Do these QB Power Rankings have powers that not even I, the creator and sole arbiter of the weekly QB Power Rankings, understand? Probably, yes. It's a power we should all be aware of and fear because it can do what it wants. For instance, I left Michigan's J.J. McCarthy out of the top 10 last week and slotted him into the Honorable Mentions section. It was the first time since early last season I left McCarthy out of the rankings, and the reasons for doing so were simple.
Other quarterbacks across the country were displaying more power than McCarthy. He was putting up nice numbers but also doing so against light competition in games that felt more like scrimmages. Honestly, have you watched Michigan games? The Wolverines are moving at a pace slower than service academies. Michigan is averaging 112 snaps per game, by far the fewest in the country. Air Force is next at 115.
Anyway, the point is Michigan fans spent the week yelling at me for removing McCarthy, and lo and behold, after throwing three interceptions during the entirety of the 2022 regular season, McCarthy threw three interceptions last week against Bowling Green. Let this serve as a warning to all who hold their QB in high regard but don't quite understand the power behind QB Power.
Do not question forces you cannot control.
| 1 | 
Caleb Williams
USC Trojans QB
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| Williams had last week off but returns to the top spot anyway. He's just that good. Also, I said last week that the reason I put Quinn Ewers No. 1 was that he beat Alabama on the road; you can't not rank a guy No. 1 after that. Williams is confident enough in himself to allow it, knowing that the forces of the universe will eventually return him to his rightful throne. (Last Week: 2) | |
| 2 | 
Sam Hartman
Notre Dame Fighting Irish QB
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| Hartman continued tearing it up last week, throwing for 330 yards and three more touchdowns against Central Michigan. This week, he has a shot to take the No. 1 spot. There's no arguing that Hartman hasn't been impressive already, but if he maintains the same level of play against Ohio State this weekend and Notre Dame wins? Well, it sounds pretty powerful to me. (3) | |
| 3 | 
Shedeur Sanders
Colorado Buffaloes QB
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| Vince Young once said on the "Pardon My Take" podcast that his philosophy during a game was to simply maintain in the first half. Basically, don't do anything that will get your team in trouble. Then, in the second half, "go the f--- off." Sanders took a similar approach on Saturday. He didn't look great for most of the game, but in crunch time, he turned into the greatest QB of all time while leading the Buffs on a comeback victory. Clutch goes a long way at the QB position. (4) | |
| 4 | 
Michael Penix Jr.
Washington Huskies QB
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| I wrote about Michael Penix and Washington earlier this week. If you don't want to read the whole thing, the Cliff's Notes version is that Michael Penix is awesome and Washington is a wagon. (5) | |
| 5 | 
Quinn Ewers
Texas Longhorns QB
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| I'll be honest, I nearly knocked Ewers down a few more spots. He was messing around a little too much against Wyoming last week, completing only 11 of his 21 passes for 131 yards, but he did throw a couple of touchdowns and came to life in the fourth quarter. He paid attention to Vince Young's second-half mantra but ignored the part about maintaining in the first half. (1) | |
| 6 | 
Bo Nix
Oregon Ducks QB
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| It's a little scary to think that Nix, who has thrown for 893 yards and eight touchdowns while leading his team to an average of 58 points per game, doesn't look like he's gotten out of first gear yet. What happens when Nix and the Ducks have to turn it up a notch on offense? We'll find out this week when they go head-to-head with Shedeur Sanders and Colorado. (8) | |
| 7 | 
Dillon Gabriel
Oklahoma Sooners QB
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| I'm sorry, Dillon, I don't mean to bring the spotlight on you. See, I've had this fear all season long that you're playing too well. I'm not sure that's the best thing for you to do because if you play too well, the Sooners jump out to a huge lead. When the Sooners jump out to a huge lead, they pull you from the game and send in five-star freshman Jackson Arnold. And if Jackson Arnold plays well ... well, watch your back. But you are playing incredible football right now, and it is time for you to return to our rankings. (Not Ranked) | |
| 8 | 
Drake Maye
North Carolina Tar Heels QB
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| Listen, Drake, I'm putting you on notice. I dropped you last week because you weren't putting up spectacular numbers to start the season, but you responded against Minnesota. Kind of. You threw for 414 yards and two touchdowns, averaging over 10 yards per attempt, but you also threw another two interceptions. So, on the season, you have four touchdowns and four interceptions. That TD/INT ratio is not becoming of a Powerful QB, young man! Start taking better care of the football! Or start throwing a lot more touchdowns to make up for it. (7) | |
| 9 | 
Jordan Travis
Florida State Seminoles QB
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| I'm not happy with Travis' performance against Boston College last week, but he didn't play poorly enough to warrant falling out of the top 10. A drop will suffice. The 31-20 win at BC wasn't as much a Travis problem as an FSU one. The Seminoles looked like a team that was far more concerned about this week's trip to Clemson than the game in front of them. It's not the first time we've seen it happen, nor will it be the last. Still, I'd have liked to have seen Travis bury the Eagles in the first half to allow the 'Noles to sleepwalk in the second half. (6) | |
| 10 | 
Darren Grainger
Georgia State Panthers QB
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| You probably don't pay much attention to Georgia State, but Darren Grainger gives you plenty of reason to change that. The Panthers are off to a 3-0 start, thanks primarily to their senior QB. He's already thrown for 803 yards, rushed for 216 and accounted for eight total touchdowns this year. Last week against Charlotte, he completed 27 of his 33 passes for 466 yards (14.1 per attempt!) and three touchdowns. How can I not include him in the rankings after a game like that? (NR) | |
Honorable Mention: Jalon Daniels, Kansas; Kyle McCord, Ohio State; Dante Moore, UCLA; Tyler Van Dyke, Miami; Cam Ward, Washington State
