Top 25 QB rankings entering Week 5 of college football

It took a third of the season, but an SEC quarterback has finally risen into the Top 10 of the On3 Top 25 quarterback rankings before Week 5. And he’s close to be joined by another QB from the league.

Outside of a new entrant up top, most of the list is relatively unchanged. Just one player rose to replace a player falling out from the No. 25 spot from before Week 4.

The conference breakdown is as follows: Six each from the Pac-12 and SEC, five from the ACC, four from the Big 12, three from the Big 10 and Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman.

Check out the full Top 25 below.

1. Caleb Williams, USC

USC got all it could ever want and then some from Arizona State. But it didn’t matter because the Trojans have Williams and the opposition didn’t.

Williams was 20-of-31 for 322 passing yards and three touchdowns, plus two more rushing. His 64.5% completion rate was his lowest of the season to date.

2. Drake Maye, North Carolina

Maye threw a touchdown pass with his left hand on Saturday night in a victory. He is right handed.

It’s been a rollercoaster at moments for Maye, but the results have been good enough and the Tar Heels are 4-0. He’s only got five touchdowns to four interceptions, but he’s added three with his legs and is completing nearly 73% of his passes.

3. Michael Penix Jr., Washington

Penix and the Washington offense have spent the first third of the season set to “thermonuclear.” A Week 4 cruise to victory was no departure.

Penix threw for a season-low 304 yards, and is still averaging 409 yards a game passing through four games. He’s got 16 touchdowns to a pair of interceptions as the Huskies have looked to potentially be the class of the Pac-12.

4. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

Colorado had myriad problems on Saturday, and protecting Sanders was one of them. The Ducks sacked him eight times in a blowout.

But even against a barrage of bodies in the pass rush, he managed to avoid crushing mistakes. He completing 23-of-33 for 159 yards and one touchdown.

5. Sam Hartman, Notre Dame

Hartman and Notre Dame suffered a gut-punch loss to Ohio State on Saturday, but the quarterback got his squad in position late. And the overall theme of the game was low scoring, grind-it-out play.

He finished 17-of-25 for 175 yards and one touchdown, which put the Irish ahead in the late stages of the fourth quarter. Hartman also made a number of key throws to drive Notre Dame down the field what could’ve been the game-winning drive.

6. Jayden Daniels, LSU

At last, an SEC quarterback makes the Top 10 — and it’s not terribly surprising to see that it’s Daniels. The LSU gunslinger has been red hot since SEC play began nearly two weeks ago.

Daniels has been above 10 yards per attempt on passes and has eclipsed 300 passing yards three times in four games. His 12 touchdowns have been detracted by just a pair of interceptions.

7. Bo Nix, Oregon

Nix finally threw an interception but it didn’t matter as Oregon routed Colorado. He was, otherwise, his usual efficient self.

Nix went 28-of-33 for 276 yards and three touchdowns plus the interception and added a rushing touchdown for good measure. The Bo-dacious Heisman campaign can continue on as planned.

8. Drew Allar, Penn State

Allar continues to check boxes as the weeks tick along for Penn State. Week 3, it was winning on the road. Week 4: Win a home game in the White Out against a stout Iowa defense.

Check. Allar and Penn State cruised over Iowa and he finished with a season-low 166 passing yards, but completed at 67.6% and threw four touchdowns, a career high.

9. Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma

Oklahoma welcomed Cincinnati to the Big 12 by traveling to Nippert Stadium and handing the Bearcats a loss. Gabriel was again crisp in a winning effort for the Sooners.

He hit season lows in completion percentage and passing touchdowns (68.4%, one) but threw for 322 yards and added a rushing score. With continued play from Gabriel, the Sooners appear to be rounding into form as a Big 12 contender.

10. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan

McCarthy bounced back from a three-interception performance in Week 3. Michigan mostly bullied Rutgers on the ground, but McCarthy still pitched in plenty for the 31-7 win.

McCarthy was 15-of-21 with a touchdown and added 51 yards himself running. He’s averaging more than 10 yards an attempt on the season as Michigan tries to extend passing game vertically.

Quarterbacks No. 11 through 25

11. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
12. Jordan Travis, Florida State
13. Tyler Van Dyke, Miami
14. Cameron Ward, Washington State
15. Quinn Ewers, Texas
16. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
17. Riley Leonard, Duke
18. Jalon Daniels, Kansas
19. Devin Leary, Kentucky
20. KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
21. Will Howard, Kansas State
22. Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
23. Conner Weigman, Texas A&M
24. DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State
25. Jack Plummer, Louisville

There’s only one new entrant into the Top 25 after Week 4: Plummer at No. 25 on the list. He moves in for UCLA’s Dante Moore, who had a bit of a “Welcome to college” afternoon on the road at Utah as UCLA fell, 14-7.