Stock on Big Ten quarterbacks is surging entering the final week of September after a series of big performances from the league’s signal-callers in Week 4. While the headliner is Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, who rises from No. 30 to No. 1 in this week’s quarterback power rankings, there are plenty of others from around the conference shining as well.
A total of eight Big Ten quarterbacks are up five or more spots entering a consequential Saturday of conference action. Budding stars such as Washington’s Demond Williams, USC’s Jayden Maiava and Oregon’s Dante Moore each face significant Week 5 challenges that will determine whether they keep rising or crash back to earth.
The No. 21 Trojans travel to face No. 23 Illinois in the day’s early window before the Huskies host No. 1 Ohio State in an afternoon battle on CBS. Last but not least, the evening window is highlighted by the No. 6 Ducks facing their toughest test yet on the road against No. 3 Penn State.
Mendoza and the No. 11 Hoosiers should also be in for a battle as they travel to face Iowa. The Hawkeyes are always stingy defensively, and Kinnick Stadium is a challenging venue. But for now, the league’s crop of top quarterbacks is riding high as conference play begins ramping up around the country.
These rankings are not a Heisman forecast, draft projection or season-long outlook. They are a real-time reaction to performance, weighing competition, game pressure and production. With that, here are this week’s power rankings of college football’s top 50 quarterbacks.
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David Cobb
1. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
The Fernando Mendoza Heisman campaign went from 0-100 in Week 4 as he torched Illinois for five touchdowns on 21 of 23 passing in Indiana’s 63-10 beatdown of the Illini. The Cal transfer stands at 14 touchdowns with no interceptions heading into a challenging road spot at Iowa this week. Last week: 30
2. Josh Hoover, TCU
Hoover’s job was pretty easy in TCU’s 35-24 win over SMU: throw the football into the vicinity of Eric McAlister and let him go to work. McAlister accounted for 254 of Hoover’s 379 yards passing and caught three of his five touchdown passes. Hoover is already at 1,000 yards passing in just three games. Last week: 8
3. Haynes King, Georgia Tech
King did King things in Georgia Tech’s Week 4 win over Temple, scoring twice as a passer and once as a runner. While his statistical production isn’t overwhelming, no one has been more important to their team’s success. The Yellow Jackets’ gritty veteran leader has his team ranked in the top 20 for the first time since 2015. Last week: 2
4. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
Reed is trending aggressively toward stardom as Texas A&M begins SEC play by hosting Auburn this week. He threw a game-winning touchdown pass in the waning seconds at Notre Dame in Week 3 and has the dual-threat chops to get the Aggies into league title contention. Last week: 4
5. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Chambliss followed up his spectacular starting debut in Week 3 with an equally productive Week 4 performance, as Ole Miss improved to 4-0 with a win over Group of Six power Tulane. The Division II transfer is technically just filling in for the injured Austin Simmons. But at this rate, it’s hard to imagine Chambliss relinquishing the job. Last week: 31
6. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
Pavia is right there with King at Georgia Tech on the “he means everything to his team” meter. The soul of Vanderbilt football is on track to top his 2024 production as the Commodores inch closer to the heart of a grueling SEC slate. If he keeps it up, Vandy could match or exceed its program record of nine wins. Last week: 5
7. Jayden Maiava, USC
Maiava continues to legitimize himself as an elite quarterback with each passing week. His most recent performance included five total touchdowns in a 45-31 win over Michigan State. Bigger tests are coming, as Illinois, Michigan, Notre Dame and Nebraska are the next four on the Trojans’ slate. Last week: 12
8. Taylen Green, Arkansas
Arkansas is just 2-2 with Notre Dame coming to town this week and seven conference games still ahead. But Green — though imperfect in a Week 4 loss at Memphis — leads college football in total offense by a significant margin through four games. Last week: 6
9. Thomas Castellanos, Florida State
Castellanos has been in a holding pattern since his sterling performance in Florida State’s Week 1 victory over Alabama. He finally reenters the spotlight on Friday night, as the Seminoles travel to face Virginia in their ACC opener. It’s a classic lookahead spot with No. 2 Miami looming in Week 6. Last week: 9
10. Byrum Brown, South Florida
Brown guided South Florida to a 3-1 mark against a challenging non conference slate with gritty running and 11 completions of 25-plus yards. He’s a perfect fit in coach Alex Golesh’s veer and shoot system and is poised to wreak havoc on the American over the next couple months. Last week: 10
11. Demond Williams, Washington
Everything Williams accomplished over Washington’s first three games was just a dress rehearsal for Big Ten action, which begins this week with a visit from No. 1 Ohio State. The sophomore has been almost perfect since taking the keys to coach Jedd Fisch’s offense late last season. Last week: 18
12. Dante Moore, Oregon
Moore ranks No. 8 nationally in yards per attempt at 10.1 after torching Oregon State for 305 yards and four touchdowns. It’s been a great beginning to his starting tenure. But the first true test comes this week against a stout Penn State defense inside a hostile environment. Last week: 24
13. Gunner Stockton, Georgia
Stockton passed his first big test by leading Georgia to a win at Tennessee with some fourth quarter heroics in Week 3. Now comes the next one, as No. 17 Alabama visits Sanford Stadium for a huge SEC clash. The redshirt junior’s ability as a runner could be the difference against an Alabama defense that had no answer for Florida State’s Thomas Castellanos in Week 1. Last week: 13
14. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee
Aguilar gets his first taste of life on the road in the SEC on Saturday, as No. 15 Tennessee travels to Mississippi State. He’s tied atop the SEC in passing touchdowns with 12 and looks like the sort of gunslinger the Volunteers need to reach their offensive potential in coach Josh Heupel’s up-tempo scheme. Last week: 14
15. Beau Pribula, Missouri
Pribula made key plays with his legs while scrambling for 72 yards in Missouri’s 29-20 win over South Carolina last week. The Penn State transfer isn’t taking many downfield shots, but he quietly put together a strong first third of the season for a Missouri team with dark horse potential. Last week: 21
16. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
Robertson is third nationally in passing yards per game at 330, which adds up since Baylor has gone extraordinarily pass-heavy through four contests. But it’s not just dink and dunk. He ranks fifth among Power Four quarterbacks in attempts of 20 or more air yards at 23. Expect another big game this week against reeling Oklahoma State. Last week: 20
17. Carson Beck, Miami
Beck’s performance in Miami’s 26-7 win over Florida wasn’t a thing of beauty. But it didn’t need to be considering how well the Hurricanes played defensively. Overall, it’s been a great marriage for both sides through four games. Miami is ranked No. 2 and Beck is fourth in Heisman Trophy odds at FanDuel (+1200). Last week: 19
18. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
Raiola spent much of a 30-27 loss to Michigan running for his life against a relentless Wolverines defense. Given those circumstances, his 308-yard, three-touchdown showing had to be interpreted as more evidence of sophomore year progression for the former five-star prospect. Last week: 27
19. Aidan Chiles, Michigan State
Chiles appears to be enjoying a junior year jump after struggling through a sophomore slump in 2024. He threw nine touchdowns with just one interception in the Spartans’ first four games. Whether that continues in league play could hinge largely on the performance of an offensive line that struggled in a Week 4 loss at USC. Last week: 35
20. Devon Dampier, Utah
If Dampier didn’t look 100% healthy in Utah’s 34-10 loss to Texas Tech, it’s because he wasn’t. The dual-threat dynamo struggled through the air against the Red Raiders and didn’t have his usual shiftiness while dealing with an ankle injury. It was a disappointing performance for the New Mexico transfer, but don’t sell your stock just yet. Last week: 11
21. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
Last week: 7
22. Darian Mensah, Duke
Last week: 36
23. Ty Simpson, Alabama
Last week: 23
24. Jalon Daniels, Kansas
Last week: 25
25. Jackson Arnold, Auburn
Last week: 16
26. Rocco Becht, Iowa State
Last week: 26
27. CJ Bailey, NC State
Last week: 17
28. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Last week: 28
29. CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Last week: 29
30. Chandler Morris, Virginia
Last week: 47
31. Anthony Colandrea, UNLV
Last week: 32
32. Bryce Underwood, Michigan
Last week: 37
33. Noah Fifita, Arizona
Last week: 33
34. Dylan Lonergan, Boston College
Last week: 34
35. Behren Morton, Texas Tech
Last week: 22
36. Malik Washington, Maryland
Last week: unranked
37. Jake Retzlaff, Tulane
Last week: 3
38. Bryson Barnes, Utah State
Last week: unranked
39. Blake Shapen, Mississippi State
Last week: 38
40. Blake Horvath, Navy
Last week: 39
41. Kevin Jennings, SMU
Last week: 41
42. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
Last week: unranked
43. Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers
Last week: 43
44. Bear Bachmeier, BYU
Last week: unranked
45. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
Last week: unranked
46. Drew Mestemaker, North Texas
Last week: 48
47. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Last week: 46
48. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati
Last week: 44
49. Conner Weigman, Houston
Last week: 49
50. Drew Allar, Penn State
Last week: 45
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