Ranking Top 25 Quarterbacks in College Football After Week 7
Welcome to Bleacher Report's Top 25 college football quarterback rankings after Week 7.
The only thing that matters here is on-field production in 2023.
That means past performance, future expectations, physical tools and NFL upside have all been removed from the equation.
Each quarterback's individual production and quality of opponent will be considered every week, and players will rise and fall based on where they ranked the previous week, so it will be a fluid process throughout the year.
If your favorite team's quarterback is not currently on the list, fear not. If a guy is putting up numbers, he will find his way onto the list. On the flip side, a strong first half of the season is only going to go so far if a player falls flat and fails to duplicate his early success.
With only 25 spots up for grabs and 133 quarterbacks to consider, an honorable mention slide featuring the "Next 25" who just missed the cut is also included. Those are the guys with the best chance of jumping onto the list with a strong showing in Week 8.
Let the debate begin.
Honorable Mentions
1 of 10
These 25 quarterbacks were also under consideration for a spot in the rankings but ultimately settled for an honorable mention following Week 7:
Joey Aguilar, Appalachian State
Jason Bean, Kansas
Rocco Becht, Iowa State
Carter Bradley, South Alabama
Byrum Brown, South Florida
Ashton Daniels, Stanford
JT Daniels, Rice
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
Noah Fifita, Arizona
Dequan Finn, Toledo
Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, Colorado State
Brett Gabbert, Miami (OH)
Darren Grainger, Georgia State
Seth Henigan, Memphis
KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
Haynes King, Georgia Tech
Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Joe Milton III, Tennessee
Diego Pavia, New Mexico State
Andrew Peasley, Wyoming
Michael Pratt, Tulane
Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
Preston Stone, SMU
Cameron Ward, Washington State
Jacob Zeno, UAB
Missed Week 7 Due to Injury
Mikey Keene, Fresno State
Riley Leonard, Duke
Chandler Morris, TCU
E.J. Warner, Temple
Nos. 25-21
2 of 10
25. Chandler Rogers, North Texas (Previous Rank: NR)
Week 7: 25-of-39, 307 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT; -17 rush yards
Season: 108-of-170, 1,419 yards, 12 TD, 1 INT; 119 rush yards, 3 TD
Rogers threw for 2,403 yards and 15 touchdowns at Louisiana-Monroe last season before making his way to North Texas in the transfer portal. He has 1,208 passing yards and 12 total touchdowns over his last four games, and he matched a career high with four touchdown passes on Saturday.
24. Kaidon Salter, Liberty (Previous Rank: HM)
Week 7: 12-of-21, 177 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; 31 rush yards
Season: 76-of-132, 1,353 yards, 14 TD, 2 INT; 337 rush yards, 6 TD
Salter has Liberty off to a 6-0 start after a Week 7 victory over Jacksonville State, and he has multiple touchdowns in every game. His 20 total touchdowns accounted for this season trail only Caleb Williams (29), Jayden Daniels (26), Shedeur Sanders (24) and Dillon Gabriel (21) among all FBS quarterbacks.
23. Kyle McCord, Ohio State (Previous Rank: HM)
Week 7: 16-of-28, 276 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT; -11 rush yards
Season: 109-of-170, 1,651 yards, 11 TD, 1 INT; -21 rush yards
McCord tallied his first career three-touchdown game against a Power 5 opponent in a 41-7 blowout against Purdue on Saturday. He connected with star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. for six receptions, 105 yards and a touchdown, and that performance should help build some momentum going into a huge matchup against Penn State this weekend.
22. Jordan McCloud, James Madison (Previous Rank: HM)
Week 7: 20-of-31, 259 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT; 20 rush yards
Season: 100-of-155, 1,432 yards, 14 TD, 3 INT; 128 rush yards, 2 TD
The Dukes finished 8-3 in their first season at the FBS level last year, and McCloud has them off to a 6-0 start and knocking on the door for a spot in the AP poll this season. After stops at South Florida and Arizona where he threw for a combined 3,251 yards and 23 touchdowns over three seasons, he has settled in nicely as the starter for a program on the rise.
21. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina (Previous Rank: HM)
Week 7: 23-of-30, 313 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT; 46 rush yards
Season: 142-of-193, 1,724 yards, 11 TD, 4 INT; 129 rush yards, 2 TD
Rattler had one of his best individual performances of the season on Saturday in a 41-39 loss to Florida. The Gamecocks are now 2-4 on the year, but those losses have come against North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and the Gators in what has been a grueling first half of the season. They play just one more team that is currently ranked over their final six games.
Nos. 20-16
3 of 10
20. TJ Finley, Texas State (Previous Rank: 24)
Week 7: 24-of-46, 222 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; 13 rush yards
Season: 153-of-222, 1,941 yards, 14 TD, 3 INT; 31 rush yards, 3 TD
Finley leads the Sun Belt Conference in passing yards (1,941), passing touchdowns (14) and total yards (1,972), showcasing the skills that earned him stops at LSU and Auburn to begin his collegiate career. The Bobcats are 5-2 following Saturday's win over Louisiana-Monroe, including a season-opening victory on the road against Baylor.
19. Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland (Previous Rank: 19)
Week 7: 27-of-39, 266 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; -6 rush yards
Season: 159-of-249, 1,926 yards, 16 TD, 5 INT; 83 rush yards, 4 TD
After a 5-0 start that was punctuated by a 352-yard, five-touchdown performance from Tagovailoa against Indiana in Week 5, Maryland has now suffered consecutive losses to Ohio State and Illinois. That said, he is still the Big Ten leader in passing yards (1,926), passing touchdowns (16), total yards (2,009) and total touchdowns (20).
18. Tyler Van Dyke, Miami (Previous Rank: 15)
Week 7: 31-of-48, 391 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT; -14 rush yards
Season: 129-of-183, 1,721 yards, 16 TD, 6 INT; 25 rush yards, 1 TD
It's been a tale of two seasons for Van Dyke either side of a Week 5 bye:
- Week 1-4 (4-0): 74-of-99 (74.7%), 1,042 yards, 11 TD, 1 INT
- Week 6-7 (0-2): 55-of-84 (65.5%), 679 yards, 5 TD, 5 INT
The Clemson Tigers await this weekend in a matchup of high-profile, two-loss teams.
17. Donovan Smith, Houston (Previous Rank: HM)
Week 7: 21-of-27, 253 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT; 34 rush yards, 1 TD
Season: 145-of-219, 1,601 yards, 13 TD, 3 INT; 196 rush yards, 4 TD
With back-to-back big individual games against Texas Tech (336 passing yards, 4 TD) and West Virginia (253 passing yards, 4 TD), Smith is making himself right at home in the Big 12 Conference this year. He has already surpassed his yardage and touchdown total from a year ago across 12 games of action with Texas Tech.
16. Sam Hartman, Notre Dame (Previous Rank: 18)
Week 7: 13-of-20, 126 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; 12 rush yards
Season: 131-of-203, 1,838 yards, 18 TD, 3 INT; 14 rush yards, 2 TD
Middling performances against Ohio State and Duke followed by a three-interception game against Louisville in Week 6 sent Hartman steadily sliding down the rankings. But he's trending in the right direction again following an efficient game in a victory over USC, and he now has a bye week to gear up for the second half of the season.
.jpg?w=256 "Browns Football")
Nos. 15-11
4 of 10
15. Quinn Ewers, Texas Longhorns (Previous Rank: 13)
Week 7: Bye
Season: 128-of-184, 1,704 yards, 11 TD, 3 INT; 60 rush yards, 5 TD
Ewers threw 10 touchdown passes against only one interception during a 5-0 start for the Texas Longhorns before he was outplayed by Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the Red River Rivalry in Week 6. After an idle weekend, a road game against Donovan Smith and Houston is up next this Saturday.
14. Drew Allar, Penn State (Previous Rank: 21)
Week 7: 16-of-23, 162 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT; 1 rush yard, 1 TD
Season: 118-of-181, 1,254 yards, 12 TD, 0 INT; 79 rush yards, 3 TD
Allar has now thrown 241 passes in his college career without an interception following a three-touchdown performance against UMass in a 63-0 blowout. The former 5-star recruit is piloting a Penn State team that leans heavily on defense and the running game, so he doesn't have gaudy passing numbers, but he has been nearly perfect in his role.
13. Graham Mertz, Florida (Previous Rank: HM)
Week 7: 30-of-48, 423 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT; -7 rush yards
Season: 170-of-223, 1,897 yards, 12 TD, 2 INT; -48 rush yards, 2 TD
Mertz spent four seasons at Wisconsin, culminating in a 2,136-yard, 19-touchdown season in 2022 before he transferred to the University of Florida during the offseason. He threw just one touchdown pass in each of his first four games this season, but has 921 yards and eight touchdowns through the air the last three weeks. His 423 passing yards on Saturday in a 41-39 win over South Carolina were a career-high.
12. DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State (Previous Rank: 11)
Week 7: 14-of-24, 266 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; -7 rush yards
Season: 106-of-176, 1,573 yards, 15 TD, 4 INT; 124 rush yards, 5 TD
Uiagalelei flew up these rankings with a five-touchdown performance in a 52-40 win over California in Week 6, and he helped lead Oregon State to a resume-building victory over UCLA on Saturday. The Beavers are now No. 12 in the latest AP poll, and they have a favorable schedule the next few weeks before closing out the regular season against No. 5 Washington and No. 9 Oregon in back-to-back games.
11. Brady Cook, Missouri (Previous Rank: 9)
Week 7: 19-of-29, 167 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 40 rush yards, 1 TD
Season: 154-of-217, 2,046 yards, 14 TD, 3 INT; 70 rush yards, 4 TD
With his 14th touchdown pass of the season in a 38-21 victory over Kentucky on Saturday, Cook has already matched his touchdown total from last season. His completion percentage (64.8 to 71.0), yards per attempt (7.2 to 9.4) and passer rating (133.2 to 168.7) have all spiked, making him one of the most improved quarterbacks in the country.
Nos. 10-6
5 of 10
10. Jordan Travis, Florida State (Previous Rank: 10)
Week 7: 23-of-37, 284 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT; -5 rush yards, 2 TD
Season: 115-of-182, 1,482 yards, 13 TD, 1 INT; 114 rush yards, 4 TD
Travis has not thrown an interception since Florida State's Week 1 upset of LSU when he also racked up 342 passing yards and four touchdowns. The Seminoles outgained Syracuse by a staggering 535-261 margin in total yardage in a 41-3 blowout on Saturday, and Travis doubled his rushing touchdown total with a pair of scores on the ground.
9. Drake Maye, North Carolina (Previous Rank: 14)
Week 7: 17-of-33, 273 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT; 10 rush yards
Season: 146-of-212, 1,902 yards, 12 TD, 4 INT; 184 rush yards, 4 TD
Maye spent the first five weeks of the season relegated to "Honorable Mention" status in these rankings amid a slow start, but he has exploded for 715 yards and seven touchdowns the last two weeks in wins over Syracuse and Miami. With favorable matchups against Virginia, Georgia Tech and Campbell over the next three weeks, he could be comfortably in a top-five spot by early November.
8. Carson Beck, Georgia (Previous Rank: 8)
Week 7: 29-of-39, 261 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; -1 rush yard, 1 TD
Season: 173-of-235, 2,147 yards, 12 TD, 4 INT; 50 rush yards, 3 TD
Beck was held below 300 passing yards for the first time since Week 3 on Saturday, but he still contributed a pair of touchdowns while the Bulldogs improved to 7-0 with a 37-20 victory over Vanderbilt. After a bye this weekend, he will square off against Florida, Missouri, Ole Miss and Tennessee over a tough four-week stretch.
7. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan, (Previous Rank: 12)
Week 7: 14-of-17, 222 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT; 27 rush yards
Season: 111-of-142, 1,512 yards, 14 TD, 3 INT; 160 rush yards, 3 TD
The Michigan Wolverines have outscored opponents 276-47 this season, including a 52-7 blowout against Indiana on Saturday. McCarthy has contributed three total touchdowns in three consecutive games, and his yardage numbers are even more impressive considering he has attempted more than 25 passes just once all year. Aside from a hiccup against Bowling Green in Week 3 where he threw three picks, he has been nearly perfect.
6. Bo Nix, Oregon (Previous Rank: 5)
Week 7: 33-of-44, 337 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; 14 rush yards
Season: 164-of-207, 1,796 yards, 17 TD, 1 INT; 101 rush yards, 1 TD
The highly anticipated Oregon vs. Washington matchup lived up to expectations, and while the Ducks ultimately came out on the short end of a 36-33 loss, Nix had a strong individual performance. He finished with more yards than Huskies counterpart Michael Penix Jr. and added two more touchdown passes to his season total while finishing with zero turnovers.
5. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado (Previous Rank: 6)
6 of 10
Week 7: 33-of-47, 400 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT; 37 rush yards
Season: 219-of-303, 2,420 yards, 21 TD, 3 INT; -23 rush yards, 3 TD
Shedeur Sanders climbs back into the top five following a 400-yard, five-touchdown performance against Stanford, though it came in a disappointing 46-43 loss after Colorado built a 29-0 lead.
Sanders leads all FBS quarterbacks in completions (219), attempts (303) and passing yards (2,420), and he has still managed to complete 72.3 percent of his passes despite that high volume of throws.
4. Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma (Previous: 4)
7 of 10
Week 7: Bye
Season: 141-of-195, 1,878 yards, 16 TD, 2 INT; 208 rush yards, 5 TD
Dillon Gabriel had 285 passing yards, 113 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns in a huge win over Texas in the Red River Rivalry last week, and he stays at No. 4 in the rankings following the Oklahoma Sooners' bye week.
The Heisman Trophy race is wide open following a dud from Caleb Williams, and Gabriel belongs squarely in that conversation, especially if he can carry undefeated Oklahoma to a spot in the College Football Playoff.
3. Caleb Williams, USC (Previous Rank: 1)
8 of 10
Week 7: 23-of-37, 199 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT; -8 rush yards
Season: 142-of-203, 2,021 yards, 23 TD, 4 INT; 116 rush yards, 6 TD
It was difficult to decide how far to drop Caleb Williams following, arguably, the worst game of his college career. The USC star threw three first-half interceptions against Notre Dame, and the Trojans offense looked out of sorts all night in a 48-20 loss.
He still leads the nation in total touchdowns (29) and remains the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, but these rankings are about on-field performance and not future expectations. He will need to play his way back into the No. 1 spot here.
2. Jayden Daniels, LSU (Previous Rank: 2)
9 of 10
Week 7: 20-of-27, 325 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT; 93 rush yards
Season: 152-of-208, 2,294 yards, 22 TD, 3 INT; 515 rush yards, 4 TD
On passing production alone, Jayden Daniels would easily be a top-five quarterback this year, as he ranks among the FBS leaders in passing yards (2,294, third), passing touchdowns (22, second), yards per attempt (11.0, first) and passer rating (197.7, first).
However, he also leads all FBS quarterbacks and ranks 38th in the nation with 515 rushing yards, racking up 6.0 yards per carry with four touchdowns on the ground. If LSU didn't have two early losses on their resume, he might be the Heisman Trophy favorite right now.
1. Michael Penix Jr., Washington (Previous Rank: 3)
10 of 10
Week 7: 22-of-37, 302 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT; -5 rush yards
Season: 155-of-215, 2,301 yards, 20 TD, 3 INT; 4 rush yards
Michael Penix Jr. may have had his Heisman Trophy moment on Saturday, connecting with star wide receiver Rome Odunze for the go-ahead score with 1:38 remaining in a 36-33 victory over fellow Pac-12 undefeated side Oregon.
The 23-year-old has thrown at least four touchdown passes in four of six games this season, and the Huskies now have a realistic path to a College Football Playoff berth.
The road ahead is a tough one, though, with USC, Utah, Oregon State and Washington State lined up in November.
.jpg?w=480 "Browns Football")
