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College Football Quarterback Week 1 Rankings: Mason Heintschel’s Seven-TD Effort Edged Out for Top Spot

For the first top 10 list, we select players who competed against FBS opponents. Plus, we examine the floundering five lowlights of the weekend.
Zach Koons|
Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel threw an ACC single-game record of seven touchdowns in a Week 1 win over Miami (Ohio).
Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel threw an ACC single-game record of seven touchdowns in a Week 1 win over Miami (Ohio). | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Texas LonghornsSMU MustangsIndiana HoosiersOregon DucksUSC TrojansMississippi State BulldogsLSU TigersOle Miss RebelsPittsburgh PanthersMiami (FL) HurricanesAuburn TigersBaylor BearsOklahoma State CowboysMichigan WolverinesRutgers Scarlet Knights

Week 1 is in the books and now that every team has seen the field, there’s plenty to dissect. And there’s no better position to put a brighter spotlight on than quarterback, where every week, one player can dictate the outcome of a game.

You may remember Sports Illustrated’s preseason Power 4 quarterback rankings, and this weekly story will follow a similar structure. We’ll take a look at some of the top signal-callers of each week and rank their performances, in addition to pointing out a few of the lowlights at the position. The focus will largely be on the Power 4, but should any Group of 6 quarterback pop, we’ll throw out the rule book.

One requirement to land in this week’s top 10: play an FBS opponent. Sure, there were some excellent performances like Cutter Boley throwing six touchdowns in his Arizona State debut or Austin Simmons posting 252 yards and four scores for Missouri. But games against Morgan State and Arkansas Pine-Bluff don’t move me. Pick on someone your own size and you may find yourselves in the top 10 next week. 

Top 10

Honorable mention: Julian Sayin (Ohio State), Rocco Becht (Penn State), Katin Houser (Illinois)

10. Arch Manning, Texas

Stats: 20 for 27, 305 yards, four touchdowns, one interception, 210.4 efficiency rating

The Texas offense looks flushed with talent in 2026, and Manning was excellent as the unit’s conductor in a 59–7 rout of Texas State. He was sharp on third and fourth down (8 for 9) and made just one ill-advised throw, forcing a ball into triple coverage in the closing seconds of the first half that was intercepted. Texas scored on every other drive that Manning was on the field, and given last season’s struggles against UTEP, this year is already off to a better start.

9. Kevin Jennings, SMU

Stats: 26 for 36, 430 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, 188.9 efficiency rating

Some quarterbacks are just gamers and you have to take some of the bad with the good, and perhaps no player exemplifies that better than Jennings. The fifth-year man for the Mustangs racked up a career-high 463 yards of offense, but also threw two costly interceptions, including one with the game tied in the fourth quarter. That’s been the Achilles heel for Jennings in the past and reached a low with 16 turnovers last season so that will need to be cleaned up if SMU has aspirations of winning the ACC. Still, he deserves credit for going on the road and making a number of plays off-schedule to get the win.

8. Josh Hoover, Indiana 

Stats: 13 for 16, 231 yards, four touchdowns, 285.0 efficiency rating

Well, well, well, it sure looks like Curt Cignetti has found the next quarterback who will fiercely uphold his ethos of toughness and grit. Hoover took the old axiom of “rub some dirt on it” to the next level and delivered a strike of a touchdown to Charlie Becker while blood poured down his face onto his jersey. The play encapsulated a special day for Hoover, who posted the highest efficiency rating of any quarterback in the country in Week 1 and did so while averaging 14.4 yards per attempt (second in FBS). He’s already off to a hotter start than Fernando Mendoza in Bloomington, Ind., (who posted a 58.1% completion rate, 193 yards and one rushing touchdown against Old Dominion in Week Zero in 2025), which should probably strike a decent amount of fear into the Hoosiers’ future opponents.

7. Dante Moore, Oregon

Stats: 28 for 37, 378 yards, three touchdowns, 188.2 efficiency rating

It’s cliché to say that it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish—and yet that’s exactly what I’d like to say about Moore. He and the Ducks came out a bit conservative and Moore had just three completions of more than 10 yards when he threw a strike to tight end Jamari Johnson for his first touchdown of the afternoon late in the second quarter. That would kick off a stretch of seven straight completions, four of which went for 17 yards or more and put Oregon back on the attack. The final result for the Ducks, who entered the season to much fanfare, may be a bit underwhelming on paper, even if Boise State ranks among the top of the Group of 6 playoff race. But Dan Lanning should emerge from Week 1 feeling even more confident about having one of the best quarterbacks in the country residing in Eugene, Ore. 

6. Jayden Maiava, USC

Stats: 23 for 25, 349 yards, three touchdowns, 248.9 efficiency rating

Now in his third season and second full year as the starter at USC, Maiava looks to have achieved perfect harmony with Lincoln Riley. Fresno State may have lost about half of its defensive production from a unit that ranked 16th in scoring defense last season, but is still plenty talented and well coached—and yet Maiava shredded the Bulldogs. He threw more touchdowns than incompletions and recorded the highest single-game completion percentage by a USC QB since 1995. It sure helps to have an instant breakout star in freshman receiver Trent Mosley, but Maiava looks as comfortable as he’s ever been through two starts in 2026. 

5. Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State

Stats: 22 for 34, 354 yards, four touchdowns, 191.0 efficiency rating

If you want to spend the rest of your day watching this throw from Taylor, I wouldn’t blame you.

It’s the sort of pass that makes me seriously regret putting Taylor, who we didn’t see much of last season, at No. 54 in my preseason Power 4 quarterback rankings. He was also excellent the rest of the night against Louisiana-Monroe, racking up more than 400 yards of total offense and five touchdowns with his dual-threat ability. Next up, however, is a much tougher test against a Minnesota defense with ample pass-rushing talent. Taylor may have shown that he could run on power conference—defenses in his two starts last season, but whether or not he can hang in the pocket and make the throws like the one he did above against similar caliber opponents is the question. 

4. Sam Leavitt, LSU

Stats: 16 for 28, 230 yards, one touchdown, one interception, 130.8 efficiency rating

Fans in Death Valley may have shared a few nervous glances when Leavitt’s first pass as a Tiger popped off the hands of his intended receiver for an interception. Luckily for LSU, that would be the first and only mistake of a celebratory night in Baton Rouge, headlined by the debuts of Lane Kiffin and his high-priced transfer quarterback. The Leavitt of 2024 quickly revealed himself as he danced away from Clemson defenders, made confident throws on the run and displayed his tremendous toughness. He ended with 333 total yards and three scores, and cemented LSU as a real title threat if he can continue to play at this level. 

3. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss

Stats: 21 for 36, 336 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, 158.7 efficiency rating

The last time we saw Chambliss, he was just 18 seconds away from carrying the Rebels to the national championship game until Carson Beck waltzed into the end zone to give Miami the Fiesta Bowl win. Given that 2025 was just his first year in FBS, it’s no surprise that we might get to see Trinidad 2.0 this season and the second half against Louisville certainly suggested that might be the case. He needed just 12 completions, highlighted by a pair of 62-yard touchdowns to Deuce Alexander, to rack up three touchdowns and 261 yards. He then ran in another score to cap a fourth touchdown drive of the second half before powering 44 yards in 1:25 to set up the game-winning field goal. A special start for one of the most exciting players in the sport. 

2. Mason Heintschel, Pitt

Stats: 31 for 41, 453 yards, seven touchdowns, 224.8 efficiency rating

Your FBS leader in passing touchdowns after Week 1? Heintschel, who tied the Pitt single-game record with seven touchdowns in a blowout of Miami (Ohio) and is also the early FBS leader in yards per game. This is no slouch of a RedHawks team either—they’ve played for a MAC title in each of the past three seasons. Heintschel showed elite command though, connecting on 12 of his final 13 passes, six of which went for 15 yards or more and four for touchdowns. UCF presents a tougher test next, but the sophomore signal-caller has sent a serious message to the rest of the country. 

1. Darian Mensah, Miami

Stats: 27 for 30, 401 yards, five touchdowns, 257.3 efficient rating

I wasn’t sure that Mensah could’ve exceeded my already high expectations of what he could accomplish in the Hurricanes’ offense and yet he may have against Stanford. The former Duke and Tulane transfer was scary precise, cracking the 400-yard barrier while throwing five touchdowns with just three incompletions. It’s early, so take this with a grain of salt, but Mensah posted a 96.4 QBR, behind just Julian Sayin and Katin Houser, and did so while playing against a conference opponent. Regardless of how you feel about Stanford, the Mensah and Malachi Toney connection showed just how lethal it can be and may have given us a sneak preview at two of the five Heisman finalists.

The Floundering Five

5. Byrum Brown, Auburn

Stats: 26 for 35, 259 yards, zero touchdowns, three interceptions, 119.0 efficiency rating

Brown is a tough, physical runner and it was exactly that skill set that delivered the winning play against Baylor. Unfortunately, it came after three interceptions and some real head-scratching decision-making. Brown threw just seven interceptions all of 2025 at South Florida and already has three after just one power-conference game in ’26. He will always be more of a run-first threat. But is a quarterback running 21 times for 27 yards a sustainable method to win games as Auburn looks ahead to SEC play? Probably not. 

4. DJ Lagway, Baylor

Stats: 27 for 54, 333 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 110.3 efficiency rating

More opportunities (a career-high 54 attempts) didn’t exactly lead to better results for Lagway in his Baylor debut. He coughed up another two takeaways right away in the first quarter, continuing the trend that plagued him at Florida, and he was largely inaccurate. Then, on the two-point conversion for the win, he underthrew his open receiver and didn’t leave room for what should’ve been a fairly comfortable conversion. There’s still a fair share of jaw-dropping moments, too—that’s just the Lagway experience.

3. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State

Stats: 29 for 49, 241 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, 99.1 efficiency rating

As it turns out, the Big 12 really might be a tougher place to play than the American Conference. Now wait a second: We’ve just received word that Oklahoma State lost to Tulsa, which plays in, you guessed it, the American. The same conference that Mestemaker and head coach Eric Morris diced up a year ago. The Cowboys have a long way to go, and though Mestemaker wasn’t good, he was under fire all day. He took two sacks and was hurried 10 times in the loss, which led to critical mistakes.

2. Bryce Underwood, Michigan

Stats: 12 for 22, 170 yards, one touchdown, one interception, 125.4 efficiency rating

Underwood’s numbers before the Bail Mary: 52.4% completion rate, 123 yards, zero passing touchdowns and one interception. That would’ve ranked right up there with the worst performances of his career, and this was against Western Michigan, not against Oklahoma or Ohio State as a true freshman. The running ability will continue to be there, but unless he can make strides as a passer, his job might legitimately be in jeopardy. Kyle Whittingham raised some eyebrows when he said Underwood was Michigan’s starter “right now,” but that it wasn’t “something that’s infinite.” Yikes! 

1. Dylan Lonergan, Rutgers

Stats: 16 for 29, 242 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions, 127.3 efficiency rating

Rutgers was thoroughly outplayed in all facets by UMass, so it’s not a shock that extended to the play behind center. Only four other FBS quarterbacks threw as many interceptions as Lonergan in Week 1, and that was even after he was unable to finish the game, leaving in the fourth quarter with an injury. Over his last seven passes: 1 for 7, one touchdown and three interceptions. AJ Surace, who replaced Lonergan in the fourth quarter, will start for Rutgers in Week 2 at Boston College and unless he puts together a worse performance, it’s hard to imagine we’ll see Lonergan anytime soon.  

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Zach Koons
ZACH KOONS

Zach Koons is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about Formula One. He joined SI as a Breaking and Trending News writer in February 2022 before joining the programming team in 2023. Koons previously worked at The Spun and interned for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He currently hosts the “Bleav in Northwestern” podcast and received a bachelor’s in journalism from Northwestern University.

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