College Football Player Rankings: On3 Impact Top 10 QBs see shakeup after Week 8

There’s a new name in the top five of On3’s Impact Top 10 Quarterback rankings after Week 8 of college football. Oregon signal caller Dillon Gabriel moved up five spots from No. 8 to No. 3 after leading the Ducks to a 35-0 shutout win against Purdue.

Gabriel’s rise resulted in somewhat of a shakeup below him, but the top name remains the same with Miami quarterback Cam Ward claiming the top spot. He has the Hurricanes off to a 7-0 start after leading them to a 52-45 road win over Louisville.

The season is now more than halfway through and we have a pretty good idea of who the top players are. That said, we’re likely to see less change in things from week to week.

However, Gabriel has proven himself to deserve a boost over the past few weeks coming off of a slow start to the season. You can view the full On3 Impact Top 10 Quarterback Rankings following Week 8 of college football below.

1. Cam Ward, Miami

Ward is the clear choice for the No. 1 spot as he leads the country in both passing yards (2,538) and touchdowns (24). He has Miami as No. 1 in the nation in total offense and No. 2 in scoring offense amid the 7-0 start.

Ward hasn’t been the most electric rushing threat, but he has proven capable in that area as well with 190 yards and three scores on the ground. He has serious consideration as a Heisman candidate with the Hurricanes in prime position to win the ACC and make the College Football Playoff.

2. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado (+1)

Sanders maintains his No. 2 spot behind Ward after leading the Buffaloes to a dominant 34-7 victory against Arizona this past week. He scored three total touchdowns in the win, finishing 23-of-33 passing for 250 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

The Colorado QB has completed a Big 12-leading 72.2% of his passes for 2,268 yards and 19 touchdowns to six interceptions. He has his team just one win away from bowl eligibility and well within consideration the the conference title chase.

3. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (+5)

Gabriel tossed for 290 yards and two touchdowns to one interception to lead the Ducks to a 35-0 rout of Purdue on Saturday. He is just a little more than a week removed from his biggest performance of the year to lead Oregon to a 33-32 win against Ohio State while throwing for over 300 yards.

Gabriel has show elite efficient that should be expected from a veteran, completed 77.7% of his passes with 15 touchdowns to only four interceptions this season. With the Ducks in the driver’s seat of the Big Ten, his Heisman campaign is in full swing as well.

4. Carson Beck, Georgia

It would be fair to say that Georgia beat Texas on Saturday in spite of the performance from Beck. The redshirt senior threw for just 175 yards in addition to three interceptions while completing a season-low 56.1% of his passes in the 30-15 win against the Longhorns.

It was an uncharacteristic game out of Beck and he will look to bounce back when the Bulldogs travel to Jacksonville to face Florida in two weeks. He has so far thrown for 1,993 yards and 15 touchdowns to eight interceptions this year to cement himself as a top five quarterback in college football.

5. Jalen Milroe, Alabama (-3)

Milroe dropped rounds out the top five but dropped three spots from No. 2 after the Crimson Tide suffered a 24-17 loss to Tennessee this past week. The Alabama QB has now thrown for only three touchdowns with five interceptions over the past two weeks and his team is 1-2 in those games.

Milroe got off to a hot start to the year and still has elite rushing ability with 330 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. However, he’ll need to pick it up not only for the sake of moving up in the ranking, but also for saving the Crimson Tide’s season.

6. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

Nussmeier keeps his spot right outside the top five after LSU managed a 34-10 road win against Arkansas this past week. It wasn’t the most eye-popping performance from the QB, but he was an efficient 23-of-24 passing for 234 yards with no touchdowns.

Nussmeier has a touchdown-to-interception ration of 6:2 this season as the Tigers are tied with Texas A&M atop the SEC standings. A game against the Aggies this weekend will decide which team takes sole place of the No. 1 spot.

7. Quinn Ewers, Texas (-2)

Ewers falls two spots after being benched in the first half this past weekend in an eventual loss to Georgia. The junior eventually returned and brought Texas back within a touchdown, finishing with 211 yards passing and two touchdowns with three total turnovers (one interception, two fumbles).

It was only the second game back from injury for the Longhorns signal caller, so it’s understandable that he might be rusty, especially possibly the best defense he has seen all season. However, he’ll need to pick it up as Texas has a bout with No. 25 Vanderbilt next week.

8. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss (-1)

Dart leads the SEC this season with 2,384 yards passing and 15 touchdowns to only three interceptions. His 5:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio bests that of Nussmeier, and there’s a real argument to be made that he is the best quarterback in the SEC and has clearly asserted himself among the top 10 in college football.

Unfortunately, despite a hot start to the season, that hasn’t exactly resulted in wins on the field as of late. The Rebels have lost two of their past three games and, at a 5-2 record, find themselves in danger of falling out of contention for the College Football Playoff.

9. Will Howard, Ohio State

Howard has quietly been among the top quarterbacks in the country this season, earning himself a spot on this list. He ranks sixth in the FBS with a quarterback rating of 87.6 according to ESPN and has thrown for 1,574 yards and 14 touchdowns to three interceptions.

Ohio State had a bye this week after falling to Oregon in Week 7, but is still in a good position to make the College Football Playoff. Howard has an opportunity to bounce back from the loss to the Ducks and climb up the rankings when Ohio State faces Nebraska at noon ET on Saturday.

10. Drew Allar, Penn State

Allar had the week off after leading the Nittany Lions to a 33-30 overtime win against USC. He looked shaky at times to throw three interceptions in that game but ultimately still managed to get the job done.

Allar has Penn State undefeated to this point in the season and has thrown for 1,492 yards and 11 touchdowns to only four interceptions. He’ll look to keep things rolling as the Nittany Lions hope to contend for a Big Ten title.