Pac-12 QB Power Rankings entering Week 4: Pacific Northwest Supremacy
The four Pac-12 teams from the Pacific Northwest are off to an 11-1 start. The only loss in the group is to the best team in college football. That start has been fueled by outstanding quarterback play for each — Michael Penix Jr. at Washington, Chance Nolan at Oregon State, Bo Nix at Oregon, and Cameron Ward at Washington State.
After Week 3, three of the top five quarterbacks in our QB Power Rankings play in the PNW.
As always, these will be updated every week. The goal here is to be reactive, not to rank the most talented players. Who’s playing the best? Let’s get to it.
12. JT Shrout, Colorado
Moving on…
11. Jack Plummer, Cal
Prev. rank: 11
Plummer completed just 16 of his 37 passes for 184 yards against Notre Dame. On the final drive of the game, with the Bears trying to drive for a game-tying touchdown, Plummer threw an interception on the first play that didn’t appear to be tipped; he simply missed his receiver. A fortunate targeting call (if those can be fortunate) negated the interception, but it was a really poor throw. The Bears struggled to open against UC Davis and then struggled to put away UNLV and then struggled to move the ball against Notre Dame. In terms of yards per play, Cal is only ahead of Colorado in the Pac-12. It needs Plummer to make some winning plays going forward.
10. Emory Jones, Arizona State
Prev. rank: 9
For the second week in a row, Jones had his rushing limited. He’s not making mistakes or putting the ball in danger in the pass game, but teams are finding ways to make him more of a pocket passer, and that takes away his best asset. Jones arguably had his cleanest game of the season so far, but the Sun Devils lost 30-21 to Eastern Michigan and posted 352 yards of offense. They’re putting up decent numbers, but they’re not finishing.
9. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
Prev. rank: 8
UCLA’s Thompson-Robinson is completing over 70% of his passes and not really putting the ball in danger — three turnover-worthy plays so far in three games. Good! But he also hasn’t been super effective as a runner outside of the 68-yard scramble in Week 1. He’s not really looking to push the ball downfield, either. Rough. He threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns against South Alabama. Good! Handoffs were an adventure, one of which led to a turnover at the goal line. Rough. I want to see more from DTR. The non-conference slate wasn’t the best.
8. Jayden de Laura, Arizona
Prev. rank: 10
The first-year Arizona quarterback had a bounce-back kind of performance against North Dakota State. He ran it when opportunities presented themselves or plays warranted taking the safe single, whereas a week ago he was looking for the homer every time. Perhaps most important was the way he took care of the football. Through his first two weeks, de Laura had six turnover-worthy plays. Against the Bison: none. He finished 20-for-28 for 229 yards and a touchdown. He had the fourth-highest grade among Pac-12 quarterbacks in Week 3 and Arizona walked away with a very impressive win.
7. Cameron Ward, Washington State
Prev. rank: 6
This might be the range Ward settles into. He went 24-for-36 for 299 yards and four scores. The first quarter was excellent, as Ward threw a trio of touchdowns and Washington State jumped out to a 21-0 lead over Colorado State. Ward isn’t really looking to run, which is leading to a sack every fifth pressure allowed. He also continues to put the football in danger; three more turnover-worthy plays makes five in the last two weeks.
6. Tanner McKee, Stanford
Prev. rank: 5
Stanford was off this week. As such, so is this section.
5. Bo Nix, Oregon
Prev. rank: 7
Welcome back, Mr. Bo Nix. The first-year Duck went 13-for-18 for 222 yards and two scores, adding nine carries for 35 yards and three ground scores. That makes 10 total touchdowns on 63 plays in the last two weeks (51 passes, 12 runs). No turnovers, no sacks, and an 80% completion rate. The efficiency has been remarkable. He’s been smart with the ball and has the Oregon offense humming. Nix had one of the best QBRs in the country for Week 3, bumping him up to 15th nationally in the quarterback metric for the entire season.
4. Chance Nolan, Oregon State
Prev. rank: 4
Through three weeks, Nolan is the highest-graded passer in the Pac-12. He’s averaging 10 yards per pass and produced five total touchdowns in Oregon State’s 68-28 win over Montana State this past weekend. Nolan is playing really well to start the year, and Oregon State’s offense looks like one of the most explosive in the Pac-12. The Beavers are third in the Pac-12 in yards per play, third in explosive plays produced, and second in scoring (45.7 points a game). Nolan is playing well when faced with pressure, protecting the football, and making plays while throwing to just about every spot on the field. He has been one of the best in the PAC every week.
3. Cameron Rising, Utah
Prev. rank: 3
To start the year, Rising has eight touchdowns against only one interception. The pick came at the most costly of times, but his play since that Florida game has been great. Rising threw for 224 yards and a career-high four touchdowns against San Diego State. The poise and the decision-making have been spot-on.
2. Caleb Williams, USC
Prev. rank: 1
Don’t take this to mean Williams did anything to warrant dropping. The guy who jumped him just continues to play out of his mind. Williams threw for 284 yards and two scores in USC’s win over Fresno State. He also added two rushing scores. Williams has yet to throw an interception this season. When he’s given a clean pocket, no one has been more dangerous — he’s averaging 12 yards per attempt with an adjusted completion percentage of 91%.
1. Michael Penix Jr., Washington
Prev. rank: 2
Penix looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He’s getting Heisman buzz after helping Washington to a statement win over then-No. 11 Michigan State over the weekend. He completed 24 of his 40 pass attempts for 397 yards and four touchdowns. He leads the Pac-12 in explosive pass plays. He leads the league in touchdowns. He leads the league in passing yards. He leads the league in yards per pass. And he has the second-best grade from PFF of anyone in the league so far this year. Penix has made NFL-caliber throws every week. It looks effortless when he throws downfield. Against the toughest opponent of the season, and with quite a bit of pressure on Washington, Penix had one of the best performances of his career. Washington is a Pac-12 contender to be taken seriously, and Penix is a huge reason why.