QB rankings for all 68 Power 4 teams

With so many top teams returning experienced and high-caliber quarterbacks, we knew the most important position in football would be a particularly big storyline in the 2026 college season. With young guys enjoying huge breakouts and veterans slumping out of the gate, it has been an even bigger storyline than I would have imagined. Texas' Arch Manning, Oregon's Dante Moore and Texas A&M's Marcel Reed have all disappointed compared to expectations thus far, but in my first attempt at ranking power conference QBs this season, I have still managed to absolutely agonize over which of eight different guys to rank No. 1. Veterans CJ Carr (Notre Dame), Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), Jayden Maiava (USC), Darian Mensah (Miami), Julian Sayin (Ohio State) and Gunner Stockton (Georgia) have all looked genuinely elite at times, and two precocious youngsters -- Keelon Russell (Alabama) and Kamario Taylor (Mississippi State) -- have almost looked better than any of them. I knew whoever ranked second through eighth below was going to feel underrated, but it's my job to rank QBs, and it's your job to get mad at me for it. So let's jump in together! Here's the first 1-to-68 QB ranking of the 2026 campaign. (For each player, I'm including where I had them ranked in the spring as a way to judge who has surprised and who hasn't.) 1. Darian Mensah, Miami Hurricanes Spring ranking: 11th Total QBR: 93.9 | Pass Yds: 1,211 | Rush Yds: 63 | Total TDs: 15 When a QB has an amazing receiver at his disposal -- like, say, Malachi Toney or Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith -- it's hard to know what to do with his passing stats; do you discount them in some way because his job's easier than others'? But I try to make my job easy when I can: Even with Toney, Mensah ranks first among power conference QBs in completion rate (88.7%!), touchdowns (14), yards per dropback (11.0) and passing success rate* (68.7%). When you're No. 1 in that many key categories, you're No. 1 on this list. Miami spent a lot of money bringing Mensah to town, and he has thus far been worth twice as much. * Success rate is the frequency with which an offense is gaining at least 50% of necessary yardage on first down, 70% on second and 100% on third or fourth. 2. CJ Carr, Notre Dame Fighting Irish Spring ranking: first Total QBR: 89.4 | Pass Yds: 963 | Rush Yds: 22 | Total TDs: 11 Despite getting far less support from his run game (and losing his best deep threat from 2025), Carr has improved his numbers in nearly every important category this season, from Total QBR (83.4 to 89.4), to completion rate (66.6% to 70.5%), to yards per completion (14.1 to 14.4), to success rate (50.9% to 56.3%). He's making quicker decisions and suffering fewer INTs and sacks, and he might have found an even better deep threat in Micah Gilbert (last two games: 10 catches for 253 yards). My top guy in the spring has done nothing to convince me I was wrong about him -- even if Mensah's perfect stats got him ranked higher. 3. Julian Sayin, Ohio State Buckeyes Spring ranking: second Total QBR: 92.8 | Pass Yds: 1,206 | Rush Yds: 40 | Total TDs: 12 Almost as if to prove that he's more than just The Guy Who Throws to Jeremiah Smith -- who was particularly ridiculous against Illinois last Saturday -- Sayin ran for some tough yards (including five first downs and a touchdown) against the Illini, and over the first four games of the year he has developed a lovely rapport with secondary receivers Devin McCuin, Brandon Inniss, Brock Boyd and Phillip Bell (combined: 36 targets, 28 catches, 386 yards, two TDs). He's accurate and awesome, and the only thing we haven't seen from him yet is a big, go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter. Then again, he doesn't exactly get many opportunities at that, does he? 4. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss Rebels Spring ranking: third Total QBR: 85.6 | Pass Yds: 1,222 | Rush Yds: 139 | Total TDs: 12 Among these top eight guys, Chambliss has the worst stats of the bunch. His 8.0 yards per dropback are at least a yard behind everyone else in this group, and even in Ole Miss' cathartic win over LSU, the Rebels' offense was shut down for most of a half. But he has already led two winning fourth-quarter drives this season, and however far the Rebels make it this year with an increasingly shaky-looking defense, it will be because Chambliss dragged them there. 5. Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State Bulldogs Spring ranking: 48th Total QBR: 87.1 | Pass Yds: 1,192 | Rush Yds: 219 | Total TDs: 15 Maybe the most exciting thing about Taylor is that he's still clearly learning on the job. Against both South Carolina and Missouri in the past two games, the Bulldogs' offense fell into a prolonged funk that put them in danger. But he was so good the rest of the way that MSU still scored over 30 points and won. He takes a few too many sacks, but a 69% completion rate, 9.1 yards per dropback and a 14-to-2 TD-to-INT rate -- combined with selective but devastating running -- is pretty ridiculous for a first-year starter. He's your September Heisman winner, and the fact that he appears to be cool as hell only adds to the aura. Kamario Taylor with a message 😂 @HailStateFB pic.twitter.com/GLreTQOfTe — SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 27, 2026 6. Jayden Maiava, USC Trojans Spring ranking: fifth Total QBR: 87.4 | Pass Yds: 1,499 | Rush Yds: 24 | Total TDs: 16 Maiava evidently won't get any more defensive support this season than he did in the past, and that's a shame. Despite having a ridiculously young receiving corps at his disposal -- and despite the best of his freshmen receivers quickly getting hurt -- he just keeps delivering. He should threaten 4,000 passing yards and 35 TDs this year, and he's 11th among power conference QBs in yards per dropback (9.1). 7. Keelon Russell, Alabama Crimson Tide Spring ranking: 28th Total QBR: 89.0 | Pass Yds: 1,129 | Rush Yds: 223 | Total TDs: 11 With his rate of improvement, he might rank in the top three or four when I re-do this list in a couple more weeks. Russell has been every bit as good as Alabama needed him to be this season, combining effortless deep passing with solid contributions in the run game. And after slow starts against Kentucky and Florida State, he hit the gas from his very first throw against South Carolina (a 75-yard TD). He holds onto the ball a little too long and sometimes gets into trouble because of it, but with the way he's learning and growing, he might have that solved by November. 8. Gunner Stockton, Georgia Bulldogs Spring ranking: eighth Total QBR: 90.6 | Pass Yds: 754 | Rush Yds: 127 | Total TDs: 10 He's eighth only because he has been asked to do the least of any of the top eight guys. Stockton has had to average only 20 dropbacks per game because of early blowouts, but he has brought an extra level of explosiveness to the table this season, and it might be making Georgia the best team in the country. Among power conference QBs, only Stockton, Sayin and Russell rank in the top 15 in both completion rate and yards per completion. His Dawgs are rolling. 9. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State Cowboys Spring ranking: seventh Total QBR: 76.8 | Pass Yds: 1,271 | Rush Yds: 125 | Total TDs: 12 Since stumbling out of the gate against Tulsa, Mestemaker has been as good as advertised. In wins over Oregon, Murray State and West Virginia, he produced an 85.9 Total QBR, threw for 1,030 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushed for 125 yards and another score. OSU has 46 points per game since the Tulsa reality check, and the Pokes are currently scheduled to only play two more SP+ top-30 defenses. 10. Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville Cardinals Spring ranking: 53rd Total QBR: 80.4 | Pass Yds: 1,140 | Rush Yds: 186 | Total TDs: 13 The big-play flood has slowed down of late -- after averaging 18.8 yards per completion in his first two games, he has managed only 12.2 in his last two -- but Kienholz is still engineering a solid number of scoring chances with a combination of high completion rate and decent rushing. With the Louisville defense allowing at least 30 points in three of four games, he'll have to keep producing. 11. Kevin Jennings, SMU Mustangs Spring ranking: 23rd Total QBR: 81.5 | Pass Yds: 1,453 | Rush Yds: 107 | Total TDs: 13 If you can survive one poor mistake per half, Jennings will reward you with some serious volume stats. Among power conference QBs, he's second in passing yards (1,453) and fifth in passing touchdowns (12), and his 10.7 yards per dropback trail only Mensah. His six turnovers aren't great (he's 61st in INT rate), but a flood of yards and points will cure most ailments. 12. Aaron Philo, Florida Gators Spring ranking: 43rd Total QBR: 85.4 | Pass Yds: 917 | Rush Yds: 76 | Total TDs: 10 Granted, you're living a pretty good life when you have the option of handing the ball to Jadan Baugh and Duke Clark (and you're averaging just 23.3 dropbacks per start), but when Philo has been asked to do something in Buster Faulkner's offense, he has done it beautifully. Among power conference QBs he's 11th in yards per completion (14.6), ninth in completion rate (72.4%) and third in yards per dropback (10.0). The pilot of the best offense in college football to date will get some love on a list like this. 13. Conner Weigman, Houston Cougars Spring ranking: 36th Total QBR: 85.7 | Pass Yds: 947 | Rush Yds: 116 | Total TDs: 14 Houston might not have the defense for a serious Big 12 title push, but the Cougars' offense has achieved a new level of efficiency: it is second nationally in success rate (58.8%) and third in points per possession (4.2), and while the run game has played a big role in that, Weigman discovering a new level of consistency has, too. He's completing 72% of his passes with few sacks. 14. Devon Dampier, Utah Utes Spring ranking: 12th Total QBR: 81.3 | Pass Yds: 896 | Rush Yds: 150 | Total TDs: 11 After thriving with Jason Beck (now at Michigan), I was curious how the super unique Dampier would fare with a new coordinator. The verdict: great so far! He remains part of a great Utah run game, and he has completed 70% of his passes (18th among power conference QBs) with only one interception (11th) and three sacks (ninth). Utah is now a slight Big 12 title favorite, per SP+, and Dampier is a big reason for it. 15. Bear Bachmeier, BYU Cougars Spring ranking: 15th Total QBR: 81.4 | Pass Yds: 642 | Rush Yds: 79 | Total TDs: 8 Has his job been pretty easy thanks to a rugged run game and good defense? Yes. He's averaging just 22 dropbacks per start through three games, and his totals aren't much. But he's fifth among power conference QBs in yards per dropback (9.9), and he's second in success rate (60.8%). He avoids pressure and remains a solid rusher, and his passes come out on time. He has been great. 16. Katin Houser, Illinois Fighting Illini Spring ranking: 33rd Total QBR: 89.6 | Pass Yds: 1,021 | Rush Yds: 96 | Total TDs: 10 The ECU transfer is thriving in Champaign. If only we could say the same thing about Illinois' defense. Houser has produced a Total QBR of at least 77.0 in every start and frustrated Ohio State with 263 yards and a touchdown last week. Illinois ranks ninth nationally in success rate, and with his sharp passing and smart scrambling, Houser is a big reason for that. 17. Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia Mountaineers Spring ranking: 50th Total QBR: 89.3 | Pass Yds: 609 | Rush Yds: 464 | Total TDs: 14 On paper, the dual-threat Hawkins playing in a Rich Rodriguez offense seemed pretty perfect. It has played out that way on the field, too. He's averaging only 16.5 dropbacks per game but is throwing efficiently and running beautifully. He has gained at least 96 non-sack rushing yards in every game and topped 120 twice. Defense is a concern, but the WVU offense has come around nicely with the right guy behind center. 18. Josh Hoover, Indiana Hoosiers Spring ranking: 13th Total QBR: 87.0 | Pass Yds: 850 | Rush Yds: 52 | Total TDs: 12 Remember all that talk in the spring about Hoover's turnover problems? Well, one-third of the way through the regular season, he has thrown zero interceptions, and he's eighth among power conference QBs in yards per dropback (eighth). Granted, his first game against a Big Ten opponent (Northwestern) was by far his worst, and we'll see how he holds up when the level of competition improves. But so far, so good. 19. Sam Leavitt, LSU Tigers Spring ranking: 14th Total QBR: 79.6 | Pass Yds: 1,044 | Rush Yds: 256 | Total TDs: 11 Leavitt has been a moving target in 2026. His work against Clemson and Texas A&M -- 86 total points, a 91.3 Total QBR, 10.5 yards per dropback, 7.9 yards per (non-sack) carry -- was Heisman-worthy, but he threw four interceptions and averaged just 6.4 yards per dropback against Louisiana Tech and Ole Miss. He's banged up, and his star tight end (Trey'Dez Green) is out, but his numbers are still good. 20. Avery Johnson, Kansas State Wildcats Spring ranking: 21st Total QBR: 83.4 | Pass Yds: 910 | Rush Yds: 291 | Total TDs: 10 Johnson remains an enigma, a QB capable of big things -- he had 227 passing yards and 152 non-sack rushing yards against Tulane in Week 3 -- and also capable of disappointing. In K-State's upset loss to Cincinnati last week, he attempted 55 dropbacks with only six rushes, and a one-touchdown-in-six-drives drought led to a 31-26 defeat. He and the Wildcats remain good but probably not "Big 12 title" good. 21. Dante Moore / Dylan Raiola, Oregon Ducks Spring ranking: sixth Total QBR: 83.8 | Pass Yds: 1,339 | Rush Yds: 22 | Total TDs: 14 It's a strange situation in Eugene: Moore has had an undoubtedly disappointing start to the season -- among power conference QBs he's just 28th in Total QBR and 52nd in passing success rate and came up far short in a comeback attempt against Oklahoma State. He's out with a concussion after last week's incident against USC, but Raiola, his very expensive backup, has been great! I assume Moore's numbers will improve after his return, but it's an odd place to be in at the moment. 22. Anthony Colandrea, Nebraska Cornhuskers Spring ranking: 30th Total QBR: 67.4 | Pass Yds: 904 | Rush Yds: 167 | Total TDs: 12 Nebraska hasn't faced a top-50 defense yet, per SP+, but the Huskers are a whopping fifth in points per drive. Sure, that's mostly because of backs Jamal Rule and Mekhi Nelson, but Colandrea is averaging a healthy 8.0 yards per dropback with a 10-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio. He's scrambling well and avoiding sacks, and he's moving the chains on third down. Better defenses await, but what a great start in Lincoln. 23. Noah Fifita, Arizona Wildcats Spring ranking: 27th Total QBR: 82.2 | Pass Yds: 1,131 | Rush Yds: 157 | Total TDs: 13 Arizona offensive coordinator Seth Doege began his college career playing for Mike Leach, and the spirit of the Air Raid lives in Tucson: quick, relentless (and mostly short) completions, over and over. Fifita ranks fourth among power conference QBs in completion rate (75.6%) but 57th in yards per completion (11.4). He's also 63rd in sack rate (7.7%), however, which is becoming an issue. The Wildcats rank just 63rd nationally in points per possession, too. 24. Beau Pribula, Virginia Cavaliers Spring ranking: 29th Total QBR: 82.9 | Pass Yds: 793 | Rush Yds: 178 | Total TDs: 12 By now, we know what we're getting with Pribula: He's going to engineer short, quick completions, he's going to keep you on schedule, and he's going to move the chains with his legs pretty well. But when you fall behind schedule, you might not catch up -- Virginia currently ranks seventh nationally in standard downs success rate* but 114th on passing downs. * I define passing downs as second-and-8 or more or third- or fourth-and-5 or more. Everything else is a standard down. 25. Ethan Grunkemeyer, Virginia Tech Hokies Spring ranking: 26th Total QBR: 81.4 | Pass Yds: 1,012 | Rush Yds: 34 | Total TDs: 10 Grunkemeyer produced an 81.4 Total QBR and 74% completion rate in three games before a Nor'easter and a resilient Boston College defense rendered him ineffective in Week 4. His favorite target is a tight end (Luke Reynolds), and I'm not sure what sort of explosiveness we can expect from the Hokies, but the sophomore is commanding a delightfully efficient attack, and Tech is 4-0 for the first time in nine years. 26. Aidan Chiles, Northwestern Wildcats Spring ranking: 57th Total QBR: 83.3 | Pass Yds: 807 | Rush Yds: 83 | Total TDs: 10 We saw everything Chiles has to offer, for better and worse, against Indiana last Friday. In the second half, he was 17-for-20 for 237 yards and two TDs, magically escaping pressure multiple times and scoring a rushing TD as well. But in the first half, 12 dropbacks netted 46 yards, and Northwestern got shut out. Shift that good-to-bad ratio a little bit, and Northwestern could still have a big season. 27. Gio Lopez, Wake Forest Demon Deacons Spring ranking: 61st Total QBR: 79.8 | Pass Yds: 1,112 | Rush Yds: 150 | Total TDs: 10 After an atrocious season with Bill Belichick's North Carolina, Lopez has found friendlier confines in Winston-Salem. He has topped 300 passing yards twice, he rushed for 70 yards and two scores against Purdue, and a trio of huge completions helped to drive a 30-27 upset of Louisville last Saturday. Wake is 3-1, and Lopez is playing like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. 28. Mason Heintschel, Pittsburgh Panthers Spring ranking: 46th Total QBR: 72.5 | Pass Yds: 1,191 | Rush Yds: 135 | Total TDs: 14 With Heintschel, we're basically throwing darts. Like he does about half the time. In Weeks 1 and 4, against Miami (Ohio) and Bucknell, he completed 77% of his passes for 856 yards and a perfect 13-to-0 TD-to-INT ratio. Against two power conference opponents, however, he completed 54% of his passes with no TDs and one INT. The UCF game was played in monsoon conditions, but the difference here is still stark, and it makes it almost impossible to rank him appropriately. 29. Arch Manning, Texas Longhorns Spring ranking: fourth Total QBR: 67.6 | Pass Yds: 862 | Rush Yds: 144 | Total TDs: 7 Manning remains almost impossible to evaluate. He was perfect the one time he needed to be this season -- as Texas was coming back from 20 down to beat Ohio State -- but he has otherwise been extremely average: Among power conference QBs, he's 34th in Total QBR, 53rd in yards per completion (11.8), 62nd in sack rate (8.0%) and, therefore, 55th in yards per dropback (5.5). Texas' run game isn't as good as it was supposed to be, and the Longhorns rank just 48th in points per drive. There might be more comeback attempts in Manning's future. 30. Austin Simmons, Missouri Tigers Spring ranking: 44th Total QBR: 73.0 | Pass Yds: 947 | Rush Yds: 21 | Total TDs: 11 After tremendous performances in his first two games, Simmons' timing was off against Troy, and he couldn't outduel Kamario Taylor in Starkville, coming up short on two potential tying drives late. Still, he's above average in terms of completion rate (65.4%) and yards per completion (13.5), and he has yet to throw an interception. If Mizzou's run game continues to improve, the Tigers still have a high ceiling. 31. Demond Williams Jr., Washington Huskies Spring ranking: 20th Total QBR: 49.7 | Pass Yds: 1,129 | Rush Yds: 220 | Total TDs: 9 We're grading Williams on a curve: The lineup around him has been constantly shuffled, what should have been a good run game is offering nothing, and he has faced more third-and-longs than most QBs. He has also shouldered a heavy load, ranking sixth among power conference QBs in pass attempts and 16th in non-sack rushes. It's not going well, but anything good from the Huskies has come from Williams. 32. Ryan Browne, Purdue Boilermakers Spring ranking: 67th Total QBR: 80.5 | Pass Yds: 1,135 | Rush Yds: 57 | Total TDs: 7 Somehow, Purdue has been worse than expected, but Browne has been quite a bit better. (That's what happens when your defense collapses.) He was poor against Notre Dame's top-10 defense but averaged 11.2 yards per dropback against UCLA the week before, and for the season the Boilermakers rank 12th in completion rate and 37th in passing success rate. A bright spot in what's looking like another bad season. 33. Bryce Underwood, Michigan Wolverines Spring ranking: 17th Total QBR: 63.5 | Pass Yds: 780 | Rush Yds: 208 | Total TDs: 7 Underwood had his best performance of the season against Iowa last Saturday, averaging 9.1 yards per dropback against an excellent-to-date defense and moving the chains three times with his legs. Red zone failures opened the door for a late loss, but you could say the last two games have been encouraging after a terrible start under a new regime. There are plenty of good defenses left on the schedule, though. 34. Ashton Daniels, Florida State Seminoles Spring ranking: 38th Total QBR: 75.6 | Pass Yds: 928 | Rush Yds: 190 | Total TDs: 10 FSU's offense is built around dam-busting -- the Seminoles are just 87th in success rate, but they've gained 20-plus yards on 10.6% of their snaps (fourth). Ousmane Kromah can break tackles and bust big run plays, but Daniels is also attempting high-risk, high-reward passes and averaging 16.0 yards per completion (with a low completion rate). It's an exciting approach that guarantees inconsistency. 35. Byrum Brown, Auburn Tigers Spring ranking: 10th Total QBR: 73.3 | Pass Yds: 896 | Rush Yds: 299 | Total TDs: 9 Brown followed head coach Alex Golesh from South Florida to Auburn, and you can see by my spring ranking that I had high hopes. And since his glitchy debut against a Baylor defense that has proved to be far better than expected, his numbers have been stable if unspectacular: 78.5 Total QBR, 34.3 PPG, 6.1 yards per dropback, 7.8 yards per carry (not including sacks). He takes a lot of hits, though. 36. JC French IV, Cincinnati Bearcats Spring ranking: 54th Total QBR: 67.1 | Pass Yds: 796 | Rush Yds: 195 | Total TDs: 10 Thanks to French and a pair of excellent transfer running backs, Cincinnati is unbeaten despite the loss of Brendan Sorsby. The Bearcats are adaptable, too -- French threw 43 passes against Miami (Ohio) and 13 against Kansas State in a pair of close wins. Upcoming trips to Arizona and West Virginia will tell us about their staying power, but they're 16th in points per possession heading into October. 37. Davis Warren, Stanford Cardinal Spring ranking: 68th Total QBR: 64.7 | Pass Yds: 1,071 | Rush Yds: 49 | Total TDs: 5 Despite a nonexistent run game and constant pressure, Warren is doing a good job of avoiding sacks and keeping his eyes downfield. Twenty-six of his 83 completions have gained at least 15 yards, and he went for 396 yards and three TDs in Saturday's win over Georgia Tech, Stanford's second second-half comeback of the year. He isn't great, but he has had his moments despite an extreme degree of difficulty. 38. Will Hammond, Texas Tech Red Raiders Spring ranking: NR (Brendan Sorsby was ninth) Total QBR: 61.4 | Pass Yds: 968 | Rush Yds: 84 | Total TDs: 5 As with Kevin Jennings, if you can stomach the random, awful glitches, he's otherwise sound. Hammond avoids pressure and scrambles well, his completion rate is a healthy 69%, and he's starting to make more big plays. But he has also thrown five picks in four games, and his glitches are a major reason why Tech ranks just 65th in points per possession without having played a top-50 defense (per SP+). 39. Hank Brown, Iowa Hawkeyes Spring ranking: 65th Total QBR: 74.6 | Pass Yds: 700 | Rush Yds: 37 | Total TDs: 6 Brown's job is to ensure everything runs smoothly, handing the ball off and avoiding huge mistakes that inconvenience the defense. That he has thrown no picks and taken only two sacks in four games suggests he's checking the right boxes. And as a bonus, he led a shocking last-minute TD drive to upset Michigan in Week 4 (albeit one that featured a lot of near-picks). He sure isn't great, but he's doing his job. 40. Rocco Becht, Penn State Nittany Lions Spring ranking: 34th Total QBR: 53.3 | Pass Yds: 865 | Rush Yds: 43 | Total TDs: 10 After torching three bad defenses to start the season, Becht faced Wisconsin, played iffy at first (5.0 yards per dropback in the first three quarters) and collapsed down the stretch (2.3 per dropback in the fourth). That's not incredibly encouraging -- nor is a No. 75 ranking in third-down conversions -- but Becht has enough of a track record that we'll still assume some level of upside. 41. CJ Bailey, NC State Wolfpack Spring ranking: 16th Total QBR: 68.9 | Pass Yds: 893 | Rush Yds: 118 | Total TDs: 8 He was dreadful -- as was the rest of his team -- in the Week 0 loss to Virginia, and he suffered the brain fart of the season against Vanderbilt. But in two wins, he has averaged 10.2 yards per dropback with a couple of rushing touchdowns. The upside is still in there, but we need to see it more often. (And if we do, NC State can still make something of 2026.) 42. Faizon Brandon, Tennessee Volunteers Spring ranking: NR (George MacIntyre was 49th) Total QBR: 67.0 | Pass Yds: 697 | Rush Yds: 229 | Total TDs: 10 A five-star true freshman, Brandon did well enough against weaker defenses, but Texas ruthlessly exploited his one-read-and-scramble tendencies last Saturday to the tune of 10 sacks and 18 pressures. Yards per dropback: 2.8. He'll probably see Colin Simmons lurking behind every tree on his walks to the practice facility now, but how he shakes off that performance will define Tennessee's season. 43. Colton Joseph, Wisconsin Badgers Spring ranking: 24th Total QBR: 51.1 | Pass Yds: 987 | Rush Yds: 135 | Total TDs: 9 I had pretty high hopes for Joseph after what he did at Old Dominion last season, but his numbers improved in each of his first three games, and he led a 17-point comeback against Penn State last week. The trajectory is encouraging (even if the raw numbers are still mediocre), and Wisconsin avoids most of the Big Ten's better defenses. 44. Cutter Boley, Arizona State Sun Devils Spring ranking: 35th Total QBR: 56.6 | Pass Yds: 736 | Rush Yds: 74 | Total TDs: 10 Boley and ASU played an extreme buy game against Morgan State, then traveled to College Station to play pre-collapse Texas A&M and headed to London to play Kansas. But strange samples aside, the trends are bad -- he threw two fourth-quarter pick-sixes against A&M, then averaged only 3.1 yards per dropback against a solid (but not THAT solid) Kansas defense. Maybe the bye week did him good? 45. Jared Curtis, Vanderbilt Commodores Spring ranking: 59th Total QBR: 62.1 | Pass Yds: 746 | Rush Yds: 179 | Total TDs: 6 For a true freshman getting no help from his run game (Vandy's 118th in yards per carry, not including sacks), Curtis is playing pretty well. But those are pretty big qualifiers. He's 53rd among power conference QBs in yards per dropback (6.7), and though he fought to help Vandy rally to a comeback win against NC State, he couldn't get anything going against Auburn. There are lots more good defenses on the schedule. 46. Jaden Craig, TCU Horned Frogs Spring ranking: 55th Total QBR: 59.6 | Pass Yds: 1,213 | Rush Yds: 88 | Total TDs: 7 In one of the nation's more pass-happy offenses, Craig is racking up the volume stats, but he was dreadfully inefficient in losses to North Carolina and UCF, averaging just 5.5 yards per dropback with no TDs, two picks and seven sacks. Sonny Dykes took a big risk handing his offense to Craig and coordinator Gordon Sammis, and it has not paid off thus far. 47. Jaylen Raynor, Iowa State Cyclones Spring ranking: 51st Total QBR: 64.4 | Pass Yds: 639 | Rush Yds: 147 | Total TDs: 8 After an exciting, but all-or-nothing tenure at Arkansas State, Raynor moved up to the Big 12 and has become even more all-or-nothing. Among power conference QBs, he's 67th in completion rate (54.3%) and third in passes thrown at least 20 yards downfield (22.8%). He didn't complete nearly enough of those long balls in losses to Iowa and Utah, and his run contributions also have been less than expected. 48. John Mateer, Oklahoma Sooners Spring ranking: 19th Total QBR: 59.4 | Pass Yds: 883 | Rush Yds: 119 | Total TDs: 8 It's painful watching a QB lose the plot the way Mateer did in the second quarter against Georgia last Saturday. He threw an interception and had the ball just slip out of his hands on two occasions. One of the fumbles was returned for a TD as the Sooners were blown out 41-13. They're 113th in points per drive and 76th in offensive SP+, and Mateer might find himself benched soon without a Red River rally against Texas. 49. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina Gamecocks Spring ranking: 25th Total QBR: 59.1 | Pass Yds: 833 | Rush Yds: 272 | Total TDs: 7 This was supposed to be South Carolina's redemption year, and Sellers started out promisingly, taking what he was given and keeping the sack totals low. But in losses to Mississippi State and Alabama, he threw three interceptions, took four sacks and averaged just 6.2 yards per dropback. He might as well go back to hunting big plays, damn the consequences, because this approach has little upside. 50. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, California Golden Bears Spring ranking: 22nd Total QBR: 56.8 | Pass Yds: 985 | Rush Yds: 11 | Total TDs: 7 Returns are diminishing quickly in Berkeley. In three power conference games, JKS has averaged 5.7 yards per dropback, then 4.9, then 3.5. He has thrown four picks and taken six sacks in those games, and he's getting no help whatsoever from his run game. New head coach Tosh Lupoi brought in loads of transfers in an attempt at an offensive talent infusion, but it's not taking. 51. Drake Lindsey, Minnesota Golden Gophers Spring ranking: 45th Total QBR: 58.8 | Pass Yds: 951 | Rush Yds: 8 | Total TDs: 7 Nibble, nibble, nibble. Lindsey is completing 67% of his passes at just 10.8 yards per completion, but he's spreading the ball around nicely, and when he's limiting mistakes and negative plays (as he did at Washington), he can produce nice results. But the lack of explosiveness probably will hold back the Gophers in Big Ten play. 52. DJ Lagway, Baylor Bears Spring ranking: 40th Total QBR: 47.4 | Pass Yds: 554 | Rush Yds: 3 | Total TDs: 4 The former blue-chipper came to Waco to rejuvenate his career, but after a gut-wrenching loss to Auburn in the season opener, he sat out two weeks because of injury and went 19-for-39 in his return against Colorado. Only Clemson's Tait Reynolds and Texas A&M's Marcel Reed are averaging fewer yards per dropback at the moment, but let's see what he can do if he has a chance to build a rhythm. 53. Alberto Mendoza, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Spring ranking: 41st Total QBR: 53.2 | Pass Yds: 975 | Rush Yds: 72 | Total TDs: 6 I thought Mendoza might be capable of pretty exciting things based on an admittedly small and garbage time-heavy sample at Indiana, but whatever he's capable of has been mitigated by dreadful offensive line play and a nonexistent run game. He's reasonably efficient, but the threat of sacks and interceptions have limited explosiveness. 54. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA Bruins Spring ranking: 39th Total QBR: 33.4 | Pass Yds: 820 | Rush Yds: 181 | Total TDs: 5 Because of a dynamite run game, UCLA has scored at least 45 points in three of four games despite the fact that Iamaleava has topped 210 yards only once, and he has thrown no picks and taken only two sacks in the past two games. But the Bruins are fourth in rushing success rate and 106th in passing success rate. What happens when opponents slow the run and force Iamaleava to beat them? 55. Kenny Minchey, Kentucky Wildcats Spring ranking: 47th Total QBR: 33.0 | Pass Yds: 876 | Rush Yds: 27 | Total TDs: 8 Minchey has started four games for Kentucky: He has produced a Total QBR of 88.6 (against Texas A&M), 65.6 (Youngstown State), 8.7 (South Alabama) and 7.6 (Alabama). I have no idea what to make of that. In his good games, he's accurate and explosive, and in his bad games he's terribly sack-prone and his completions don't go anywhere. He has a hell of a run game at his disposal, at least. 56. Malik Washington, Maryland Terrapins Spring ranking: 37th Total QBR: 38.3 | Pass Yds: 1,034 | Rush Yds: 53 | Total TDs: 6 Washington was rock solid against UConn and Virginia Tech but averaged 3.1 yards per dropback with four interceptions in Maryland's shocking 54-3 home loss to UCLA last week. It was by far the worst game of his young career (Total QBR: 3.7) and one of the worst starts in the nation. With a rugged schedule ahead, he'll have to rebound massively for Maryland to avoid a third straight 4-8 season (or worse). 57. Alessio Milivojevic, Michigan State Spartans Spring ranking: 64th Total QBR: 63.5 | Pass Yds: 748 | Rush Yds: 65 | Total TDs: 3 His completion rate's good (67.0%), but three interceptions and 14 sacks -- plus a mere 11.5 yards per completion average -- have created moments of severe inefficiency, and MSU is just 86th in points per drive. With running back Cam Edwards out for the season, Milivojevic will have to take on a more defining role. I'm not sure that's a good thing. 58. Walker Eget, Duke Blue Devils Spring ranking: 42nd Total QBR: 36.1 | Pass Yds: 721 | Rush Yds: -1 | Total TDs: 6 With a dominant defense and running back Nate Sheppard putting up huge numbers, Eget's main job has been "Don't screw up." With only one interception and one sack, he's fulfilling that, and Duke is unbeaten because of it. But his upside is questionable, to say the least. Maybe it means something that his best game was in Duke's biggest win (at Illinois), or maybe it just means that Illinois' defense stinks? 59. Alonza Barnett III / Keyone Jenkins, UCF Knights Spring ranking: 31st Total QBR: 41.8 | Pass Yds: 632 | Rush Yds: 99 | Total TDs: 8 With Barnett out for the past two games because of a hamstring injury, Jenkins has actually topped his stats a bit -- 58.1 Total QBR vs. 42.4, 6.3 yards per dropback vs. 6.0 -- but these numbers still aren't good, and UCF's 3-1 start has been driven by explosive running back Duke Watson and an improved run defense. 60. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M Aggies Spring ranking: 18th Total QBR: 50.9 | Pass Yds: 738 | Rush Yds: 174 | Total TDs: 7 Reed's numbers have plummeted across the board: His Total QBR (50.9) is 33% worse than 2025, and his average yards per dropback (5.2) is 34% worse. His sack rate (6.5%) is up, his success rate (37.8%) is way down. Opponents aren't blitzing as much and are forcing him to beat them with his arm, and without last season's star receiver KC Concepcion -- and with injuries hitting the receiving corps pretty hard -- he just can't do it. 61. Julian Lewis, Colorado Buffaloes Spring ranking: 62nd Total QBR: 49.6 | Pass Yds: 733 | Rush Yds: 15 | Total TDs: 7 Lewis led a beautiful last-minute drive to beat Georgia Tech in Week 1, but even including that drive, he has played three games against power-conference opponents, all on the road, and his numbers are just dreadful: 4.4 yards per dropback, 8.3 yards per completion and more sacks (five) than completions of 20-plus yards (three). 62. Isaiah Marshall, Kansas Jayhawks Spring ranking: NR (Cole Ballard was 66th) Total QBR: 43.8 | Pass Yds: 649 | Rush Yds: 162 | Total TDs: 5 You'll rarely find a guy who wants to make plays more than Marshall, for better, worse or sometimes both. But the mundane plays are tripping him up -- against Missouri and Arizona State he completed just 48% of his passes, and KU scored only 24 combined offensive points. 63. Billy Edwards Jr., North Carolina Tar Heels Spring ranking: 56th Total QBR: 57.2 | Pass Yds: 611 | Rush Yds: 49 | Total TDs: 3 The sixth-year senior was decent against TCU and appropriately good against ECU, but he couldn't deliver what was required against Clemson (4.1 yards per dropback), and now he has to face three SP+ top-15 defenses in October (Notre Dame, Pitt, Miami). Coordinator Bobby Petrino's track record has remained solid through the years, but it's hard to be too optimistic here. 64. Dylan Lonergan, Rutgers Scarlet Knights Spring ranking: 60th Total QBR: 47.3 | Pass Yds: 708 | Rush Yds: 46 | Total TDs: 7 After a dismal performance against UMass, Lonergan sat behind backup AJ Surace for a game, but he has been much stronger since his return to the lineup. He threw for 252 yards and three TDs in a near-upset of USC, and he torched Howard as you'd expect. But with Indiana and Michigan visiting Piscataway in October, we'll see how he does against real defenses. 65. KJ Jackson, Arkansas Razorbacks Spring ranking: 58th Total QBR: 52.1 | Pass Yds: 927 | Rush Yds: 143 | Total TDs: 7 Jackson's last effort was his best. Against what seemed to be a pretty strong Tulsa defense last week, he leaned heavily on star receiver Chris Marshall (nine catches, 195 yards) and led Arkansas to a surprisingly easy win. But he did nothing against Utah and Georgia, and there are lots more good defenses on the schedule. 66. Tait Reynolds, Clemson Tigers Spring ranking: NR (Christopher Vizzina was 52nd) Total QBR: 29.0 | Pass Yds: 523 | Rush Yds: 135 | Total TDs: 1 Reynolds led a late rally against North Carolina that, for all we know, saved the Dabo Swinney era. He also improved late in the game against Cal. But the freshman is averaging just 9.9 yards per completion and 5.3 yards per dropback with loads of sacks, and he has to face Miami's and Virginia Tech's top-30 defenses in October. 67. Mason McKenzie, Boston College Eagles Spring ranking: 63rd Total QBR: 35.3 | Pass Yds: 759 | Rush Yds: 429 | Total TDs: 6 You can't question his toughness. The Saginaw Valley State transfer has rushed at least 12 times (not including sacks) in every game, and in the Nor'easter against Virginia Tech on Saturday, he carried 23 times for 169 yards and scored twice. But those were BC's only TDs. His passing numbers are terribly pedestrian, and BC scored 29 total points against Cincinnati and Virginia Tech. 68. Steve Angeli, Syracuse Orange Spring ranking: 32nd Total QBR: 37.6 | Pass Yds: 731 | Rush Yds: 25 | Total TDs: 4 Angeli's return to action following last season's Achilles injury was incredibly promising: He went a sharp 20-for-29 and threw three touchdown passes in a blowout of New Hampshire. But against two ACC opponents, he has completed only 49% of his passes with a 1-to-5 TD-to-INT ratio, and the Orange have scored only 31 total points.