Week 6 brought a little clarity to the 2027 quarterback race, and it also brought a headache for Arch Manning.
The Texas star took a hit in the Red River Rivalry loss to Oklahoma, and it wasn’t subtle. Manning threw two costly interceptions in the fourth quarter of the upset, a finish that reopened the conversation about whether he was pushed to the front of the draft picture too soon.
He did make some plays along the way, but the turnovers ended up defining the day. That’s the problem now: he hasn’t been nearly as dynamic with his legs this season, and he has thrown at least one interception in four of his five starts while operating in a passing game that hasn’t exactly been asked to carry the whole load.
Texas will try to clean that up Saturday against a Florida team that’s been reeling.
While Manning slipped, several other quarterbacks used the weekend to move the conversation in their direction.
LaNorris Sellers is one of the biggest names making noise again. South Carolina’s quarterback followed up a strong outing against Kentucky with an even better performance in Gainesville, going 23-of-35 for 279 yards and five total touchdowns in a win over Florida.
He didn’t do the damage on the ground the way he did the week before, but he showed he can win with his arm. After a bye, he’s set up to keep climbing if this keeps going.
USC’s Jayden Maiava also got the kind of road win that NFL teams remember. He was steady against Penn State, throwing for 301 yards and three touchdowns without a pick in a tough environment. That followed a quieter showing against Washington, but the Penn State performance keeps him firmly in the mix as the season moves on.
At the top, Dante Moore stays in the No. 1 spot, even though he missed the UCLA game with a concussion. Oregon’s ugly loss to the Bruins may have helped his standing a bit, especially with Dylan Raiola getting benched after going 6-of-19 for 43 yards and two interceptions.
That kind of day makes it easier to separate Moore’s uneven start from what his offense looked like without him. The catch is that his return timeline is still unclear, according to coach Dan Lanning.
Notre Dame’s CJ Carr keeps stacking clean weeks, and he moved up a spot after another efficient outing. In a 58-7 win over Stanford, Carr completed 14 of 20 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns.
He now has 16 touchdowns against just one interception, and the next real test comes on the road against BYU. The Irish schedule has not exactly been brutal so far, so that trip will matter.
Darian Mensah stays right in the thick of the Heisman and draft conversation at No. 4.
Miami was off in Week 6, but Mensah’s first five games have been remarkably clean, with no interceptions and top-tier efficiency. Florida State comes next, and the matchup doesn’t appear to present much danger for the Hurricanes.
Ohio State’s Julian Sayin keeps making the Buckeyes’ passing game look easy. Jeremiah Smith may get most of the attention, but Sayin has thrown 11 touchdowns and just one interception over his last three starts. Indiana is next, and that one carries extra weight less than a year after Sayin saw his Heisman hopes go sideways against the Hoosiers in the Big Ten championship game.
Drew Mestemaker also stayed on the rise with another productive day for Oklahoma State. Against UCF, he went 19-of-28 for 304 yards and two touchdowns in a win. With a decision looming about whether to return to school next season, the rest of his year has a little extra intrigue baked in.
Trinidad Chambliss helped Ole Miss bounce back in a big way. The Rebels put 52 on Vanderbilt after the Florida loss, and Chambliss finished 20-of-30 for 213 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. The size and age questions aren’t going anywhere, but he keeps looking the part of a quarterback whose stock stays healthy if he keeps performing like a potential Heisman finalist.
Sam Leavitt remains a tough read at No. 10.
LSU’s upset loss to Kentucky wasn’t really pinned on him, and he still produced three touchdowns with only nine incompletions. But he also keeps giving away one interception per game, and that’s the sort of thing that makes it harder to separate from the pack.
Drake Lindsey lands at No. 11 after a rough team result for Minnesota. The Gophers were blown out by Purdue following their win over Michigan, and Lindsey had some accuracy issues while still throwing for 248 yards as Minnesota tried to chase the game.
The lone newcomer in the rankings is Austin Simmons, who checks in at No. 12.
He didn’t have his best outing against Texas A&M, going 14-of-28 while the running game carried more of the load, but the NFL buzz around him is starting to build. Through six games, the former Ole Miss quarterback has 14 touchdowns and one interception, and he still has plenty of chances left to make his case.
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Landry Kiffins social media posts during the latest run of SEC games added an unexpected side note to the usual football chatter, with the coachs daughter showing support for LSU, Ole Miss and Texas as the weekend unfolded. The reactions were immediate and mixed, because in a conference where loyalties are already sharp enough, even casual fanhood can feel like a statement.
Lane Kiffin had bigger concerns after LSUs upset loss to Kentucky, a defeat that left the Tigers at 4-2 and sparked plenty of frustration in Baton Rouge. He pointed to execution issues, including a punt return touchdown and turnovers, as part of what went wrong, and the combination of the loss and the off-field buzz only made the mood around LSU feel a little more restless. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Heads Into Missouri With One Painful Offseason Decision Looming
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The backdrop here is Trinidad Chambliss, whose eligibility for the 2026 season had been in question before he won a legal injunction that cleared him to play. Missouri benefited from the uncertainty in the meantime, with Simmons and Lee turning in breakout seasons after transferring, leaving Ole Miss to face not just an SEC opponent but one more uncomfortable reminder of what was at stake. [Read more 🡒]
Ahmad Hardys Status Keeps A Dangerous Future Ole Miss Matchup In Focus
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For Ole Miss, that uncertainty matters because Hardys status could shape how dangerous Missouri looks when the teams line up. Drinkwitz also pushed back on the rumor mill surrounding the injury, saying he would make it public once Hardy is back at practice, but for now the Rebels are left waiting on a clearer read before the matchup comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]