Top 25 QB rankings entering Week 8 of college football

There is a new quarterback atop the On3 Top 25 quarterbacks heading into Week 8 — and the new name is no surprise. And the move into the No. 1 spot was made cleaner by the previous No. 1 — USC’s Caleb Williams — playing the worst game of his college career.

Beyond that change, the Top 10 remained relatively stable, and three quarterbacks moved into the Top 25 after being below the cut line. The overall conference breakdown is as follows: Seven from the SEC, six from the Pac-12, four each from the ACC and Big Ten, two from the Big 12, one Group of 5 quarterback and Sam Hartman.

Check out the full On3 Top 25 quarterbacks heading into Week 8 below.

1. Michael Penix Jr., Washington

Penix vaulted himself atop Heisman lists and thusly the On3 Top 25 quarterback rankings by leading Washington to a marquee win. And with the win, Penix and Washington are now on the inside track to potentially win the Pac-12.

Penix was challenged by Oregon more than any team to date and still shredded. He completed 22-of-37 attempts for 302 yards and four touchdowns and an interception as Washington hung on for a win.

2. Caleb Williams, USC

Saturday night in South Bend was likely the nadir of Williams’ college career. He threw three interceptions, struggled to create explosive plays and USC couldn’t dig out of a hole against a constricting Notre Dame team.

Williams finished 23-of-37 for 199 yards and a touchdown along with his trio of interceptions. He was also hit and sacked at a higher rate than usual.

3. Drake Maye, North Carolina

Maye and North Carolina showed they are likely legit players in the College Football Playoff race on Saturday, vanquishing Miami with relative ease in the second half. And Maye looked sharp for the second-straight game out of a bye week.

It was the lowest completion percentage of the season for Maye, but he put up 273 passing yards and 4 touchdowns against a highly talented defense. Plus, Tez Walker is looking like a true No. 1 wideout.

4. Jayden Daniels, LSU

Few quarterbacks in America are a more exciting watch than Daniels. Williams and Maye might have the best-of-the-best in terms of arm talent and the Huskies chuck it deep, but Daniels is a whirlwind unto himself at quarterback.

He leads the country in total yards, yards per pass attempt (both standard and adjusted) and passing efficiency. There simply aren’t many players who can hold a candle to what Daniels is doing for LSU week-to-week.

5. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

Colorado lost in horrific fashion, collapsing in the second half and giving up a 29-point lead to Stanford on Friday night — a week after Sanders talked about needing to start faster. For all of Sanders’ production at quarterback, there are bigger issues the Colorado quarterback alone can’t fix.

Sanders was far from the problem on Friday night, either, throwing for 400 yards and five touchdowns — though he did throw a disastrous interception in overtime. One thing remains constant with Sanders and Colorado, though: There’s rarely a dull moment.

6. Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma

Gabriel got to enjoy a week off after ousting rival Texas. Now the undefeated Sooners and their QB are gearing up for the stretch run.

Oklahoma doesn’t have a ranked team currently left on the schedule and the toughest game remaining may be a road trip to Kansas on Oct. 28. If Gabriel keeps up the high-level play, the Sooners going undefeated remains a real possibility.

7. Bo Nix, Oregon

Nix was on the wrong side of one of the best games that will be played in college football in 2023. And though Oregon came up short, the Ducks easily could’ve walked out with a win — and sans discourse about fourth down decisions.

Either way, Nix was solid in the losing effort. He went 33-of-44 for 337 yards and two touchdowns, remaining one of the most accurate passers in the country.

8. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan

Michigan sleep walked through the first quarter against Indiana before burning down the Hoosiers, scoring 52-unanswered points. McCarthy was surgical after a handful of early misses.

McCarthy finished 14-of-17 for 222 yards and three touchdowns, including a smooth improvised throw to spring a touchdown on a scramble drill. He and the Wolverines continue to chew up and spit out the lesser competition they’ve faced.

9. Drew Allar, Penn State

Allar and Penn State had absolutely no issues in dispatching UMass before a major trip to Ohio State this weekend. The Nittany Lions rolled up 63 points on the Minutemen and the offense was operating cleanly from the get go.

Allar wasn’t needed to do a whole lot and still accounted for four touchdowns. He finished 16-of-23 passing for 162 yards and three touchdowns through the air and added a rushing score.

10. Sam Hartman, Notre Dame

Hartman put up perhaps the wackiest stat line for a quarterback who led a 48-point thrashing of a rival: 13-of-20 for 126 yards and two touchdowns. That’s what short fields and special teams scores can do for a team.

USC effectively handed the game to Notre Dame and all Hartman and the Irish did was oblige in taking it. The fields were short, sure, but the drives kept ending in touchdowns and Notre Dame got a big-time rivalry win.

Quarterbacks No. 11 through 25

11. Carson Beck, Georgia
12. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
13. Jordan Travis, Florida State
14. Tyler Van Dyke, Miami
15. Brady Cook, Missouri
16. Cameron Ward, Washington State
17. Quinn Ewers, Texas
18. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
19. Kyle McCord, Ohio State
20. Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
21. DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State
22. Jalen Milroe, Alabama
23. Graham Mertz, Florida
24. Michael Pratt, Tulane
25. Riley Leonard, Duke

McCord (No. 19), Mertz (No. 23) and Pratt (No. 24) join — or rejoin — the Top 25. The three quarterbacks slipping down the rankings as they move in are Kansas‘ Jalon Daniels, Arkansas‘ KJ Jefferson, and Louisville’s Jack Plummer.