College Football QB Power Rankings: Quinn Ewers leaps Caleb Williams, Shedeur Sanders surges into top five

Kim O'Reilly, CBS Sports

It's become evident the SEC has a quarterback problem as the league has struggled against Power Five competition in 2023. On Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, you saw Quinn Ewers and the Texas Longhorns defeat the Crimson Tide 34-24. While there were many factors at play in the game, the most glaring was that Texas had the better QB in the game.

It wasn't an outlier; the SEC is 3-6 against Power Five competition to start the year. To put that in perspective, the league went 17-9 against Power Five leagues last year. Alabama lost to Texas. LSU lost to Florida State. Texas A&M lost to Miami. South Carolina lost to North Carolina. All of those losses came to teams with a signal-callers ranked in this week's QB Power Rankings.

Do you know how many QBs the SEC has in the rankings this week?

None.

Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart made the honorable mention list, but that's it. Pretend for a moment that your life is on the line and you need to pick an SEC QB to lead a touchdown drive to save your life. Which one are you picking? Last year, you would've said Bryce Young or maybe even Hendon Hooker or Stetson Bennett. This year? You probably don't have an answer yet, do you?

QB Power Rankings

1	Quinn Ewers Texas Longhorns QB
The rules are pretty simple. If you go into Tuscaloosa and hand Alabama its first home loss since 2019, doing so by a margin no other team has done since Nick Saban came to town in 2007, you'll be No. 1 in these rankings. I was already high on Ewers and had been cramming him in here higher than he deserved. After leading Texas to its biggest win since Vince Young sprinted into the end zone at the 2006 Rose Bowl, he's left me no choice. (Last: 5)
2	Caleb Williams USC Trojans QB
While Williams falls to No. 2 this week, my opinion on him hasn't changed. He's still the best QB in the country and should be the Heisman favorite, even though the odds of him winning the Heisman again are low. Williams has tallied 13 total touchdowns in three games. Only four of the 70 passes he's thrown this season have come in the fourth quarter because he's been chilling on the sideline by then. Seriously, Williams has played six snaps in the fourth quarter and only 30 in the second half of games so far. Imagine the numbers he'd have if the Trojans were forced to keep him on the field. (1)
3	Sam Hartman Notre Dame Fighting Irish QB
Sam Hartman loves life in South Bend, Indiana. He's averaging 11.4 yards per attempt through three games and has thrown 10 touchdowns, which ties him with Hawaii's Brayden Schager. Only Caleb Williams has thrown more scoring strikes. Hartman even got to slay the NC State dragon that had dogged him during his years at Wake Forest. I have a sneaking suspicion that Hartman wasn't simply a product of Wake's slow mesh offense, you guys. (3)
4	Shedeur Sanders Colorado Buffaloes QB
Sanders wasn't included in our preseason rankings, but it hasn't taken him much time to climb to the top five. If Heisman ballots were handed out today, Sanders would win. Not only is Sanders producing on the field (451.5 yards per game, seven total TDs), but he's generating hype and attention off it. All these things matter in the QB Power Rankings. (Not Ranked)
5	Michael Penix Jr. Washington Huskies QB
Washington hasn't grabbed much spotlight nationally yet this year, so if you're wondering if Penix is still out there firing lasers to receivers at every nook and cranny of a football field, he is. Penix threw for 450 yards and five touchdowns in the opener against Boise State and followed it up with another 409 yards and three more touchdowns against Tulsa. (6)
6	Jordan Travis Florida State Seminoles QB
Travis and the Seminoles booted Jayden Daniels out of our rankings in Week 1 after trouncing LSU 45-24. Travis finished the game with 342 yards passing, 38 rushing yards and five total TDs. However, Jordan looked pretty mediocre last week against Southern Miss. The Noles won 66-13, but Travis completed only 51.7% of his passes for 6.0 yards per attempt. The LSU win props him up, but we must teach Mr. Travis to pump up those numbers against inferior competition. They all count, my man. (8)
7	Drake Maye North Carolina Tar Heels QB
Maye falling five spots isn't a statement on what I think of him as a player or NFL prospect. I'd still have him at No. 2 behind Caleb Williams. This is more about others stepping up and having better starts to the season while Maye has been pretty ordinary. He's only thrown two touchdowns (and rushed for a third) in two games with two interceptions. He's completing over 72% of his passes but averaging only 7.7 yards per attempt. He's a first-round pick putting up game-manager numbers. I don't get it. (2)
8	Bo Nix Oregon Ducks QB
OK, there's one former SEC QB in the rankings this week. Nix put up monster numbers in the opener against Portland State and followed it up with another solid game in a comeback against Texas Tech last week. Still, as solid as he's been, Nix doesn't have the juice that the guys ranked above him do at the moment. (4)
9	Tyler Van Dyke Miami (FL) Hurricanes QB
I had Van Dyke in these rankings at the start of last season because I had sky-high hopes for him coming off a 2021 season that saw him throw for 25 touchdowns to six interceptions. Then, 2022 happened, and I feared TVD would never be seen here again. Well, after you throw for 374 yards and five touchdowns against Texas A&M to lead Miami to its most significant win in a while, you return to the QB Power Rankings. The Van Dyke I saw against the Aggies was the Van Dyke I envisioned following the 2021 season. If he keeps playing like that, The U will be back. (Not Ranked)
10	Jalon Daniels Kansas Jayhawks QB
Daniels missed the first game of the season but returned last Friday against Illinois and quickly reminded us why he's one of the most exciting players in the country. Daniels threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 24 against an Illinois defense that was one of the best in the country last season. As long as Daniels is healthy, there's no reason to believe he won't lead the Jayhawks to another bowl game. (Not Ranked)