CBS Sports updates quarterback power rankings after Week 2 of college football

Believe it or not, we are entering Week 3 of the college football season, and CBS Sports has updated its quarterback power rankings. And after an interesting Week 2, the top 10 is a little different this week. The game of the week is LSU vs. Ole Miss. Trinidad Chambliss, the quarterback for the Rebels, is sitting pretty in the top 10, while LSU QB Sam Leavitt suffered a big hit after struggling against Louisiana Tech this past Saturday. On3 looks at the quarterback rankings compiled by CBS Sports’s David Cobb. We list out the outlet’s picks below, providing some of our own commentary on the top 10 quarterbacks in college football. Let’s get it started. [ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ] 1. Darian Mensah, Miami It’s hard to put any quarterback ahead of Mensah right now. The Hurricanes saw what he did at Duke last season and beleive he is the guy that can get them over to that next step, and that’s winning a national championship. Last weekend, Miami blew past Florida A&M 77-7, and Mensah was nearly perfect, completing 14-of-15 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns. Through two games, Mensah has completed 91.1% of his passes for 653 yards, eight touchdowns, and zero picks. 2. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss Chambliss has picked up where he left off last season, and if he plays well against LSU this weekend, he will challenge Mensah for the No. 1 spot. The Ole Miss QB got off to a slow start against Louisville but picked things up in the second half and hasn’t looked back. Last weekend, the Rebels defeated Charlotte 41-9, and Chambliss was nearly flawless. He completed 23-of-26 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Through two games, Chambliss has completed 71% of his passes for 225 yards and five TDs. 3. Arch Manning, Texas Manning entered the 2026 season with a lot of pressure because of how things played out last year. Texas and Manning still have a long road ahead of them, but the Ohio State victory will help them when it comes to clinching a playoff spot. In the Longhorns’ 24-23 victory, Manning completed 23-of-37 passes for 195 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Those numbers aren’t great, but he completed 8-of-11 passes in the fourth quarter to help Texas rally from a 20-point deficit. 4. Josh Hoover, Indiana Hoover is another quarterback facing a lot of pressure because he’s replacing Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza. There hasn’t been a lot of talk about Indiana after two weeks, but Hoover has been strong in the wins over North Texas and Howard. Last weekend, Hoover completed 6-of-11 passes for 145 yards and four touchdowns in the Hoosiers’ 55-0 win over Howard. Of the 19 passes Hoover has completed this season, eight of them have gone for touchdowns. 5. Jayden Maiava, USC USC has already played three games this year, and Maiava has looked strong in all of them. If the Trojans reach the College Football Playoff this year, Maiava will be a big reason why. And if he keeps it up, he will likely be a Heisman finalist. Last week, USC defeated Louisiana 49-30, and Maiava completed 19-of-29 passes for 261 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. Through three games, Maiava has thrown for 896 yards, 10 touchdowns, and one pick. 6. CJ Carr, Notre Dame Carr has helped Notre Dame have little to no issues with its two opponents. In the opener, the Fighting Irish took down Wisconsin 41-13. Last week, Notre Dame shut out Rice 52-0, and Carr threw for at least 230 yards in both games. In the Rice matchup, Carr completed 80% of his passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns. Through the first two games, Carr has completed 71.1 % of his passes for 492 yards, six touchdowns, and zero interceptions. 7. Gunner Stockton, Georgia Stockton has been almost perfect against not-so-great competition in the first two weeks. However, based on how he performed last year, Stockton should perform well when Georgia starts the SEC portion of its schedule. Last weekend, Georgia defeated Western Kentucky 70-20, and Stockton completed 13-of-16 passes for 234 yards and five touchdowns. In the first two games, the Bulldogs QB has completed 87.5 percent of his passes for 436 yards and eight TDs. 8. Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State Mississippi State took down Minnesota 38-13, and Taylor played a big role in the Bulldogs’ success. If Taylor continues to grow, Mississippi State could have its first winning season since 2022, when it went 9-4. In the Minnesota game, Taylor completed 16-of-22 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 86 yards on 13 carries. Through two games, Taylor has thrown for 581 yards and seven TDs, and he has also rushed for 145 yards and one score. 9. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State Mestemaker was not ranked in the CBS Sports quarterback power rankings last week after a rough showing against Tulsa in the opener. However, he’s now in the top 10 after putting on a show against Oregon. In Oklahoma State’s 39-31 win over Oregon, Mestemaker completed 26-of-43 passes for 317 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He was also a threat in the run game, rushing for 109 yards and one touchdown. 10. Austin Simmons, Missouri After spending the last two seasons at Ole Miss, Simmons is the starting QB at Missouri and is making the most of his new role. He has moved up the rankings after leading the Tigers to a 38-21 victory over rival Kansas. In the Border War, Simmons completed 19-of-29 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns. Through two games, Simmons has completed 75% of his passes for 544 yards, seven touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Quarterback Power Rankings: 11-30 11. Kevin Jennings, SMU12. Bear Bachmeier, BYU13. Devon Dampier, Utah14. Rocco Becht, Penn State15. Pop Watson, UMass16. Aaron Philo, Florida17. Julian Sayin, Ohio State18. Mason Heintschel, Pittsburgh19. Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville20. Gio Lopez, Wake Forest21. Conner Weigman, Houston22. Beau Pribula, Virginia23. Anthony Colandrea, Nebraska24. Katin Houser, Illinois25. Malik Washington, Maryland26. Dante Moore, Oregon27. Noah Fifita, Arizona28. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M29. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, California30. Demond Williams Jr., Washington Quarterback Power Rankings: 31-50 31. Ethan Grunkemeyer, Virginia Tech32. Faizon Brandon, Tennessee33. Avery Johnson, Kansas State34. Malachi Singleton, Appalachian State35. Keelon Russell, Alabama36. JC French IV, Cincinnati37. Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia38. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA39. Hauss Hejny, Colorado State40. Owen McCown, UTSA41. Cutter Boley, Arizona State42. Marcus Stokes, Memphis43. Sam Leavitt, LSU44. Aidan Chiles, Northwestern45. Nathan Hayes, North Dakota State46. Julian Lewis, Colorado47. Drake Lindsey, Minnesota48. Billy Edwards Jr., North Carolina 49. Ryan Browne, Purdue 50. Alessio Milivojevic, Michigan State