CBS Sports updates Top 10 College Football QB Power Rankings ahead of Week 5

Quarterback play can make or break seasons in college football, so having one that is firing on all cylinders is an absolute must if you hope to make a deep run and possibly contend for a College Football Playoff berth.

CBS Sports takes some time each week to rank the top 10 quarterbacks in the country. The ranking takes into account the “juice” a quarterback has in the current moment in time, as opposed to a draft board ranking or a statistical formula.

With that said, here are CBS Sports’ top 10 quarterbacks ahead of Week 5 of the college football season.

1. Cam Ward, Miami

Ward continues to stack up impressive results, and on Saturday it was his highest passing yardage total of the season. He threw for 404 yards and three touchdowns in a win over USF, while also accounting for 43 rushing yards.

With Miami now looking like a legitimate College Football Playoff contender, Ward is certain to find himself in the Heisman mix. He’s been excellent all season and is already pushing 1,500 passing yards. It’s hard to imagine what would take him out of the running at this point, given his consistency through the first four games.

2. Jalen Milroe, Alabama

Alabama was off this weekend, so Milroe didn’t get a chance to pad his stats. But he will get a chance to have a statement game this week, with Georgia on tap.

Through the first three games, Milroe has accounted for two rushing touchdowns in each game. He has also thrown for 590 yards and eight touchdowns. Keep up that production and he’ll be a Heisman Trophy finalist.

3. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

Few Heisman Trophy candidates have faced as relatively easy a non-conference slate as Dart at Ole Miss. Outside of a road trip to Wake Forest, no one has come close to slowing the Rebels. And even that was a 40-6 win.

Dart is piling up major numbers, having logged 1,554 passing yards and 12 touchdowns, against just two interceptions. Dart leads the nation in passing by almost 30 yards per game right now.

4. Eli Holstein, Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is off to a 4-0 start with impressive wins over West Virginia and Cincinnati already. The Panthers have learned how to win close games, and that’s in part due to Holstein and the way he has played.

So far this season, the Pittsburgh quarterback has thrown for 1,183 yards and 12 touchdowns in four games, while throwing only two interceptions. He’s also rushed for 189 yards and two touchdowns, doing it all for the Panthers.

5. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

Colorado is one again off to an impressive start to the season, though, like last year, things figure to get significantly more difficult going forward. But Sanders has done everything he can to make the Buffaloes competitive.

His Hail Mary heave on Saturday against Baylor will be the highlight of the year, and Sanders has produced several of them. He has now thrown for 1,340 yards in four games, with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s also run for one score.

6. Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee

Iamaleava isn’t necessarily putting up huge numbers every week, but he has mostly made the right decisions for the Volunteers and has showed a maturity beyond his years. Tennessee looks poised to keep winning, which means Iamaleava will keep getting Heisman Trophy talk.

On the season, Iamaleava now has 892 yards rushing and seven touchdowns, against two interceptions. He’s also run for 117 yards and a touchdown and is a bona fide threat with his legs.

7. Drew Allar, Penn State

Penn State is off to a 3-0 start and while Allar hasn’t been asked to do too much so far, he has delivered. Andy Kotelnicki‘s offense has been a huge help, as Allar looks much more comfortable and the offense looks more potent.

In three games, Allar has thrown for 729 yards and eight touchdowns, against one interception. He has also rushed for two touchdowns.

8. Luke Altmyer, Illinois

Illinois is off to an impressive 4-0 start with a pair of ranked wins in Kansas and Nebraska. The latter was an overtime win in which Altmyer threw for four touchdowns without an interception, an exceptional performance.

In his junior season, Altmyer is posting really quality numbers. Through the first four games he has thrown for 862 yards, with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s also logged 58 rushing yards.

9. Tyler Shough, Louisville

Shough helped Louisville maintain its perfect start against a solid Georgia Tech squad over the weekend. And the Cardinals aren’t just winning games, they’re winning games big. Even the win over the Yellow Jackets came by double digits.

The play of Shough has been a big part of that. He’s played mistake-free football and gotten the ball to the right spots. Currently he’s sitting on 850 yards and eight touchdowns through three contests, without an interception.

10. Alonza Barnett III, James Madison

James Madison stole the show this weekend when it rang up 70 points in an upset win over North Carolina on the road. That on the heels of a 13-6 win over Gardner-Webb. Barnett was a huge difference-maker.

In the win over the Tar Heels, Barnett threw for 388 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. He also ran for 99 yards and two touchdowns. He’s one of the most effective dual-threat prospects in the country.

Honorable Mention:

Carson Beck, Georgia
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Blake Horvath, Navy
John Mateer, Washington State
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

The honorable mention list is a who’s who of quarterbacks in College Football Playoff contention, with Beck and Gabriel both on teams favored to reach the top 12 teams and Nussmeier at LSU having an outside shot, as well. Then there’s Mateer, who is putting up absolutely absurd dual-threat numbers on the west coast. All in all a pretty solid group of quarterbacks to pick from.