion of him. In short, I love him. He's perfect. It was his second career start, and he looked like a four-year NFL veteran. Total command of the offense, with perfect dart after perfect dart. There will be weeks when it won't look this easy, but not as many as for most. (6) | |
7 |
Miller Moss
USC Trojans QB
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The good news for Miller Moss is that he outplayed Garrett Nussmeier and led USC to an impressive opening win against LSU in the national spotlight. The bad news is that his career average of 6.0 touchdowns per start plummeted to 3.5 as he only threw for one tuddy against the Tigers. Still, he finished with 370 yards while completing 75% of his 36 passes, and looked like Joe Montana leading the offense in late-game situations. Of all the QBs I saw this weekend, Moss' performance may have been the most surprising for me. (NR) | |
8 |
Jaxson Dart
Ole Miss Rebels QB
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Dart did nothing wrong that led to him falling a spot. He was damn near perfect, completing 81.5% of his passes for 15.5 yards a pop and tallying six total touchdowns. It's just that he did so against Furman, so it's hard for me to rank him ahead of Moss when he beat LSU and Nico, who has my heart. (7) | |
9 |
Drew Allar
Penn State Nittany Lions QB
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Speaking of my heart, Drew Allar is coming after it. I'll be honest; it pained me to watch Allar last season. My opinion of him was so much higher than what we were seeing, and I don't care about his TD/INT ratio. He looked far too ordinary for a player with his talent. Well, we finally got a glimpse of what Allar is truly capable of in the new Penn State offense. He only threw for 216 yards but averaged 12.7 yards per attempt and, more importantly, averaged 10.9 air yards per attempt. No more of those short passes we saw all last year! My man has a cannon, and they were letting him fire it. (NR) | |
10 |
Diego Pavia
Vanderbilt Commodores QB
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Diego Pavia is a legend. He's the QB you see in every movie ever made about college football. He's the guy you want on your side in the huddle and at the bar when somebody is giving you the evil eye. And you definitely want him on your side when you're an underdog nobody expects to win because that's when he thrives. Auburn learned it the hard way last year; this season, it was Virginia Tech's turn. Pavia finished with 294 total yards and three total touchdowns to lead Vanderbilt to a 34-27 upset win over the Hokies. (NR) |
Honorable Mention: Hudson Card, Purdue; Billy Edwards, Maryland; Noah Fifita, Arizona; John Mateer, Washington State; Cam Rising, Utah