College Football QB Power Rankings: Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia on the rise

Few quarterbacks have clearly separated themselves as college football’s elite, and the shifting landscape continues to shake up the leaderboard. There’s a new No. 1 in this week’s quarterback power rankings, as former Division II transfer-turned-Ole Miss star Trinidad Chambliss climbs into the top spot. He’s one of three SEC quarterbacks in the top five entering Week 6.

Still, the Big Ten leads all Power Four conferences with 11 quarterbacks in the top 50, followed closely by the Big 12 and its QB Club. Oregon’s Dante Moore announced his arrival with a poised, three-touchdown performance in Penn State’s raucous “White Out” in Week 5. But in two weeks, he’ll face another big test in a head-to-head showdown with Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza on CBS.

Before then, Week 6 delivers one of the most intriguing quarterback duels in the SEC as Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia heads to Tuscaloosa to square off with Alabama’s Ty Simpson. Pavia has become one of the league’s most productive playmakers, while Simpson has surged into the Heisman conversation behind his mistake-free efficiency.

Iowa State’s Rocco Becht and Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby square off in a sneaky Big 12 matchup that doubles as a showcase for two talented quarterbacks. Sorsby has carved up opposing defenses since Week 2.

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.

1. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss

It’s clear now that Lane Kiffin may have had the wrong QB1 to start the season. Since stepping in for an injured Austin Simmons, the Division II transfer has dazzled, leading Ole Miss to a Week 5 win over LSU with 314 passing yards, a touchdown and 71 yards rushing. Chambliss continues to prove he can handle the Rebels offense. Last week: 5

2. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt

Who knows where the Commodores would be without Pavia taking advantage of an extra year of eligibility. With six total touchdowns in a Week 5 win over Utah State, he now tops the SEC in total scores and ranks among the national leaders in completion percentage (74.6%) and passer rating (184.62). Vanderbilt will need that and more as they face a brutal slate of SEC opponents in the weeks ahead. Last week: 6

3. Haynes King, Georgia Tech

Nobody grinds out wins quite like King and Georgia Tech. In Week 5 at Wake Forest, he notched his 13th career game with both a passing and rushing touchdown, breaking the Yellow Jackets’ all-time record. After turnovers on each of Georgia Tech’s first three possessions this season, King has committed just one lost fumble and no interceptions over the last 256 snaps with 10 total touchdowns. Last week: 3

4. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

A slight dip in the rankings this week for Mendoza after a close win at Iowa. The Indiana quarterback threw his first interception of the season but added two more touchdowns, still giving him the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in the FBS. The Hoosiers are in the driver’s seat for a return trip to the College Football Playoff with Mendoza set to face a tough test at Oregon in Week 7. Last week: 1

5. Ty Simpson, Alabama

Suddenly, Simpson is the one rising up the Heisman Trophy odds after leading the Crimson Tide to another win against Georgia. The first-year starter is one of just three Power Four quarterbacks with at least 120 pass attempts without an interception so far this season. Under coach Kalen DeBoer, the offensive system is starting to click, and coordinator Ryan Grubb has tailored the scheme perfectly to Simpson’s strengths. Last week: 5

6. Dante Moore, Oregon

Going into Happy Valley and upsetting Penn State during a “White Out” is no small feat, but that’s exactly what Moore delivered for Oregon, completing 74.4% of his passes for three touchdowns. The poise he displayed under such hostile conditions underscores why he’s quickly emerging as one of college football’s most reliable and confident signal-callers this season. Moore is the betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy at +600 according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Last week: 12

7. CJ Carr, Notre Dame

Carr has thrived against two of the weakest passing defenses in the Power Four over the past two weeks, tossing for a combined 577 yards and six touchdowns for Notre Dame. What stands out is his aggressiveness downfield, averaging 11.5 air yards per attempt — tied for ninth among FBS quarterbacks with at least 20 attempts per game. Last week: 29

8. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor

Anytime the opposing defensive coordinator is shown the door the next day, it’s a clear indicator of a dominant performance. Unsurprisingly, Robertson carved up Oklahoma State’s secondary for 393 yards and four touchdowns, setting season highs in both yards per attempt (11.2) and completion rate (68.6%). The Baylor quarterback now leads the FBS with 17 passing touchdowns and 342.6 passing yards per game. Last week: 16

9. Josh Hoover, TCU

Hoover is one of the biggest fallers in this week’s updated rankings. For just the fourth time in 23 starts at TCU, he failed to throw a touchdown pass in a 27-24 loss to Arizona State, a game in which the Horned Frogs squandered a 17-0 lead. A key reason for the setback was top target and wide receiver Eric McCalister being limited to just 12 snaps. Last week: 2

10. Jayden Maiava, USC

Maiava had, without question, his roughest outing of the season in USC’s loss at Illinois, even though he still threw for 364 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores came to Makai Lemon in the fourth quarter, erasing a 14-point deficit and giving the Trojans a late lead after a successful 2-point conversion. Despite tossing his first interception of the season, the defeat wasn’t on Maiava alone. Last week: 7

11. Byrum Brown, South Florida

Byrum has been the driving force behind the Bulls’ start. His skillset fits perfectly in Alex Golesh’s veer-and-shoot offense, and if USF hopes to contend for an American Conference title and a spot in the College Football Playoff Byrum will need to continue pushing the tempo and stretching defenses over the next couple months. Last week: 10

12. Luke Altmyer, Illinois

Altmyer bounced back from Illinois’ blowout loss at Indiana to engineer a win over USC, passing for more than 300 yards for just the third time since joining the Fighting Illini. He threw three touchdowns and helped set up the game-winning field goal in the two-minute drill. Remarkably, Altmyer has yet to turn the ball over — or even put it on the ground — this season, maintaining perfect ball security. Last week: 21

13. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee

Aguilar showed grit, overcoming a pair of interceptions to lead Tennessee to an overtime win that quieted the Mississippi State cowbells. On a 13-play, 75-yard game-tying drive in the fourth quarter, he completed all six passes for 54 yards before capping it with a decisive 6-yard touchdown run. Last week: 14

14. Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati

The Sorsby show is rolling. After Nebraska’s secondary rattled him early, he’s been unstoppable, throwing 10 touchdowns with zero interceptions in his last three games. His 11.9 yards per attempt since Week 2 leads all FBS quarterbacks with at least 20 attempts per game, putting defenses on notice. Suddenly Cincinnati looks like a potential contender in the Big 12. Last week: 48

15. Julian Sayin, Ohio State

Making his first road start since high school (!!), Sayin ended Washington’s 22-game home winning streak with a poised, methodical performance. After missing on three of his first seven passes, he completed 10 straight before finishing 22-of-28 for 208 yards and two touchdowns for top-ranked Ohio State. Last week: 28

16. Devon Dampier, Utah

It’s obvious now that a fully healthy Dampier is wayyy more effective than the one hobbled in the Texas Tech loss. The Utah quarterback looked sharp and decisive at West Virginia, piling up five total touchdowns while completing 80.8% of his passes at a season-best 9.1 yards per attempt to power the Week 5 win. Last week: 20

17. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State

Out-dueling Josh Hoover was a massive boost for Leavitt’s stock. The Arizona State quarterback spearheaded a furious rally from 17 points down, tossing two touchdown passes and adding a rushing score. From the middle of the second quarter into the early fourth, Leavitt was nearly flawless, completing 16 of 18 throws to keep the Sun Devils offense humming. Last week: 42

18. Rocco Becht, Iowa State

Becht had a streak of 22 consecutive games with at least one passing touchdown that was snapped in a win against Arizona, but made up for it with a career-best three rushing scores to propel Iowa State. Back-to-back road games coming up for the Cyclones will test whether Becht can keep finding ways to carry the offense. Last week: 26

19. Carson Beck, Miami

Beck hasn’t needed eye-popping stats to keep Miami unbeaten, but that could change this week. The Hurricanes head to Tallahassee for a marquee showdown with Florida State, whose secondary has limited explosive plays while also piling up takeaways. Last week: 17

20. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska

Statistically, Raiola has played like a top-10 quarterback in the FBS this season, but a few flaws still keep him outside the elite tier. Better protection up front would smooth out those rough edges, giving him more chances to push the ball downfield. Still, without Raiola, Nebraska’s offense looks rather ordinary — he’s the difference between respectability and irrelevance. Last week: 18

21. Darian Mensah, Duke

Last week: 22

22. Jalon Daniels, Kansas

Last week: 24

23. Beau Pribula, Missouri

Last week: 15

24. Chandler Morris, Virginia

Last week: 30

25. Aidan Chiles, Michigan State

Last week: 19

26. Tommy Castellanos, Florida State

Last week: 9

27. Demond Williams Jr., Washington

Last week: 11

28. Taylen Green, Arkansas

Last week: 8

29. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M

Last week: 4

30. CJ Bailey, NC State

Last week: 27

31. Bear Bachmeier, BYU

Last week: 44

32. Anthony Colandrea, UNLV

Last week: 31

33. Bryce Underwood, Michigan

Last week: 32

34. Gunner Stockton, Georgia

Last week: 13

35. Maddux Madsen, Boise State

Last week: unranked

36. Malik Washington, Maryland

Last week: 36

37. Behren Morton, Texas Tech

Last week: 35

38. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

Last week: 45

39. Bryson Barnes, Utah State

Last week: 38

40. Blake Horvath, Navy

Last week: 40

41. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, California

Last week: unranked

42. Drake Lindsey, Minnesota

Last week: unranked

43. Jake Retzlaff, Tulane

Last week: 37

44. Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers

Last week: 43

45. Drew Mestemaker, North Texas

Last week: 46

46. Miller Moss, Louisville

Last week: unranked

47. Jackson Arnold, Auburn

Last week: 25

48. Katin Houser, East Carolina

Last week: unranked

49. Kevin Jennings, SMU

Last week: 41

50. Conner Weigman, Houston

Last week: 49