We\u2019ll also take a look back at where we had these 10 signal-callers in Sports Illustrated\u2019s preseason Power 4 rankings<\/a> and eat some crow where needed. But remember: We\u2019re only two weeks into the regular season. There\u2019s still so much football left to play and those who sit atop this list in mid-September may not be there come Thanksgiving weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n Let\u2019s get to the rankings:<\/p>\n Honorable Mention (in order): Josh Hoover, Indiana (preseason rank: No. 10); Austin Simmons, Missouri (No. 38); Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville (No. 41); Bear Bachmeier, BYU (No. 19); Devon Dampier, Utah (No. 13)\u00a0<\/p>\n 10. Julian Sayin, Ohio StatePreseason rank: No. 2<\/p>\n Sayin may get docked for Ohio State\u2019s second-half collapse against Texas<\/a>, and though he wasn\u2019t faultless, I don\u2019t think he\u2019s the most to blame for what happened. The ball largely was taken out of his hands (mostly because of the Longhorns dominating the time of possession) and up until the second half he was expertly helming the Buckeyes\u2019 high-powered offense. That said, here\u2019s the comparison. Through the first six quarters of his 2026 campaign: 33 for 41 (80.5%), 512 yards, five total touchdowns. In the final two quarters against Texas: 5 for 16 (31.3%), 86 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception.\u00a0<\/p>\n 9. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma StatePreseason rank: No. 11<\/p>\n Concern about the Pokes\u2019 new QB peaked in Week 1 after a loss to Tulsa brought optimism about the Eric Morris era to a screeching halt. But Oklahoma State\u2019s issues extended far beyond Mestemaker in that outing, including an offensive line that allowed 10 hurries. Morris and Mestemaker adjusted back at home against Oregon, getting Mestemaker on the move and out of the pocket, allowing him to make plays off schedule. He racked up 109 rushing yards and a leaping touchdown run to pair with 317 passing yards and two more scores, featuring some sensational touch passes. An early interception rate over 4% isn\u2019t great, but both picks against Oregon came on balls batted at the line of scrimmage. That\u2019s partially on Mestemaker, no question, but it\u2019s something you can live with if he\u2019s going to produce like he did the rest of the game.<\/p>\n Drew Mestemaker vs. Oregon <\/p>\n 26\/43 317 Yards 2 TD 2 INT <\/p>\n My QB3 entering the year due to his ability to make every throw on the field. Feet don’t have to be perfect at all times, which makes him fun<\/p>\n First four throws are stuff you’ll see on Sundays pic.twitter.com\/j3VwSo7XTe<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Daniel Rios (@dansfilmroomm) September 13, 2026<\/a>8. Arch Manning, TexasPreseason rank: No. 6<\/p>\n Whereas Sayin\u2019s production fell off a cliff in Austin late Saturday night, Manning rose to the occasion with his back against the wall and put together the sort of big-game performance the college football community had been waiting with bated breath to see. He went 16 for 23 in the second half with a touchdown and more importantly, two fourth-down conversions\u2014the first of which saw him keep the play alive with his legs and find a receiver in the nick of time and the second of which he delivered on a rope into a small window. That sort of performance came after everything out of Manning\u2019s control went wrong in the first half, between the wacky interception and Ryan Wingo dropping a would-be touchdown, and is the best two quarters of quarterback play I\u2019ve seen against top-tier competition so far this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n I think the Ohio State game for Arch Manning was one of those games where you see how big drops can affect the confidence of your young QB:<\/p>\n He came out aggressive with big boy throws that didn’t ultimately lead to a positive results. Arch looked hesitant on backside reads, often\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Nick Martin (@themicknartin) September 14, 2026<\/a>7. Kevin Jennings, SMUPreseason rank: No. 20<\/p>\n The Jennings we\u2019ve seen for the past four years at SMU is back with his penchant for big plays and the occasional big turnover, but it\u2019s far more of the former through two starts. He leads FBS in yards per attempt through two games (14.8) and trails only Northwestern\u2019s Aidan Chiles, who\u2019s made just one start, in yards per completion (19.5). Those numbers won\u2019t last, but early indications suggest this is a more efficient Jennings, posting a gaudy 243.9 efficiency rating (third in FBS) this far. He was sharp on the road at Florida State, a tough place to play, and then torched UC Davis for 337 yards and five touchdowns in a half. So long as he can avoid the costly mistakes, Jennings is a real threat to lead the Power 4 in passing yards.<\/p>\n 6. CJ Carr, Notre Dame\u00a0Preseason rank: No. 3<\/p>\n Don\u2019t overlook a slower-than-anticipated start from Carr, who turned the jets on in the second half against Wisconsin. He went 9 for 12 over the final two quarters to put the game on ice and rode that momentum right into a blowout of Rice. Carr was surgical in the first half against a lower-end American Conference team, leading the Irish to six touchdowns in the seven drives he played. And he also hasn\u2019t needed to take risks. Notre Dame\u2019s running game is potent again, meaning Carr just needs to stay clean (zero interceptions and just one fumble, which the Irish recovered) and make throws when needed. Like the one below, where he took his time, rolled out of the pocket and delivered a strike into the back of the end zone<\/p>\n .@13Cjcarr<\/a> x @Gilbert316Micah<\/a> = \ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83c\udf73\ud83e\udd0c#GoIrish<\/a>\u2618\ufe0f<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcfa: NBC pic.twitter.com\/RMcnaCevcV<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 12, 2026<\/a>5. Gunner Stockton, Georgia\u00a0Preseason rank: No. 15<\/p>\n Stockton is the only player in the top 10 who hasn\u2019t played an opponent that I would put in the same stratosphere as Georgia, but the numbers and the eye test are too good to pass up. He\u2019s played fewer than four quarters across two games and still has eight touchdowns on 32 attempts (a 25% touchdown rate) and a passer efficiency rating of 284.5 (leading FBS). The Bulldogs have scored a touchdown on every drive that Stockon has been out on the field for and he\u2019s been able to stay back in the pocket and not take hits\u2014he has just one carry for three yards and has taken no sacks. That\u2019s the ideal recipe for Kirby Smart, who needs to protect his quarterback before the gauntlet of SEC play. Stockton has rewarded his head coach by being lights out.\u00a0<\/p>\n 4. Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State\u00a0Preseason rank: No. 54<\/p>\n The fastest riser through two weeks resides in Starkville, Miss., and is quickly putting the college football world on notice. Taylor showed he was more than just a one-throw wonder with sheer domination against Minnesota, a program expected in the preseason to have one of the better defenses in the Big Ten. Taylor is the early SEC leader in passing and has also already rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown. His biggest test yet comes with a trip to South Carolina and a duel against fellow dual-threat LaNorris Sellers, but if Taylor passes that, Mississippi State could be in for a special year.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfafKamario Taylor<\/p>\n Few of his top throws vs Minnesota \u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n *Multiple type of throws: deep, intermediate, on the run, designed roll out, scramble, etc<\/p>\n *Off Play Action: 9\/14,172yds (of his 227yds), 3tds<\/p>\n *180yds thrown between numbers <\/p>\n *Excited to watch him vs Sellers next week pic.twitter.com\/Ow6Li9yi3d<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 QB Spotlight (@QBspotlight) September 13, 2026<\/a>3. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss\u00a0Preseason rank: No. 1<\/p>\n When I think about what quarterback I would want for one drive, trailing by three points with two minutes to go, Chambliss is the undisputed answer. Lo and behold, that\u2019s exactly what he did in the opener against Louisville, finishing off a 261-yard, three-touchdown second half with a game-winning drive in which he had the ball in his hands for six of the seven plays. Chambliss followed that statement of intent up with an effortless showing against Charlotte (23 for 26 for 225 yards and two touchdowns on 43 snaps), setting the stage to welcome his old head coach Lane Kiffin back to Oxford, Miss., this Saturday. If Chambliss outduels Sam Leavitt, he should take the No. 1 spot on this list right back.\u00a0<\/p>\n 2. Jayden Maiava, USC\u00a0Preseason rank: No. 8<\/p>\n One of the few quarterbacks we\u2019ve gotten to see three times, Maiava is humming right along. He already has 10 touchdowns and finally threw his first interception against Louisiana this past week, but that one mistake has been completely outweighed by his 208.8 efficiency rating (eighth in FBS). He also showed an impressive ability to bounce back after that mistake against the Ragin\u2019 Cajuns, throwing for five touchdowns at a 73.1% completion rate after three straight incompletions and the pick to start the game. Maiava\u2019s growth is evident and though he\u2019s mostly beaten up on inferior opponents, the tape suggests he\u2019ll be ready for matchups later in the season against the Big Ten\u2019s elite.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jayden Maiava drops a DIME to Zachariah Williams for the 44-yard TD \ud83c\udfaf@uscfb<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Go91qcJ0Rx<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 13, 2026<\/a>1. Darian Mensah, MiamiPreseason rank: No. 5<\/p>\n The Hurricanes have been frightening through two games against a rebuilding Stanford and the SWAC\u2019s Florida A&M and it isn\u2019t just because of Malachi Toney. Mensah fits into the mold that Miami built around him seamlessly and the pay off has already been massive. The Duke transfer leads the nation in ESPN\u2019s QBR (96.5) and completion percentage (91.1%). He\u2019s also thrown double the amount of touchdowns (eight) as he has incompletions (four) through two games. That led the Canes to average 61 points across two games (trailing only Georgia in FBS), having averaged 10 yards per play in that span. Mensah has been the driving force for that offense and has completely kept the ball out of harm\u2019s way in what\u2019s been a nearly flawless start in Miami.<\/p>\n DARIAN MENSAH DIME \ud83c\udfaf<\/p>\n He finds Joshua Moore for a 55-YD TD\u203c\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/7paQdZLGHk<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ACC Network (@accnetwork) September 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n PODCAST: Listen to Sports Illustrated\u2019s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, hosted by Pat Forde, on Apple<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show on SI\u2019s college YouTube channel<\/a> or on SI TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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