College Football QB Power Rankings: Missouri's Austin Simmons makes big leap, Sam Leavitt tumbles

There is an alternative universe in which Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons is one of the main characters in this week's highly anticipated top-10 LSU vs. Ole Miss showdown. Instead, he is far removed from the drama of Lane Kiffin's return to Mississippi and is thriving within his new digs at Mizzou after leading the Tigers to a 38-21 win at rival Kansas in Week 2.

Recruited by Kiffin to play for Ole Miss, Simmons arrived in Mississippi at 17, redshirted as a true freshman in 2023 and then impressed as the backup in 2024. As a redshirt freshman that year, Simmons came off the bench to lead an early scoring drive in the Rebels' win over Georgia while starter Jaxson Dart worked through an injury. 

Following Dart's departure, Simmons took over the starting job and seemed primed to become Kiffin's next quarterback success story. Then came a Week 2 ankle injury in the 2025 SEC opener against Kentucky that opened the door for Ole Miss backup Trinidad Chambliss. As Simmons recovered from the injury, Chambliss ran away with the starting job, winning SEC Newcomer of the Year.

But Simmons never stopped being an SEC-caliber starting quarterback, and he looks like a perfect fit at Mizzou thus far. Simmons ranks sixth nationally in EPA (expected points added) per dropback and third among those who have actually faced a Power Four defense.

All the attention is on Kiffin's return to Ole Miss this week with LSU. But Simmons will make his return to Oxford on Oct. 17. The Simmons vs. Chambliss QB battle that day is one to circle.

After impressing in Week 2, Simmons is one of the big risers in this week's quarterback power rankings, jumping from 30th to 10th. Big swings are common in the QBPR, especially early in the season as data floods in. Oklahoma's John Mateer dropped from 22nd to outside the top 50 this week, and LSU's Sam Leavitt fell from No. 2 to No. 43 after throwing three interceptions in the first half against Louisiana Tech.

Here is the 1-50 QBPR for Week 3.

CBS Sports 138: Texas surges to No. 1 spot, Michigan returns to top 25 in college football rankings

Chip Patterson

1. Darian Mensah, Miami 

Menash has completed 41 of 45 passes for 653 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions through two games. Among those with 30+ pass attempts, he is No. 1 nationally in EPA per dropback. Among QBs who have faced a Power Four opponent, he owns a commanding edge in passer rating. Stanford and Florida A&M haven't provided much resistance, but Mensah is off to an A+ start heading into an interesting Friday night test at Wake Forest. Last week: 1

2. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss 

Chambliss completed 23 of 26 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns in an easy 41-9 Week 2 win over Charlotte. That came on the heels of a clutch second-half performance in a wild Week 1 win over Louisville. Now comes the biggest game of the Ole Miss season. Former Rebels coach Lane Kiffin is coming to town with No. 7 LSU and a defense that is looking nasty. Last week: 3

3. Arch Manning, Texas

Manning completed 8 of 11 passes during a historic fourth quarter as Texas roared back from a 20-point deficit to stun Ohio State. Life undeniably looked hard for him during the game's first 40 minutes. But when the Longhorns' backs were against the wall, Manning delivered by leading three straight touchdown drives in a legacy-altering game. Last week: 6

4. Josh Hoover, Indiana

Eight of Hoover's 19 completions have gone for touchdowns during Indiana's season-opening blowout wins over North Texas and Howard. His 27-attempt sample size and the lackluster competition mean this remains a preliminary evaluation. But the early returns are encouraging for the TCU transfer tasked with replacing Fernando Mendoza. Last week: 7

5. Jayden Maiava, USC

Maiava threw his first interception of the season on his third attempt in USC's 49-30 Week 2 win over Louisiana. It was an ill-advised throw into traffic, but don't hold it against him. He went on to throw five touchdowns, bringing his season total to 10 through three games. The Trojans still aren't throwing the ball downfield and haven't played a Power Four opponent yet. But Maiava started the year at No. 7 and has delivered thus far. Last week: 8

6. CJ Carr, Notre Dame

Carr completed his first nine passes, including two for touchdowns, on his way to a strong showing in Notre Dame's 52-0 rout of Rice. He hit on 5 of 6 passes traveling 20+ air yards, which was encouraging after a steady but unspectacular Week 1 showing against Wisconsin. Among quarterbacks who have faced a Power Four opponent, Carr is fourth nationally in EPA per dropback. Last week: 10

7. Gunner Stockton, Georgia

Stockton is 28 of 32 for 436 yards and eight touchdowns through wins against Tennessee State and Western Kentucky. The competition has been lackluster, but Stockton has been almost perfect. He is second in passer efficiency, third in EPA per dropback and fourth in yards per attempt. Look for another strong performance against a struggling Arkansas team this week in Georgia's SEC opener.  Last week: 12

8. Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State

Taylor made it look easy in Mississippi State's 38-13 win at Minnesota, tossing three touchdowns and running for 86 yards in a dominant win. His throws look effortless, he's an elusive runner and he makes good decisions (one interception in 133 career attempts). The Bulldogs appear to have a program-elevating gem here. Will that translate to the program's first winning season since 2022? Last week: 16

9. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State

Mestemaker went from 15th in the preseason QBPR to unranked after a dud opener vs. Tulsa. Now, he's back in the upper echelon after totaling 426 yards in a stunning upset win over Oregon. No quarterback was more productive against a Power Four opponent in Week 2. Most surprising about Mestemaker's performance was his 109 rushing yards, highlighted by a 75-yard scamper on Oklahoma State's first play. Last week: unranked

10. Austin Simmons, Missouri

Simmons is finally getting a chance to spread his wings at Missouri after getting usurped by Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss following an early injury last season. The lefty spun it beautifully in the Tigers' 38-21 win at rival Kansas in Week 2. His 292-yard night included three touchdown tosses and several eye-catching throws that displayed Simmons' arm talent. Last week: 30

11. Kevin Jennings, SMU 

Jennings threw five touchdowns while completing 14 of 16 passes in SMU's 56-10 win over FCS foe UC Davis in Week 2. Jennings is too mistake-prone to be considered Tier 1A (see Week 1 win over Florida State). But he's also a productive veteran with some serious playmaking wizardry in his arsenal (also, see the Week 1 win over Florida State). Last week: 9

12. Bear Bachmeier, BYU

Bachmeier inflicted a knockout blow in BYU's 28-17 win over Arizona when he uncorked a 61-yard bomb to Legend Glasker midway through the fourth quarter. Two plays later, he threw his third touchdown of the game to give the Cougars critical separation in a Big 12 battle. The sophomore made winning plays and took care of the ball in a huge victory. Last week: 17

13. Devon Dampier, Utah

Dampier totaled four touchdowns -- two as a passer and two as a runner -- in Utah's 43-10 drubbing of Arkansas. He is up to 15th nationally in passer efficiency and 13th in EPA per dropback. He's just 2 of 10 on throws of 20+ air yards. But as one of college football's top running quarterbacks, the deep shot isn't exactly his calling card. Last week: 21

14. Rocco Becht, Penn State

Penn State's early inability to finish drives in a 27-9 win over Temple was concerning. But Becht settled in nicely, completing 12 straight passes at one point while finishing 21 of 27 for 268 yards and three touchdowns. The Iowa State transfer ranks No. 7 nationally in passing efficiency -- with the caveat that Penn State doesn't play a Power Four opponent until Week 4. Last week: 14

15. William "Pop" Watson, UMass

Watson played the game of his life as UMass stunned Rutgers in Week 1. He followed it up by completing 9 of 10 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown in a Week 2 victory over FCS foe Sacred Heart. Watson added 40 yards and another score on the ground. Among QBs who have played a Power Four defense, he ranks fourth in passer efficiency. Last week: 15

16. Aaron Philo, Florida

Philo ranks ninth in EPA per dropback and 10th in efficiency through wins over FAU and Campbell. He will finally face a competitive defense in Week 3 as the Gators travel to Auburn. Based on the encouraging early returns, it makes a lot of sense why offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner wanted to bring Philo with him from Georgia Tech. Last week: 19

17. Julian Sayin, Ohio State

Sayin completed just 5 of 16 passes in the second half of Ohio State's 24-23 loss at Texas. Dating back to last year's Big Ten Championship Game, he's been unreliable when the lights are brightest. As Sayin continues adapting to new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's system, he'll improve. But he needs to get more comfortable throwing to wide receivers not named Jeremiah Smith. Last week: 5

18. Mason Heintschel, Pittsburgh

Heintschel went from seven touchdowns against Miami (Ohio) in Week 1 to zero against UCF in Week 2. But a 12-7 win over UCF didn't require any heroics as the Panthers nursed a 12-point lead for basically the entire second half. He didn't turn the football over and is still 15th nationally in EPA per dropback. Last week: 11

19. Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville

Kienholz shredded FCS foe Villanova with 332 passing yards and four total touchdowns while menacing the Wildcats as a passer and runner. It was enough to reinforce that his awesome second half in a Week 1 loss to Ole Miss was no fluke. Now comes a huge Week 3 test against SMU. Last week: 28 

20. Gio Lopez, Wake Forest

Life is about to get considerably harder for Lopez and the Demon Deacons as they host No. 5 Miami on Friday. But the veteran lefty has played turnover-free football through two games, and he just gritted Wake Forest to a double-overtime road win at Purdue in Week 2. He scored both the game-tying touchdown and game-winning 2-point conversion with his legs. Last week: 48

21. Conner Weigman, Houston
Last week: 20

22. Beau Pribula, Virginia
Last week: 23

23. Anthony Colandrea, Nebraska
Last week: 26

24. Katin Houser, Illinois
Last week: 27

25. Malik Washington, Maryland
Last week: 33

26. Dante Moore, Oregon
Last week: 4

27. Noah Fifita, Arizona
Last week: 13

28. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
Last week: 25

29. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, California
Last week: 29

30. Demond Williams Jr., Washington
Last week: 24