Risers In The CFB Saturdays College Football QB Rankings: October 11, 2020

With a few weeks of the season in the books and an opportunity to see how players have developed we have updated the College Football QB rankings. A few notes before we discuss the rankings themselves.

• The rankings will be updated throughout the season.
• Players who have not played college football are not eligible for the rankings.
• Players are graded on their college ability, not their pro potential.
• We are judging players on their film, production and physical tools.

You can view the College Football QB Rankings here.

Here is a look at a few of the quarterbacks that have debuted or made a major move up in the rankings:

Zach Wilson – BYU

Last season, Zach Wilson flashed his potential but was also plagued by turnovers and inconsistency. Through the first four games of 2020, Wilson has shown how much he improved between seasons. Wilson has been phenomenal, showing impeccable ball placement, a good feel for the offense and a level of comfort in the pocket and when on the move. He has spread the ball around to his receivers making good reads and finding the right receiver to throw to on just about every play. When you factor in Wilson’s elusiveness and running ability it makes him a complete threat from the quarterback position. The opposition has yet to slow down Wilson who is playing with a high level of confidence in his second season as a starter.

BYU is undefeated this season and Wilson has been a big reason why. He has completed 82 of 101 pass attempts for 1,241 yards 8 touchdowns against 1 interception, that’s a remarkable 81.2 percent completion percentage and 12.3 yards per attempt. Add in 60 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground at it’s pretty obvious how effective Wilson has been in 2020. The only knock against Wilson is that BYU has had a relatively easy schedule this year. The Cougars schedule has been evolving as the season progresses but the recent addition of Boise State and San Diego State gives them a tough pair of opponents coming up later in the season.

Mac Jones – Alabama

Mac Jones actually put up good numbers a year ago, but with the talent around him and the drop off from Tua’s numbers, we wanted to see a little more from Jones before we ranked him. In 2020, Jones has been excellent to start the season, he has been accurate and efficient, spreading the ball around to his arsenal of weapons. He has good mobility in the pocket, avoiding the few pressures that get past the Tide’s offensive line. Jones has good command of the offense, finding the open receiver and throwing on time to allow his playmakers to run after the catch. Jones has answered a lot of the questions we had about him and lands in the top ten of the QB rankings.

Jones stats were good in 2019, but he has reached new heights in 2020. His completion percentage has jumped from 68.8 percent to 79.5 percent, that increase is accompanied by an improvement from 10.7 yards per attempt to 13.3 yards per attempt. Jones has been accurate and not just on short passes but downfield as well. He has thrown eight touchdowns with just one interception on the season. Jones should get a big test next week when Alabama plays Georgia, but we are comfortable that Jones has earned a spot as one of the top quarterbacks in college football.

Spencer Rattler – Oklahoma

It was only a matter of time until Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler made the list. He actually debuts a little lower than we thought he would, but Rattler has some work to do before he moves further up this list. Rattler has made four starts this season, the first four of his college career and has shown why the expectations for him were so high. Rattler is an accurate passer whether throwing from the pocket or while on the move. He has a good arm, though we would not classify it as elite arm strength, and can get the ball downfield with good velocity. Rattler’s accuracy is complimented by his excellent touch and spin that make for a very catchable ball. He is also quick on his feet and an effective runner who is able to escape pressure and force defenses to account for him as a runner.

Rattler has had a prolific season, throwing multiple touchdowns in each game. For the season he has completed 92 of 129 passes for 1,186 yards and 13 touchdowns and another 67 rushing yards with 2 rushing touchdowns. Turnovers have been an issue so far this season for Rattler, he has thrown 5 interceptions and lost 2 fumbles. Rattler and the Oklahoma offense have been very efficient this season, but the miscues have been critical in both of Oklahoma’s losses so far this season. The turnovers and some trouble closing out games have kept Rattler from ranking higher on this list. He did not play well in the fourth quarter against Kansas State and threw a bad interception to end the Iowa State game as well. Rattler is so efficient at times, and has been mentioned for so long as the next great Oklahoma quarterback, that it’s easy to forget that he is still a redshirt freshman. We expect him to clean up the inconsistencies and turnover issues as he matures, then he will truly be one of the best quarterbacks in college football.

Matt Corral – Mississippi

Matt Corral has emerged in his second full season with Mississippi. He had another strong performance this past weekend against Alabama and appears to be well on his way to a big season. Corral is effective both as a runner and passer, allowing Mississippi to use him as threat in both the run game and the pass game. Corral split time with John Rhys Plumlee last season but has taken control of the starting job this season. He has completed 76.1 percent of his passes for 1,080 yards and 9 touchdowns with just 1 interception and another 141 yards on 39 carries as a runner. Corral is a dynamic quarterback who gives Lane Kiffin’s offense a shot in the arm in year one.

Max Duggan – TCU

Duggan earned the starting job for TCU during his freshman season, but has grown as a passer in 2020. He has always been an effective runner, but he was inconsistent in the passing game last season. So far in 2020, Duggan looks more comfortable as a passer and has improved his accuracy significantly. Even with a tough outing against Kansas State, in a game where he was pressured relentlessly, Duggan has completed 55 of 80 pass attempts for 626 yards and 3 touchdowns with just 1 interception. He has improved his completion percentage by over 15 percent from 2019 and averages 1.7 more yards per pass attempt. Duggan was excellent against Iowa State and Texas but did struggle against Kansas State. We are comfortable moving him into the top 25 but he will have to play more like he did the first two games this year to keep rising in the quarterback rankings.

For the complete Top 25 QB Rankings click here.

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