Rising Stars: Chambliss and Pavia Disrupt College Football's QB Hierarchy

The landscape of elite college football quarterbacks remains fluid, with few players separating themselves from the pack. This week’s power rankings see a new leader, as former Division II transfer Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss ascends to the top spot. He is one of three SEC quarterbacks ranked in the top five.

Overall, the Big Ten leads all Power Four conferences with 11 quarterbacks in the top 50, closely followed by the Big 12. Oregon’s Dante Moore impressed with a poised, three-touchdown performance during Penn State’s “White Out” game, but he faces another significant test in two weeks against Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.

Upcoming Week 6 action features several intriguing quarterback duels. In the SEC, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia travels to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama’s Ty Simpson. Pavia has emerged as one of the conference’s most productive playmakers, while Simpson’s mistake-free efficiency has propelled him into the Heisman conversation. A key Big 12 matchup will also showcase Iowa State’s Rocco Becht against Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby, who has been dissecting defenses since Week 2.

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These rankings are a real-time reaction to performance, weighing competition, game pressure, and production, and are not intended as a Heisman forecast or draft projection. Here are this week’s power rankings of college football’s top 50 quarterbacks.

1. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Since taking over for an injured Austin Simmons, the Division II transfer has been dazzling. He led Ole Miss to a Week 5 victory over LSU with 314 passing yards, one touchdown, and 71 rushing yards, proving he has a firm command of the Rebels’ offense. Last week: 5

2. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
Pavia’s decision to use an extra year of eligibility has been pivotal for the Commodores. After accounting for six total touchdowns in a Week 5 win against Utah State, he now leads the SEC in that category and ranks among the national leaders in completion percentage (74.6%) and passer rating (184.62). Last week: 6

3. Haynes King, Georgia Tech
In a Week 5 game at Wake Forest, King set a Georgia Tech record with his 13th career game featuring both a passing and a rushing touchdown. After early-season turnover issues, he has committed just one lost fumble and no interceptions over the last 256 snaps while producing 10 total touchdowns. Last week: 3

4. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Mendoza slips slightly in the rankings after a narrow win at Iowa. Although he threw his first interception of the season, he also added two touchdowns, maintaining one of the best touchdown-to-interception ratios in the FBS. The Hoosiers remain in contention for a College Football Playoff spot. Last week: 1

5. Ty Simpson, Alabama
Simpson’s efficient play has vaulted him into the Heisman Trophy conversation after leading the Crimson Tide to a win against Georgia. The first-year starter is one of only three Power Four quarterbacks with at least 120 pass attempts and no interceptions this season. Last week: 5

6. Dante Moore, Oregon
Moore delivered a remarkable performance in Oregon’s upset win at Penn State, completing 74.4% of his passes for three touchdowns in a hostile “White Out” environment. His poise under pressure highlights why he is emerging as one of college football’s most confident signal-callers and is the current betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy. Last week: 12

7. CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Carr has capitalized on matchups against two of the weaker pass defenses in the Power Four, throwing for a combined 577 yards and six touchdowns for Notre Dame. His aggressiveness is notable, with an average of 11.5 air yards per attempt, which is tied for ninth among qualifying FBS quarterbacks. Last week: 29

8. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
Robertson’s dominant performance against Oklahoma State’s secondary resulted in the opposing defensive coordinator’s dismissal. He carved up the Cowboys for 393 yards and four touchdowns, setting season highs in yards per attempt (11.2) and completion rate (68.6%). The Baylor quarterback now leads the FBS with 17 passing touchdowns. Last week: 16

9. Josh Hoover, TCU
Hoover is one of the biggest fallers in this week’s rankings. In a 27-24 loss to Arizona State where TCU lost a 17-0 lead, he failed to throw a touchdown pass for just the fourth time in 23 starts. His performance was hampered by top receiver Eric McCalister being limited to only 12 snaps. Last week: 2

10. Jayden Maiava, USC
Maiava had his most challenging outing of the season in USC’s loss at Illinois, though he still passed for 364 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores came in the fourth quarter, erasing a 14-point deficit to give the Trojans a late lead. Despite his first interception of the season, the defeat was not solely his responsibility. Last week: 7

11. Byrum Brown, South Florida
Brown has been the engine of the Bulls’ offense. His skillset is an ideal fit for Alex Golesh’s veer-and-shoot system, and his ability to push the tempo and stretch defenses will be crucial for USF’s American Conference title hopes. Last week: 10

12. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
Altmyer rebounded from a blowout loss at Indiana to lead a win over USC, passing for over 300 yards for just the third time as a member of the Fighting Illini. He threw for three touchdowns and orchestrated the game-winning field goal drive. Remarkably, Altmyer has maintained perfect ball security this season with no turnovers. Last week: 21

13. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee
Aguilar demonstrated resilience by overcoming two interceptions to lead Tennessee to an overtime victory against Mississippi State. He engineered a 13-play, 75-yard game-tying drive in the fourth quarter, completing all six pass attempts before scoring the decisive 6-yard touchdown run. Last week: 14

14. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati
Sorsby has been on an impressive run, throwing 10 touchdowns with zero interceptions in his last three games. Since Week 2, his 11.9 yards per attempt leads all qualifying FBS quarterbacks, positioning Cincinnati as a potential contender in the Big 12. Last week: 48

15. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
In his first road start since high school, Sayin engineered an impressive victory that ended Washington’s 22-game home winning streak. After a slow start, he completed 10 consecutive passes and finished 22-of-28 for 208 yards and two touchdowns for top-ranked Ohio State. Last week: 28

16. Devon Dampier, Utah
A fully healthy Dampier proved highly effective in Utah’s Week 5 win. He looked sharp and decisive at West Virginia, accumulating five total touchdowns while completing 80.8% of his passes for a season-best 9.1 yards per attempt. Last week: 20

17. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
Outperforming Josh Hoover significantly boosted Leavitt’s stock. The Arizona State quarterback led a furious rally from a 17-point deficit, throwing for two touchdowns and adding another on the ground. During a critical stretch, Leavitt completed 16 of 18 passes to keep the offense moving. Last week: 42

18. Rocco Becht, Iowa State
Becht’s streak of 22 consecutive games with a passing touchdown ended in a win against Arizona, but he compensated with a career-high three rushing scores. Upcoming road games will test his ability to continue carrying the Iowa State offense. Last week: 26

19. Carson Beck, Miami
Beck has guided Miami to an undefeated start without producing eye-popping statistics, but that may need to change. The Hurricanes face a major test this week in a showdown with Florida State, whose secondary excels at preventing explosive plays and creating takeaways. Last week: 17

20. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
Statistically, Raiola is performing like a top-10 FBS quarterback, but minor flaws keep him out of the elite tier. Improved protection would help smooth out those rough edges and allow him to attack downfield more often. He remains the crucial difference-maker for Nebraska’s offense. Last week: 18