College Football QB Power Rankings: Darian Mensah surges to No. 1 after record-setting Week 1

Darian Mensah's game has been well known to serious college football fans since his redshirt freshman season at Tulane in 2024. The formerly overlooked prospect turned heads when he beat out former four-star prospect Ty Thompson, and he proceeded to dazzle while throwing for nearly 3,000 yards with the Green Wave.

Mensah increased his national profile even further at Duke last season while passing for nearly 4,000 yards and guiding the Blue Devils to an ACC title. But for anyone who remains uninitiated or skeptical, buckle up. The pairing of Mensah's skill with Miami's talent is already sending the star's stock soaring.

After throwing for a career-high 401 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in the Hurricanes' 45-6 rout of Stanford in Week 1, Mensah has risen to the top of the Heisman Trophy odds sheet (+600 at DraftKings). Just a couple spots behind him is 'Canes receiver Malachi Toney, who set a school record with 234 receiving yards against the Cardinal. The two are set to give the ACC fits in the months ahead.

Mensah's top target from Duke, Cooper Barkate, also transferred in to give the star QB an elite 1-2 tandem (Toney and Barkate finished first and second in the ACC in receiving yards last season). Miami's defense may not be as disruptive as it was last season -- the jury is out -- and the Hurricanes were just OK in the run game against Stanford.

But they have upgraded at quarterback. Coming out of Week 1, Mensah is topping the charts within the CBS Sports quarterback power rankings.

Here is the full 1-50 breakdown of the QBPR entering Week 2.

CBS Sports 138: LSU soars into top 10, Michigan tumbles from top 30 in college football rankings Chip Patterson

1. Darian Mensah, Miami

Mensah established a new career high in his first game with Miami by passing for 401 yards and five touchdowns in an authoritative 45-6 win at Stanford. The Duke transfer's easy chemistry with sophomore stud Malachi Toney was a sight to behold as Toney established a new Miami record with 234 receiving yards. Last week: 4

2. Sam Leavitt, LSU

Leavitt devastated Clemson with his legs, totaling 113 yards rushing and two touchdowns. For good measure, he totaled 230 yards passing and another score as LSU raced to a convincing 51-10 win in coach Lane Kiffin's debut. An early interception was the receiver's fault. Given that Leavitt was absent from spring practice due to injury, it was a confidence-inspiring performance against a defense that has some talent. Last week: 11

3. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss

Through one half of Ole Miss' 41-38 win over Louisville on Sunday night, Chambliss was on track to drop out of the top 50. It was an ugly and disjointed start for the Rebels. Then, he reminded us why he's a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. Chambliss totaled four touchdowns in the second half while amassing 261 yards passing over the final two quarters to lead the Rebels to a dramatic win. Last week: 3

4. Dante Moore, Oregon

Moore went 6 of 9 on attempts of 15+ air yards in Oregon's nervy 34-27 win over Boise State while distributing the football fairly evenly to the trio of Evan Stewart, Jeremiah McClellan and Dakorien Moore. Tight end Jamari Johnson got in on the action, too, as Moore demonstrated how good he can be when he's got a healthy and deep arsenal of pass catchers. That's not something he always had in 2025. Last week: 1

5. Julian Sayin, Ohio State

Sayin passed his pre-Texas tuneup with flying colors while completing 21 of 25 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns in Ohio State's 56-3 rout of Ball State. Included were a couple of deep shots to star receiver Jeremiah Smith. It was the sort of surgically efficient outing we became accustomed to seeing from Sayin last season when he led the nation in completion percentage. Last week: 5

6. Arch Manning, Texas

Manning completed some big throws to Ryan Wingo and Cam Coleman while totaling 305 yards and four touchdowns through the air in Texas' 59-7 rout of Texas State. He threw a cringey interception with time winding down in the first half, but the forced pass was partly a byproduct of the clock. His true 2026 QBPR trajectory will be determined by what he does this week against Ohio State. Last week: 2

7. Josh Hoover, Indiana

Hoover finished 13 of 16 for 231 yards and four touchdowns in his Indiana debut as the Hoosiers cruised past North Texas 52-16. No one is declaring him the next Fernando Mendoza just yet, but it was a nice start from the TCU transfer. Hoover saved his best for last, hitting Davion Chandler on a nicely thrown seam route for a 42-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Last week: 8

8. Jayden Maiava, USC

Maiava is a ridiculous 48 of 54 (88.9%) for 635 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions through two games. The competition has been lackluster (San Jose State and Fresno State), but Maiava is playing like a top-tier Heisman Trophy contender. He hasn't thrown downfield much, but the Trojans haven't needed to unleash the whole playbook yet. Last week: 7

9. Kevin Jennings, SMU

Jennings gave us the full experience Monday night in SMU's wild 27-24 win at Florida State. He extended plays, found open receivers and looked borderline unstoppable at times while throwing for a career-high 430 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw two baffling interceptions that helped keep FSU in the game. As per usual, he needs to cut back on the big miscues to be considered a tier 1A QB. Last week: 9

10. CJ Carr, Notre Dame

Carr entered the season as the widespread Heisman Trophy favorite. He didn't necessarily look the part against Wisconsin while failing to complete a single pass of more than 20 air yards in Notre Dame's win. But he took care of the football and shepherded the Fighting Irish through some struggles in the run game. With the context of the Fighting Irish playing away from home against a somewhat viable opponent, we're not docking him too harshly. Last week: 6

11. Mason Heintschel, Pittsburgh

After bursting onto the scene as an unheralded three-star freshman last season, Heintschel began Year 2 with a splash as he threw an ACC record seven touchdown passes in Pitt's 59-14 win over Miami (Ohio). Most impressive is that the seven scores were split among different receivers, as Heintschel totaled 453 yards through the air. Last week: 33

12. Gunner Stockton, Georgia

Stockton completed 15 of 16 passes for 202 yards with three touchdowns in less than two quarters of work during Georgia's 63-3 win over Tennessee State. Given the opponent, it was exactly what you'd expect from a veteran QB. Efficient as Stockton was, a rise in the QBPR will have to wait until the level of competition improves. Last week: 12

13. Noah Fifita, Arizona

Fifita completed 22 of 29 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns in Arizona's 35-7 season-opening win over Northern Arizona. No FBS quarterback has thrown for more yards with their current program than Fifita, who is likely to surpass 10,000 career passing yards early this season. Week 2 brings a showdown with Bear Bachmeier and BYU. Last week: 13

14. Rocco Becht, Penn State

Becht is second nationally in yards per attempt through Week 1 at 15.1 after shredding Marshall for 271 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 of 18 passing. A 0-for-3 mark on throws traveling 20+ yards was a downer, but Becht was nonetheless sharp and efficient in an impressive debut with the Nittany Lions. Last week: 25

15. William "Pop" Watson, UMass

Surviving in the top 20 of the QBPR will be tough for Watson. But after Week 1, he's more than deserving of a spot. After serving as a backup for three years at Virginia Tech, he returned to his home state of Massachusetts and guided UMass to a stunning 37-21 win at Rutgers. Watson completed 19 of 22 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns while running for another 40 yards in a historic victory for the Minutemen. Last week: NR

16. Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State

Taylor may be this season's version of Taylen Green, who put up wild numbers while playing for a bad Arkansas team last season. Mississippi State isn't expected to be great, but it sure has an electric quarterback. Taylor totaled five touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 62-13 season-opening rout of ULM. He produced 343 total yards in the first half alone. Last week: 39

17. Bear Bachmeier, BYU

Bachmeier checked the boxes in his Week 1 tuneup for this week's showdown with Arizona and Noah Fifita. The sophomore completed 16 of 20 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns in BYU's 63-7 thrashing of Utah Tech. He added another score on the ground and was done for the day after two quarters. Last week: 18

18. Keelon Russell, Alabama

Alabama dealt with some general sloppiness in the form of penalties and drops in Russell's first career start. But his dual-threat promise was undeniable, as he totaled 335 yards as both a passer and a runner. Russell's improvisational flair was on display when he evaded the pass rush and threw a strike on the move to Ryan Coleman-Williams for a gain of 58 in the second quarter. Last week: 19

19. Aaron Philo, Florida

Aside from an interception on a well-thrown ball that should have been caught, Philo was almost perfect in his Florida debut as the Gators cruised to a 66-21 win over FAU. He completed 16 of 21 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns while also notching a score on the ground. He completed 2 of 3 passes traveling 20+ air yards as the Gators racked up 624 yards. Last week: 42

20. Conner Weigman, Houston

Weigman recovered nicely from a bad interception that opened the door for Oregon State early in the fourth quarter of Houston's 33-20 Week 1 victory. In the next series, he went 3 for 4 for gains of 18, 15 and 37 yards before finishing off the drive with a touchdown run. Weigman finished with 305 yards passing and another 30 on the ground. Last week: 20

21. Devon Dampier, Utah Last week: 21

22. John Mateer, Oklahoma Last week: 22

23. Beau Pribula, Virginia Last week: 23

24. Demond Williams Jr., Washington Last week: 17

25. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M Last week: 14

26. Anthony Colandrea, Nebraska Last week: 26

27. Katin Houser, Illinois Last week: 27

28. Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville Last week: 30

29. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, California Last week: 16

30. Austin Simmons, Missouri Last week: 28

31. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina Last week: 34

32. Ethan Grunkemeyer, Virginia Tech Last week: 32