College football’s quarterback picture has been loaded this season, and ESPN’s latest Power 4 rankings reflect that. Miami’s Darian Mensah sits at No. 1 for Bill Connelly after a blistering start in which he has thrown 14 touchdown passes and just 12 incompletions heading into October.
The SEC, meanwhile, is well represented near the top of the list even if it doesn’t own the No. 1 spot. Connelly placed five SEC quarterbacks inside his top 12: Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss at No.
4, Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor at No. 5, Alabama’s Keelon Russell at No.
7, Georgia’s Gunner Stockton at No. 8 and Florida’s Aaron Philo at No. 12.
Taylor’s leap is the eye-catching storyline. He entered the season ranked No. 48 in Connelly’s preseason evaluation, but the sophomore has surged into the conversation after guiding Mississippi State to a 4-0 start.
“Maybe the most exciting thing about Taylor is that he’s still clearly learning on the job. Against both South Carolina and Missouri… the Bulldogs’ offense fell into a prolonged funk that put them in danger,” Connelly wrote.
“But he was so good the rest of the way that MSU still scored over 30 points and won. He takes a few too many sacks, but a 69% completion rate, 9.1 yards per dropback and a 14-to-2 TD-to-INT rate - combined with selective but devastating running - is pretty ridiculous for a first-year starter.”
Taylor now has a chance to push Mississippi State into a bigger national spotlight if he can help the Bulldogs beat Russell and Alabama this weekend. Kickoff is set for Saturday at 12:00 p.m. E.T. on ABC.
In Other News...
Georgias Oklahoma Win Put One Bulldogs Strength In Clear Focus
Georgias 41-13 rout of Oklahoma did more than keep the Bulldogs rolling against unranked opponents, extending that streak to 52 in a row. It also offered another reminder of how complete this team can look when the run game and defense are both in rhythm, with Dwight Phillips Jr. and Chauncey Bowens helping set the tone on the ground while Talyn Taylor provided a useful spark in the passing game.
The defensive side may have left the clearest impression. Georgia forced four turnovers and turned one of them into points when Chris Cole returned a fumble for a touchdown, the kind of play that can break an opponents spirit and change the feel of a game in a hurry. For all the balance on offense, it was the Bulldogs ability to create chaos on defense that again stood out most, especially in a matchup that pushed their all-time record against Oklahoma to 2-0. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Bobos Georgia Offense Is Finally Creating A New Problem
Georgias offense has spent the first month of the season creating a kind of problem the program can live with: too many explosive plays to keep track of. Through four games, the Bulldogs have already piled up six plays of more than 50 yards, a sharp contrast from the season before, and that burst has helped fuel the nations No. 1 scoring offense. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has leaned into a more aggressive approach, and it has shown up across the depth chart rather than through one isolated weapon.
Gunner Stockton and Talyn Taylor have both talked about the need for Georgia to keep attacking in space, and the production has come from multiple sources. Nate Frazier, Jaden Reddell and Craig Dandridge have all had a hand in the bigger-play surge, giving the offense a different feel than the more methodical units that came before it. For a team already built to win on depth and balance, the next challenge is less about finding explosiveness and more about making sure it stays part of the weekly identity. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia May Have One Big Edge In Race For 5-Star Kellan Hall
Kellan Halls trip to Athens came at a good time for Georgia, with the five-star prospect in town for the Oklahoma game and leaving with a strong impression of the program. For the Bulldogs, that kind of visit matters just as much as the atmosphere on the field, especially with a recruit of Halls caliber still early in his process and drawing close attention from powers across the country.
Hall is already thinking ahead to how name, image and likeness opportunities could shape his decision, and he made clear that a competitive Georgia offer would be hard to ignore. Ranked No. 2 in the 2028 class, he is still far from a final call and plans to commit in early 2027, but the Bulldogs have put themselves in a spot where their pitch could carry real weight when the time comes. [Read more 🡒]