Top 25 QB rankings entering Week 7 of college football

It’s time for Week 7, the mid-point of the college football regular season. With six weeks played and six more to come after, it’s a particularly notable time for the On3 Top 25 quarterback rankings.

The quarterbacks in the list, especially in the Top 15 or so, have likely solidified spots among the top quarterbacks in the country barring disastrous finishes. And there’s still plenty of jockeying around the back half of the rankings. Three new quarterbacks re-emerged or were ranked for the first time this week.

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

Check out the full On3 Top 25 quarterbacks below.

1. Caleb Williams, USC

Williams might’ve had his Heisman moment, should he win the award for a second-straight season. With USC needing a two-point conversion in triple overtime, Williams took a keeper to the right through a funky formation to score the go-ahead points.

Williams has been masterful in 2023 and Saturday night was easily his worst game so far. He went just 14-for-25 for 219 yards and a touchdown, but willed USC to a victory when the Trojans needed him.

2. Michael Penix Jr., Washington

Washington had a week off in Week 6, setting up a massive Pac-12 matchup against Oregon. The Huskies host the Ducks and will, as usual, rely on Penix and the cadre of future NFL pass catchers to pour on the yards and points.

And the Huskies aren’t piling up points and yards with side-to-side passing. Penix leads the country with 11.2 yards per attempt passing.

3. Drake Maye, North Carolina

After an uneven first four games to the season, Maye came out of a bye week and cooked. A somewhat stout Syracuse defense had absolutely no answers.

Maye went 33-of-47 for 442 yards and three touchdowns. He added another 55 yards and a score on the ground.

4. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

Sanders got blitzed, bludgeoned, bruised and battered by the Arizona State defense on Saturday. But he and Colorado would not be beaten.

Sanders led a late scoring drive for the Buffaloes to kick a go-ahead field goal and move to 4-2. He leads the country in passing yards with 2020 and continues to pile on the counting stats.

5. Jayden Daniels, LSU

Daniels continues to be Superman for LSU. On Saturday at Missouri, Daniels got blown up on a hit and injured his ribs.

It didn’t matter, as he steered LSU to a pivotal road win. Along with 259 yards and three touchdowns passing, he ran for 130 and a score, all while not turning the ball over.

6. Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma

Gabriel notched himself into Sooner lore forever when he stood in a collapsing pocket and delivered a dagger to Texas by completing a last-second touchdown pass to Nic Anderson. And he was a big reason Oklahoma hung with the Longhorns.

Gabriel accounted for 398 total yards against Texas, including 113 on the ground, and two total touchdowns. And he just piloted Oklahoma to a signature win in Year 2 under Brent Venables.

7. Bo Nix, Oregon

Nix, like Penix, was off on the week before a major rivalry showdown. And if it weren’t for the presence of Williams in the Pac-12, Penix and Nix would be dueling it out for the bragging rights as top dog.

Nix has been excellent through five games. He’s completed 80.4% of his passes, good for the national lead, and has 15 touchdowns to one interception as the Ducks are 5-0.

8. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan

By land or by air, McCarthy found a way to punish the Minnesota defense in a thrashing on Saturday night. He finished with three total touchdowns, including a pair on the ground, and he and Michigan were in control for 60 minutes.

McCarthy had just four rushing attempts as Michigan could be choosy in using him as a red zone weapon, scoring twice and totaling 17 yards. And his passing line was a solid 14-of-20 for 219 yards and a touchdown.

9. Drew Allar, Penn State

Penn State had a week off before hosting UMass in a tune up for a massive showdown in Columbus. Allar has been up and down based on where he’s playing — he’s been notably better at home — but the first-year starter has yet to make costly mistakes or set his team back.

And playing against the Minutemen at home, Allar and the Nittany Lions should be in for a breezy Saturday to shake off some rust before a pivotal game. A win against the Buckeyes would give Penn State and inside track to win the Big Ten East.

10. Sam Hartman, Notre Dame

It was a day to forget for Hartman for a second-straight season at Louisville. Turnovers haunted him in 2022 and were his and Notre Dame’s bugaboo this time around.

Hartman went 22-of-38 for 254 yards and two touchdowns, but threw three interceptions and lost a pair of fumbles. He was sacked five times for good measure as Notre Dame has to get off the mat before hosting USC.

Quarterbacks No. 11 through 25

11. Jordan Travis, Florida State
12. Brady Cook, Missouri
13. Tyler Van Dyke, Miami
14. Cameron Ward, Washington State
15. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
16. Carson Beck, Georgia
17. Quinn Ewers, Texas
18. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
19. Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
20. Riley Leonard, Duke
21. DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State
22. Jalon Daniels, Kansas
23. KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
24. Jalen Milroe, Alabama
25. Jack Plummer, Louisville

Uiagalelei (No. 21), Milroe (No. 24) and Plummer (No. 25) are rejoining the Top 25 or, in Milroe’s case, joining it for the first time this season — a tremendous rise for the Alabama signal caller. Falling out of the Top 25 are Kentucky’s Devin Leary, Kansas State’s Will Howard and injured Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman.