Top 25 QB rankings entering Week 6 of college football

Following strong weeks from almost all of the Top 10 on down, the On3 Top 25 quarterbacks ranking stayed fairly steady from Week 5 into Week 6 this weekend. Just two quarterbacks moved in/out of the Top 25.

The No. 1 quarterback on the list remains the same, but a new player has risen to No. 2. And unsurprisingly, the Pac-12 has plenty of quarterbacks near the top of the rankings — five in the top 13.

The conference breakdown is as follows: Eight from the SEC, five from the Pac-12, four each from the Big 12 and ACC, three from the Big Ten and a quarterback from a certain independent team in Indiana.

The full On3 Top 25 quarterback rankings heading into Week 6 are below.

1. Caleb Williams, USC

Williams remains rather unassailable in his spot atop this list. That’s especially the case after his performance in a 48-41 win at Colorado.

He completed 75% of his passes for 403 yards and six touchdowns, but did throw his first interception of the season. He leads the country in touchdowns responsible for (passing, rushing, receiving and returns).

2. Michael Penix Jr., Washington

It was an odd game for Penix, who did not have a passing touchdown. He still completed 75% of his passes for 363 yards and Washington won on the road, 31-24.

On a night where scores weren’t coming and Arizona gave the Huskies a first real test, Penix didn’t wither. He’s a yard short of 2000 passing just five games into the season.

3. Drake Maye, North Carolina

The Tar Heels had the week off and will play host to one-loss Syracuse on Saturday, where Maye will be the center piece. So far, it’s been a quirky 2023 season for North Carolina.

Maye has five passing touchdowns and four interceptions, but his passing aggression and ability to be prolific down the field will be needed for North Carolina. Getting the risk-reward dials tuned right will be critical down the stretch.

4. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

Sanders continues to only trail Penix in passing yards at the FBS level. He went toe-to-toe with Williams on Saturday and nearly authored an epic comeback.

Colorado trailed by multiple touchdowns in the fourth quarter only for Sanders and Co. to continually drive and score on the USC defense. He finished 30-of-45 for 371 yards and five total touchdowns against the Trojans.

5. Jayden Daniels, LSU

Daniels was lethal against Ole Miss but the Tigers picked up a second loss of the season by virtue of a shambolic defensive effort. He completed 27-of-36 attempts for 414 yards and four touchdowns plus no interceptions and rushed 15 times for 99 yards and a touchdown.

That’s 513 yards of total offense from the quarterback. Until the LSU defense shapes up, the Tigers will need Daniels to keep the offense firing.

6. Bo Nix, Oregon

Nix and Oregon trailed Stanford for a bit in the first half before eventually spooling up to an easy 42-6 win. He was right on par with his usual stat line, too.

Nix went 27-of-32 for 290 yards and four touchdowns. He leads the country in completion percentage at 80.4% on 163 attempts.

7. Sam Hartman, Notre Dame

Hartman delivered what could be the defining play of the Notre Dame season should the Irish find a way to win out. Facing 4th and 16 late in the fourth quarter, trailing Duke by a point on the road, Hartman tucked the ball and scampered for 17.

After a touchdown and two-point conversion, Notre Dame got a 21-14 bounce-back win. He only completed 50% of his passes for 222 yards and no scores, but when he was needed most, Hartman delivered massively.

8. Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma

Oklahoma rolled through Iowa State on Saturday, setting up an undefeated Red River matchup. Gabriel was his usual self, accounting for five total touchdowns.

He went 26-of-39 through the air for 366 yards and three touchdowns, plus a pick, and added 37 yards and two touchdowns rushing. He’s tied with Daniels for No. 2 in the country in touchdown responsible for with 19.

9. Drew Allar, Penn State

Allar looked like a first-year starter at times as Penn State struggled to get some separation from Northwestern early. He finished going 18-of-33 for 189 yards and a touchdown, plus a rushing touchdown.

So far, Allar has played much better at home. He’s completed 51.5% of his passes on the road compared to 73.9% at home, and has nine total touchdowns accounted for at home versus just two on the road.

10. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan

McCarthy had a low-volume afternoon both because he didn’t need to throw much while he played and his afternoon was done midway through the third quarter as the Wolverines rolled. Even still, he was effective with his arm and his legs.

McCarthy was 12-of-16 passing for 156 yards and two highlight reel touchdowns to his favorite target, Roman Wilson, and added 30 yards and a touchdown rushing. He’s No. 3 in the country in completion percentage on the year at 79%.

Quarterbacks No. 11 through 25

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

New to the rankings after Week 5 are Cook (No. 20) and Beck (No. 21). Falling out of the Top 25 are Oregon State’s DJ Uiagalelei and Louisville’s Jack Plummer. Weigman slides to No. 25, but should likely move out of the Top 25 after this week as he’s out for the season.