College Football QB Power Rankings: Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia finishes No. 1

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The final edition of CBS Sports' college football quarterback power rankings is striking not for who finished No. 1. Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia delivered a legendary regular season and will go down in eternal Commodores lore. He was expected to be a star, and it's no surprise he lived up to the hype -- much of which he generated himself as a brash talker.

Rather, the surprise in the last QBPR of the 2025 season is who ended up on the outside looking in. Projected stars like Clemson's Cade Klubnik, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier and South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers all had disappointing seasons and didn't crack the final top 50.

That's only the start of the list of quarterbacks who fell short of lofty expectations. Others include Florida's DJ Lagway, Boise State's Maddux Madsen, Iowa State's Rocco Becht and Kansas State's Avery Johnson. And when you factor in projected stars who missed significant time with injuries, the list grows even longer.

But in their place rose a crop of unexpected standouts: No. 3 Drew Mestemaker of North Texas, No. 5 Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss and No. 7 Joe Fagnano of UConn. All entered the year as relative unknowns but produced special 2025 campaigns that will be remembered for decades at their respective schools.

These rankings are not a Heisman forecast, draft projection or season-long outlook. They're a real-time evaluation of performance, factoring in competition, pressure and production. With that, here are the power rankings of college football's top 50 quarterbacks following the final week of the regular season.

1. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt

Pavia capped a historic regular season for both himself and Vanderbilt with a second-half performance to remember in a 45-24 win at rival Tennessee. He's thrown for more yards (3,192) and more touchdowns (27) in a season than any player in program history. He also terrorized the Volunteers with his legs while adding another significant bullet point to his Heisman Trophy portfolio. Last week: 1

2. Julian Sayin, Ohio State

Sayin passed his first Michigan test, throwing for three touchdowns in frigid conditions as Ohio State trucked the Wolverines 27-9. Heading into the Big Ten Championship Game, the redshirt freshman has completed 78.9% of his passes with 30 touchdowns to position himself firmly in the Heisman Trophy mix. Last week: 3 (tie)

3. Drew Mestemaker, North Texas

Mestemaker is the FBS leader in passing yards with 3,835 and is tied for fourth in passing touchdowns with 29. The redshirt freshman didn't even start for his high school team, but emerged as one of college football's top breakout stars during his redshirt freshman season. You'll be hearing this name often in the years to come. Last week: 3 (tie)

4. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

Mendoza totaled three touchdowns in yet another abbreviated workday as Indiana closed the regular season with a 56-3 thrashing of Purdue. The junior Cal transfer leads the nation in passing touchdowns with 32 and could easily have even more gaudy numbers if the dominant Hoosiers didn't rest their starters so often in the second half. Last week: 5

5. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss

If Lane Kiffin didn't abandon an 11-1 Ole Miss team for LSU after weeks of running a coaching carousel circus, then perhaps the Chambliss Heisman campaign could have generated some momentum. He didn't get the starting job until Week 3 but still totaled more than 3,000 yards passing and 24 total touchdowns during the regular season. Last week: 8

6. Byrum Brown, South Florida

Brown surpassed 3,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing for the season in an easy win over Rice last week. He closed the regular season as the FBS leader in total offense at 347.2 yards per game. With 28 passing touchdowns and 14 rushing touchdowns, the multi-dimensional veteran is responsible for more points than any other FBS player. Last week: 9

7. Joe Fagnano, UConn

Fagnano capped an elite regular season with a career-high 446 yards and three touchdowns through the air in UConn's 48-45 win at FAU. He's thrown 28 touchdowns against just one interception, making the Huskies the least-intercepted team in college football. Last week: 10

8. Dante Moore, Oregon

When considering the injuries Oregon has dealt with at receiver and on the offensive line, Moore's redshirt sophomore season has been even stronger than it looks on paper. Even as personnel changed around him, Moore remained steady and guided the Ducks to an 11-1 mark. Last week: 11

9. Ty Simpson, Alabama

Simpson found Isaiah Horton for three touchdowns in Alabama's dramatic Iron Bowl win over Auburn. The redshirt junior surpassed 3,000 yards passing and reached 25 touchdown passes in the win as he put the cap on a strong regular season. Last week: 7

10. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M

Reed and Texas A&M closed an otherwise unbeaten regular season with a lackluster showing in a loss at rival Texas. The two-interception performance zapped some wind from Reed's sails entering the postseason, but it was still a breakout year for the talented redshirt sophomore. Last week: 2

11. Haynes King, Georgia Tech

Texas State's Brad Jackson was the only quarterback to end the regular season with more rushing touchdowns than King, who found the end zone with his legs 15 times. The Yellow Jackets faded down the stretch with three losses in their last four games. But this has still been the program's best season in over a decade, and it never would've happened without King's outstanding play. Last week: 6

12. Gunner Stockton, Georgia

Stockton was bad against Georgia Tech, completing just 11 of 21 passes for 70 yards with a touchdown and an interception as the Bulldogs stumbled their way through a 16-9 victory. For now, that showing can be thrown out as an aberration during an otherwise great season. Last week: 4

13. Noah Fifita, Arizona

Fifita closed the regular season with a strong showing in a win at Arizona State as the Wildcats improved to 9-3. The redshirt junior star has established new career highs in touchdown passes (26) and passing yards (2,963) with a bowl game still looming. Last week: 12

14. Devon Dampier, Utah

After a dismal run of quarterback play and health in 2023 and 2024, Utah got the boost it needed from Dampier in 2025. The New Mexico transfer battled through injury to lead the Utes to a 10-2 record with 22 touchdown passes and another seven rushing scores. Last week: 13

15. Jayden Maiava, USC

Maiava closed the book on USC's 9-3 regular season by throwing for 257 yards and two touchdowns in the Trojans' win over rival UCLA. He led the Big Ten in passing yards (3,431) and yards per completion (13.9) while proving himself to be one of the nation's top passers. Last week: 14

16. Bear Bachmeier, BYU

Doubts over BYU's staying power as a top 20 team were understandable amid quarterback Jake Retzlaff's offseason departure. But Bachmeier stepped in as a true freshman and elevated the Cougars to even greater heights. It's one of the best quarterbacking jobs we've seen from a Power Four true freshman in the portal era. Last week: 16

17. CJ Carr, Notre Dame

Carr stepped into the starting role as a redshirt freshman with zero career pass attempts and quickly proved he was ready for the job. Depending on how long he stays, Carr has a chance to create one of Notre Dame's greatest QB runs in recent memory. Last week: 17

18. Carson Beck, Miami

Beck continued a strong finish to his regular season by throwing three touchdown passes in Miami's rout of Pitt. The Georgia transfer navigated some rocky stretches over the course of a 10-2 campaign, but he started and ended on high notes. Last week: 18

19. Darian Mensah, Duke

Duke could win the ACC Championship Game and wreak some havoc in the College Football Playoff. How? Because it has one of the sport's top passers in Mensah, who leads the ACC in passing yards (3,450) and touchdowns (28). Last week: 25

20. Arch Manning, Texas

Manning closed the season with a series of strong performances after a slow start recalibrated sky-high expectations. He won't be getting an invitation to the Heisman Trophy ceremony, but Manning proved himself to be a quality college football quarterback during his redshirt sophomore season. Last week: 19

21. Behren Morton, Texas Tech
Last week: 22

22. Kevin Jennings, SMU
Last week: 23

23. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Cal
Last week: 49

24. CJ Bailey, NC State
Last week: 29

25. Conner Weigman, Houston
Last week: 32

26. Alonza Barnett, James Madison
Last week: 26

27. Demond Williams, Washington
Last week: 15

28. Jake Retzlaff, Tulane
Last week: 21

29. John Mateer, Oklahoma
Last week: 27

30. Chandler Morris, Virginia
Last week: 24

31. Luke Altmyer, Illinois
Last week: 30

32. Anthony Colandrea, UNLV
Last week: 28