College Football QB Power Rankings: Oregon State's Braden Atkinson surges, Arch Manning plummets — SkimNews
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- Braden Atkinson (Oregon State) leads the nation with 21 touchdown passes and 373.7 passing yards per game, a full-season average last exceeded by 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels; he became just the fourth FBS QB of the 21st century with 400 yards, 5 TDs and 0 INTs in consecutive games.
- Arch Manning (Texas) plummeted in the rankings after throwing two fourth-quarter interceptions in the Longhorns' loss to Oklahoma.
- Darian Mensah (Miami) held the No. 1 spot, pacing the nation in passing efficiency, completion percentage (84.2%) and EPA per dropback for the No. 3 Hurricanes; the Duke transfer set ACC records for consecutive completions earlier this season.
- Oregon State receiver Jesse Legree leads the FBS with 12 touchdown catches and 932 receiving yards, both ahead of Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith (916 yards).
- Gunner Stockton (Georgia) survived a near-catastrophic interception that was overturned late in the third quarter of a 20-17 win at Alabama, preserving a performance that sits No. 3 nationally in passer efficiency.
- Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss, No. 3) faces Austin Simmons (Missouri, No. 13) this week in a rematch of the quarterback battle that saw Chambliss unseat Simmons on the Rebels' depth chart last year.
- Bear Bachmeier (BYU) became the first Cougars quarterback with a 300-yard passing, 100-yard rushing game since Taysom Hill in 2013, ahead of a top-10 showdown with Notre Dame.
Why it matters: Atkinson arrived at Oregon State with no high school or transfer rankings pedigree and spent 2025 at FCS Mercer — yet now sits two spots shy of No. 1, and his four-game win streak (following opening defeats to Houston and Texas Tech) has the Beavers positioned as Pac-12 contenders. The contrast with Manning, a five-star whose late-game mistakes cost Texas against Oklahoma, underscores how quickly the Heisman conversation can pivot on a single quarter.
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