It’s always fun to see a narrative flipped on its head. We’re roughly halfway through the regular season, and there has been no shortage of surprises across the country. If you take a look at the preseason AP Top 25 poll, you’ll find that 11 of the 25 teams that were ranked to begin the season aren’t ranked at all now. Two of the teams that started in the top 10 (Michigan and Florida State) are gone, and another two (Alabama and Ole Miss) have already suffered two losses.
As far as quarterbacks are concerned, the prevailing thought coming into 2024 was that no conference was stronger at the position than the SEC. Yet, here we are, and there are only two SEC QBs included in the Power Rankings this week, and one of them isn’t here for his performance as much as his grit.
Georgia took down Texas this week, but it had to overcome three Carson Beck interceptions to do so. Guys like Jalen Milroe, Nico Iamaleava and Jaxson Dart have all come across hard times in recent weeks. Quinn Ewers was benched for a while Saturday night.
In recent years, when we’ve seen other conferences put up elite defensive numbers, the chorus from SEC country has been, “It’s only because their offenses stink.” Well, there sure are a lot of defenses putting up elite numbers in the SEC this season. I wonder what the reason could be?
Anyway, while you ponder that, here’s a reminder of how these rankings work.
- This is not a NFL Draft board ranking, nor is it based on any kind of statistical formula. Your numbers matter, sure, but overall, I’m ranking quarterbacks based on the “juice” they have at the current moment in time. It’s a combination of how well you’re playing, what you have accomplished and what you might accomplish in the near future. If you believe a QB I haven’t listed should be listed, I only kept them off the list because I don’t like you. Or, perhaps it’s this second part.
- I don’t rank any QB the week after a loss. You could be the greatest QB of all time, but if you lose on Saturday, you won’t be here. I don’t care if you think your offensive line stinks, OK? That’s the burden the QB must carry. If you win, it’s because your teammates did their jobs. If you lose, it’s on you. Embrace it. Also, if you’re currently injured and unavailable to play, you won’t be ranked here, either. Availability is the most important ability.
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Honorable Mention: Luke Altmyer, Illinois; John Mateer, Washington State; Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt; Shedeur Sanders, Colorado; Ben Wooldridge, Louisiana
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