Ranking Every Power 4 Quarterback One Month Into the 2025 Season

socialmedia4903
Oct 1
2 min read

A month into the 2025 college football season, quarterback play across the Power 4 has been nothing short of unpredictable. The preseason favorites have stumbled, while unexpected stars have surged into the spotlight. For bettors and fans alike, it’s creating one of the strangest — and most intriguing — seasons in recent memory.

Preseason Favorites Struggling

Big names entered 2025 with sky-high expectations, but many have failed to deliver:

Cade Klubnik (Clemson) — A preseason All-American, but with his team sitting at 1-3 and ranking 94th in Total QBR, he’s been one of the year’s biggest disappointments.
Arch Manning (Texas) — Hyped as a Heisman front-runner, Manning is just 71st in QBR.
Drew Allar, Nico Iamaleava, Sam Leavitt — All playoff quarterbacks a year ago, all outside the top 60 now.

The lesson? Reputation hasn’t meant much this fall.

The Unexpected Stars

While the headliners have stumbled, new names have risen:

Jayden Maiava (USC) — The new No. 1. With 1,587 passing yards and 15 total TDs, he leads the nation in QBR (93.4) and has USC’s offense firing on all cylinders.
Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt) — Efficient and ruthless, Pavia has 15 TDs and a 75% completion rate. Can he keep it rolling with Alabama and LSU up next?
Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss) — A Division II transfer who has gone from backup to star. Since taking over, he’s added a run threat and explosive plays, turning Ole Miss into an SEC contender.
Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) — Quietly leading one of the most efficient offenses in the country, with 18 total TDs.
Dante Moore (Oregon) — His poised performance against Penn State catapulted him into Heisman conversations.

Other risers include Brendan Sorsby (Cincinnati), CJ Carr (Notre Dame), and Ty Simpson (Alabama), each playing clean, efficient football that has their teams in the mix.

Betting Takeaways

For bettors, the key theme is unpredictability. The preseason board leaned heavily on Klubnik, Manning, and Allar — all of whom have disappointed. Instead, unheralded names like Maiava, Pavia, and Chambliss have shifted the market.

Heisman Futures — Dante Moore and Jayden Maiava are climbing fast, while early favorites have tumbled.
Team Totals — Explosive offenses at USC, Oregon, and Indiana make the over a tempting play.
Upset Alerts — Vanderbilt and Ole Miss are prime wild cards; their QB play could cash underdog tickets all season.

The Takeaway

One month in, this college football season has flipped expectations upside down. The familiar names haven’t lived up to the billing, while unlikely stars have taken over the stage. With conference play heating up, bettors should focus less on preseason hype and more on current form — because in 2025, the unexpected is becoming the norm.