I was in my home office on Saturday with multiple games going on awash in excellence. On one screen, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe were trading blows. On another, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and USC’s Caleb Williams were doing the same. On the third screen, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy was tearing Purdue to shreds the same way he and the Wolverines had done to countless other teams before.
Every time I changed my focus to another screen, there was a great quarterback doing something worth watching. Whether it was launching a 45-yard laser while spinning out of a defensive lineman’s grasp or sprinting through the secondary to pick up a huge gain with his legs, the best QBs in the country were balling out.
These performances have been one of the high points of the 2023 season. We’ve grown accustomed to the best teams in the nation being led by No. 1-pick type QBs in recent years. Whether it’s been Deshaun Watson, Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, C.J. Stroud, Justin Fields and others, we’ve been lucky to have a run of No. 1 Pick Prototype QBs in the sport over the last decade.
We don’t have that this season. Sure, teams are fawning over guys like Williams and Drake Maye, but for the most part, college football has great college football QBs this year. NFL evaluators might not be thrilled about it, but college football fans should be. It’s a big reason why it feels as if several different teams are serious national title contenders this year and also why we have no idea who will win the Heisman Trophy.
It’s also made these weekly QB Power Rankings a lot more fun. Every week it’s somebody new stepping up to take control. Or, in this week’s case, somebody returning to the top.
Honorable Mention: Jason Bean, Kansas; Jordan McCloud, James Madison; John Paddock, Illinois; Kaidon Salter, Liberty; Preston Stone, SMU
Serving Detention: Jayden Daniels, LSU; Caleb Williams, USC
