Beau Pribula looked sharp in his Missouri debut, a 61-6 rout of Central Arkansas. But performing against a mid-tier FCS team and proving it against a Power Four opponent are two different challenges — and Pribula needed validation in Week 2 against Kansas.
He delivered.
The Penn State transfer torched the Jayhawks in a 42-31 win, signaling Missouri should be taken more seriously after being picked to finish 12th in the SEC despite 21 wins over the past two seasons.
Among the preseason doubts was whether Pribula could follow three-year starter Brady Cook. If Saturday was any indication, Missouri may have upgraded at quarterback. Ironically, Pribula’s breakout came on the same day Penn State sputtered against FIU with Drew Allar at the helm.
Pribula, a Pennsylvania native, transferred after failing to beat out Allar in three seasons with the Nittany Lions. Two weeks into his SEC career, the move looks shrewd. He’s passed Allar in this week’s CBS Sports QB Power Rankings.
These rankings aren’t a Heisman forecast, draft projection or season-long outlook. They’re a real-time reaction to performance, factoring competition, game pressure and production.
This week, Oklahoma’s John Mateer takes over at No. 1 after carrying the Sooners to a win over Michigan in the biggest game of Week 2.
College football predictions, odds, picks: Georgia vs. Tennessee, Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame lead Week 3 slate
Brad Crawford
1. John Mateer, Oklahoma
Mateer had a bad overthrow late in the first quarter leading to an interception. That aside, he was a primetime playmaker with his arm and legs while leading Oklahoma to a 24-13 win over Michigan. The Washington State transfer silenced doubts over whether his dual-threat style translates to the highest level of college football as he kept one of the nation’s most talented defenses off balance. Last week: 9
Brown did everything for South Florida in a program-altering 18-16 win at Florida, registering 53 attempts as either a passer or runner for a team that ran just 65 plays. Even when the Bulls didn’t score, Brown typically ate enough yards to flip the field and make life hard on Florida’s sputtering offense. He was the perfect balance of playmaker and game manager in leading USF to a landmark victory. Last week: 19
Robertson threw for 440 yards in Baylor’s overtime win at SMU leads the nation in passing yards per game by a mile at 429.5. He’s yet to be picked off in 98 attempts, and that’s with 25 of his passes covering 15 or more yards in the air. It’s not just empty calories with Robertson: he’s delivering the football on target and giving his receivers the chance to make plays downfield. Last week: 16
Altmyer won a high-profile quarterback duel with Duke’s Darian Mensah while completing 22 of 31 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns in the Illini’s 45-19 road win. The steady senior delivered some absolute dimes and kept the football out of harm’s way. He also flashed his wheels a couple of times in an A-plus effort that pushed Illinois into this week’s top 10. Last week: 31
Hoover was fantastic in TCU’s season-opening win over North Carolina, easily dissecting a disorganized North Carolina defense while appearing to have full command of Sonny Dykes’ offense. He was the second-most productive FBS passer last season and is in for another big year. The Horned Frogs were off in Week 2 before this week’s rivalry showdown with SMU. Last week: 1
Florida State fans may be upset that Castellanos is dropping slightly this week after FSU’s 77-3 victory over East Texas A&M. It was nothing he did, but rather a byproduct of other quarterbacks popping off in showcase opportunities while the Seminoles faced an overmatched opponent. They are in great shape at QB heading into their Week 3 bye. Last week: 4
Sayin completed 18 of 19 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns in Ohio State’s easy Week 2 win over Grambling State. He was intercepted for the first time in his college career while gunning for his fifth TD. Imagine what he could have done if Ryan Day had played him in the second half. Last week: 5
8. Beau Pribula, Missouri
Pribula burst onto the national scene by completing 30 of 39 passes for 334 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in Missouri’s 42-31 win over Kansas. He has looked better than Penn State’s Drew Allar through two weeks, which is ironic considering he was Allar’s backup for the past two seasons. Last week: unranked
Arnold followed up an impressive Week 1 performance against Baylor by completing 24 of 28 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns in Auburn’s 42-3 win over Ball State. His aerial proficiency — albeit against a MAC opponent — was another sign that a change in scenery is doing wonders for the Oklahoma transfer. Last week: 7
Georgia Tech wisely held King out of its 59-12 Week 2 win over Gardner-Webb the week after he carried the Yellow Jackets to a 27-20 at Colorado. King was obviously gassed during his heroic effort against the Buffaloes, and with Clemson coming in this week, there was no sense in playing him against an FCS foe. Last week: 8
Dampier is off to an inspiring start at Utah after transferring in from New Mexico along with former Lobos offensive coordinator Jason Beck. He’s an elusive runner and has been effective through the air. Most importantly, he hasn’t been picked off yet after throwing 12 interceptions last season. Last week: 10
Virginia Tech got the full Pavia experience last Saturday, as the fiery Commodores quarterback helped Vanderbilt outscore the Hokies 34-0 in the second half. As per usual, he inflicted damage with his arm, legs and swagger in an impressive team performance. Last week: 14
13. Demond Williams, Washington
Williams continues to look like a perfect fit with head coach Jedd Fisch and offensive coordinator Jimmie Dougherty. Much bigger challenges await, but Williams is validating the flashes he showed to close the 2024 season. Last week: 13
Is anyone surprised that a talented quarterback is putting up big numbers against overmatched opposition in Lincoln Riley’s system? Maiava has torched Missouri State and Georgia Southern. The competition will get somewhat more challenging this week at Purdue, although the Trojans are still three-touchdown favorites. Last week: 15
Moore is completing 77.3% of his passes through two games and leading an Oregon offense that looks unstoppable. His solid play is elevating the national perception of the Ducks, but everything is basically a dress rehearsal until a Sept. 27 showdown at Penn State. Last week: 30
Beck followed up his strong Miami debut against Notre Dame with an easy 22 of 24 day in blowout victory over Bethune-Cookman. Now comes a must-see quarterback battle against South Florida’s Byrum Brown in Week 3. Last week: 16
Becht’s numbers weren’t spectacular in a 16-13 win over rival Iowa, but he made plays on a fourth quarter drive as the Cyclones positioned themselves for a go-ahead field goal. Through three games, his solid body of work makes him worthy of a rankings boost. Last week: 21
Nussmeier underthrew an open receiver on his second attempt and was intercepted in a 23-7 LSU win over Louisiana Tech last week. It was emblematic of the sloppy showing that was to come for the Tigers. He’ll need to be better against Florida. Last week: 2
Kansas’ defensive struggles and inability to run the football handicapped it in a 42-31 loss at Missouri as the Jayhawks were dominated over the final three quarters. There were much bigger problems than Daniels, who threw the football or ran it himself on 39 of KU’s 48 plays. Last week: 12
The big test is coming this week at Notre Dame, but Reed passed another preliminary exam in Week 2 as he threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in Texas A&M’s win over Utah State. With a strong showing against the Fighting Irish, he’ll go surging into superstardom. Last week: 29
21. Drew Allar, Penn State
Last week: 3
22. Taylen Green, Arkansas
Last week: 28
23. Jake Retzlaff, Tulane
Last week: 20
24. Darian Mensah, Tulane
Last week: 22
25. Behren Morton, Texas Tech
Last week: 25
26. CJ Bailey, NC State
Last week: 35
27. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
Last week: 6
28. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
Last week: 27
29. Anthony Colandrea, UNLV
Last week: 50
30. Dylan Lonergan, Boston College
Last week: unranked
31. Noah Fifta, Arizona
Last week: unranked
32. Kevin Jennings, SMU
Last week: 26
33. Austin Simmons
Last week: 33
34. Ty Simpson, Alabama
Last week: 34
35. Aidan Chiles, Michigan State
Last week: unranked
36. Blake Shapen, Mississippi State
Last week: unranked
37. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee
Last week: 39
38. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Last week: 43
39. Blake Horvath, Navy
Last week: 41
40. CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Last week: 40
41. DJ Lagway, Florida
Last week: 17
42. Avery Johnson, Kansas State
Last week: 23
43. Katin Houser, East Carolina
Last week: unranked
44. Gunner Stockton, Georgia
Last week: 38
45. Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers
Last week: 47
46. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Cal
Last week: 44
47. Chandler Morris, Virginia
Last week: 48
48. Evan Simon, Temple
Last week: 42
49. Brad Jackson, Texas State
Last week: unranked
50. Parker Navarro, Ohio
Last week: 32
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