Week 10 brings a fresh shakeup to the quarterback board, even if the top of it still looks familiar.
Darian Mensah stays planted at No. 1 after another efficient outing for Miami, and CJ Carr and Gunner Stockton hold their spots right behind him. But the middle and bottom of the list got a little more interesting this week, with Keelon Russell climbing, Devon Dampier breaking in, and Lincoln Kienholz making his first appearance of the season.
The injuries around the country are still part of the backdrop, too. Julian Sayin is expected to be out again this week, while Kamario Taylor and Dante Moore are already done for the year. That has only made the healthy quarterbacks on this list stand out more.
Mensah nearly got dragged into an upset against North Carolina, but his own performance wasn’t the issue. He averaged more than 10 yards per attempt again, threw three touchdowns and didn’t turn the ball over.
He also spread it around beyond Malachi Toney, completing 15 passes for 199 yards to non-Toney targets. On the season, he’s still sitting on a CPOE of nearly 16%.
Carr remains at No. 2 as Notre Dame heads into a huge matchup with Miami in South Bend. His profile is still strong overall, with a CPOE of nearly 6% and a quarterback who doesn’t invite much chaos.
The one blemish is his deep passing, where he’s been at -1.5% deep CPOE. Even so, he rarely takes sacks or puts the ball in harm’s way with bad interceptions.
Stockton stays at No. 3 despite a rougher showing last week, though Georgia also didn’t need him to do much in its easy win over Florida. He’s still posting a 7.5% CPOE, and his 4.7% sack rate remains only slightly above average.
Russell is the biggest mover near the top, jumping from No. 7 to No. 4 after sitting out last week on bye. The Alabama freshman has put together an 8% CPOE, a 10-yard ADOT, a rushing success rate of 60% and a SEC-leading 9.3 yards per attempt. The concerns are real, though: his sack rate is near 9%, and he has thrown three interceptions in his last two games.
Chambliss slips one spot to No. 5 after another uneven week. Ole Miss rolled Auburn, but Chambliss still threw an interception, giving him eight on the season and six over his last five games. His 1.7% CPOE last week was modest, and he wasn’t pushing the ball much either, with just a 12% deep-throw rate.
Dampier enters the rankings at No. 6 after helping Utah beat Cincinnati with a 260-yard, three-touchdown performance. He also ran for 5 yards per carry in that game.
For the season, he’s at an 8% CPOE, with no glaring weak spot in the profile. His sack rate is below 4%, his rushing success rate is almost 60%, and when he’s throwing it well, Utah becomes a tough team to handle.
Kienholz rounds out the list at No. 7 and does it as a first-time entrant this season. The former Ohio State transfer is steering the nation’s No. 1 offense in yards per play, and he backed that up against Stanford with 250 passing yards, 7 yards per carry on the ground and three total touchdowns.
For the year, he owns a 6% CPOE and a 54% rushing success rate on a heavy workload. Louisville still needs some help to reach the ACC title game, but if the Cardinals get there, they’ll be a dangerous team.
In Other News...
Georgia Heads To Ole Miss With Key Availability Questions
Georgias first availability report for the Ole Miss game offered a clearer picture of who is trending toward playing, but it still left a few important pieces unsettled. Wide receiver Isiah Canion was listed as probable, while running back Chauncey Bowens was among six Georgia players tagged questionable. Outside linebacker Amaris Williams was ruled out, and cornerback Ellis Robinson IV along with running back Dwight Phillips Jr. were not listed after leaving the previous game.
For Georgia, the report matters because this trip to Ole Miss already carries enough weight without added uncertainty in the lineup. The Rebels have their own long list of availability concerns, with nine players ruled out and several more sitting in the questionable or probable range, so both sides are heading into the matchup with some moving parts still to sort through before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Suddenly Has A Depth Concern Ahead Of Ole Miss
Georgias latest availability report brought a little more uncertainty into the buildup for Ole Miss, with receiver Isiah Canion no longer on the list after initially being marked probable. The Bulldogs also enter the week with several players sitting in the questionable column, including Thomas Blackshear, Chauncey Bowens, Elyiss Williams, Joseph Jonah-Ajonye and AJ Kruah, leaving the staff to sort through a few moving parts as the matchup gets closer.
Amaris Williams has already been ruled out, and the SEC will continue to update the report before kickoff, so this is not a finished picture yet. Even so, the timing matters for Georgia, which would prefer a cleaner injury sheet going into a game where depth can be tested quickly and every available body becomes part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Heads Into A Revenge Game With Playoff Pressure Rising
Saturday night brings a familiar kind of pressure for Georgia, with Ole Miss coming to town for a 7:30 p.m. EST kickoff on ABC. The Bulldogs are favored by 3.5 points at DraftKings Sportsbook, which says plenty about how tight this one is expected to be, and it also says plenty about the stakes. Gunner Stockton will be under the spotlight for Georgia, while Ole Miss will lean on Trinidad Chambliss in a matchup that has already taken on a little extra edge because of what happened the last time these teams met.
For Georgia, this is about more than just settling a score. Ole Miss has beaten the Bulldogs before, and another loss would make the playoff picture a lot less forgiving as rankings pressure starts to build. The game is also available on the ESPN app and Fubo TV, but for Georgia fans, the real focus is simple enough: a close SEC game with a chance to answer back, and a result that could shape how the committee views the Bulldogs when it matters most. [Read more 🡒]