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Early in the second quarter of LSU's 38-17 Week 8 win at Auburn, quarterback Sam Leavitt rolled right and uncorked an underthrown mistake that landed in the arms of diving Auburn safety Eric Winters. For a moment, it seemed Leavitt's streak of interception-free games was going to end at one.
But the replay center gave Leavitt and LSU a gift, overturning the call and ruling the football hit the ground. Leavitt took full advantage of his second chance, hitting 8 of 10 passes on the remainder of the drive as the Tigers completed a 14-play, 95-yard touchdown march to go ahead 17-3.
Auburn never fully recovered, and Leavitt kept the football out of harm's way the rest of the game. Even with a gimpy hamstring limiting his mobility, LSU's prized transfer quarterback completed his second straight interception-free game while throwing for a season-high 388 yards.
Slowly but surely, the No. 1-ranked transfer quarterback of the offseason is beginning to look the part as he develops chemistry with a new group of receivers and limits mistakes like the ill-advised throw against Auburn that got overturned. Leavitt isn't a finished product, but he's clearly making strides under LSU coach Lane Kiffin, who told Leavitt that he was "lucky" to get away with his early miscue against Auburn.
Sam Leavitt on the money to Jackson Harris!
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 24, 2026
70 yards to the house 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tsDstIEvkq
"This is where we planned on being," Kiffin said. "Would have loved to be that way every game, but realistically, it was going to be a little bit slower with Sam missing all his spring."
Leavitt wasn't healthy in the spring, and he's not 100% healthy now. But he is improving, and that's reflected in this week's CBS Sports quarterback power rankings.
Mensah delivered 387 passing yards and four touchdowns in Miami's 52-23 win over Pittsburgh. The Duke transfer maintains a significant lead over all FBS quarterbacks in passing efficiency and is second in touchdown passes with 22 behind only Oregon State's Braden Atkinson. Last week: 1
Oregon State was off in Week 8, but Atkinson tied a school record with his seventh straight 300-yard passing game while leading the Beavers to their fifth straight win in Week 7. The Mercer transfer leads the country in passing yards (2,604) and touchdowns (24), all while ranking No. 7 in passing efficiency. Last week: 2
Wake Forest was off in Week 8, but Lopez's breakthrough season continued with a high-efficiency bludgeoning of California in Week 7, as he completed 16 of 23 passes for 267 yards and four touchdowns. He also totaled 51 yards rushing. Lopez ranks fifth nationally in total yards per game at 314.3. Last week: 4
Mestemaker is No. 2 nationally in passing yards per game at 332.3 and tied for first in the Big 12 with 20 passing touchdowns. He added four scoring throws and 386 yards to his tally in Oklahoma State's 57-24 win over Colorado. Last week: 8
Notre Dame was off in Week 8 after some rare struggles with inaccuracy in the Fighting Irish's 28-24 Week 7 loss at BYU. His 3-of-16 mark on throws traveling 15+ air yards was a particularly glaring issue for one of the sport's best downfield passers. A fumbled spike attempt at the end of the first half proved consequential, too. The result was a paltry 5.3 yards per attempt. Last week: 6
Texas defended Chambliss better than any team has during his two-year run at Ole Miss. He completed just 25 of 52 passes and didn't hurt the Longhorns with his legs as the Rebels' comeback bid fell just short in Week 8. Last week: 3
Weigman will rue the fact that Houston produced just three points on two trips inside the Utah 10-yard line during the first half. Still, he generated three 40+ yard pass plays and a 33-yard scramble while positioning the Cougars with plenty of opportunities in a 21-13 loss. He is No. 3 nationally in points responsible for, with 20 passing touchdowns and six rushing scores. Last week: 7
Bachmeier didn't have his best game in BYU's 39-31 loss at UCF. But the Cougars' biggest issues were on defense. A costly Bachmeier interception late in the first came on a tipped pass. In the decisive second overtime, he narrowly missed on a couple of potential touchdown throws that could have extended the game. Last week: 5
Russell bounced back from the two-week meat grinder of Georgia and Tennessee by completing 19 of 30 passes for 311 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in Alabama's win over Texas A&M. He is second in the SEC in passing yards (2,057) and yards per attempt (9.3) as the Crimson Tide prepare for a massive trip to LSU following a Week 9 bye. Last week: 11
Kentucky is now 7-0 when Minchey doesn't throw an interception after another even-keeled showing in a 34-17 win over Vanderbilt. The Notre Dame transfer's steady hand is a big part of the reason why the Wildcats are No. 3 nationally with a +13 turnover margin. Last week: 12
Fifita completed 27 of 34 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns in Arizona's 39-3 win over Iowa State. He leads the Big 12 in passer rating and completion percentage (74.2%). He leads all active quarterbacks in career touchdown passes with 91. Last week: 16
Stockton has had a week to stew on the three turnovers he committed in a stunning Week 7 home loss to unranked Auburn. It was an uncharacteristically shaky performance from the usually sure-handed veteran. With rival Florida looming on Saturday, expect a return of steady Stockton. Last week: 13
Hoover looked great in the overtime period of Indiana's ugly 13-6 win at Michigan, delivering a 21-yard strike to set up his own 4-yard touchdown run. Everything before that was tough to stomach, as the TCU transfer finished just 8-of-18 for 81 yards with an interception. Last week: 9
Chiles threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two more in Northwestern's 42-14 win over Rutgers. The Michigan State transfer's renaissance under Wildcats offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has keyed Northwestern's 6-1 start entering a difficult stretch of its schedule. Last week: 15
Maiava averaged a career-worst 5.1 yards per attempt in USC's 24-7 loss at Wisconsin, as his 31-of-50 performance netted just 257 yards. He was also picked off twice in a game for the first time this season. USC's issues run much deeper than quarterback play, but Maiaiva can kiss his dark-horse Heisman hopes goodbye. Last week: 10
Hawkins is tied for first among all quarterbacks with 16 rushing touchdowns and is third in total rushing yards with 836. He's scrambled for 44 first downs while proving to be the right fit for coach Rich Rodriguez's scheme. He's not an elite thrower, but he is effective, ranking No. 6 nationally in yards per attempt at 10.1. Last week: 17
One of college football's most interception-prone quarterbacks during the season's first half has now gone two straight weeks without getting picked off. In wins over Mississippi State and Auburn, Leavitt completed 63 of 83 passes for 677 yards and seven touchdowns. Best of all, none of those attempts resulted in turnovers. Last week: 24
It's been a bumpy ride for Louisville as a team during a 4-3 start, but Kienholz has keyed an offensive resurgence for the Cardinals by ranking 11th nationally in total offense with 299.3 yards per game. The Ohio State transfer is No. 5 nationally in yards per attempt at 10.2 as Louisville emerges from a bye to host Stanford. Last week: 18
Credit where it's due: Jennings is working on a three-game streak of interception-free football and has SMU lurking in the ACC title race. He completed 16 of 23 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns in a 59-20 Week 8 blowout of Cal. He is No. 5 nationally in EPA per dropback. Last week: 19
Dampier has been intercepted four times in Utah's past two games, but he atoned for those miscues in a 21-13 win over Houston by rushing for 150 yards and two touchdowns. He is No. 11 nationally among quarterbacks with a 32.4% tackle avoidance rate. Last week: 14
21. Austin Simmons, Missouri
Last week: 20
22. Ethan Grunkemeyer, Virginia Tech
Last week: 21
23. Anthony Colandrea, Nebraska
Last week: 22
24. Maddux Madsen, Boise State
Last week: 23
25. Keyone Jenkins, UCF
Last week: unranked
26. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
Last week: 31
27. Tayven Jackson, North Texas
Last week: 28
28. Tramell Jones Jr., Florida
Last week: 26
29. Hauss Hejny, Colorado State
Last week: unranked (injury)
30. Avery Johnson, Kansas State
Last week: 27
31. Ashton Daniels, Florida State
Last week: 29
32. John Alan Richter, Toledo
Last week: 37
33. JC French IV, Cincinnati
Last week: 35
34. Ty Dieffenbach, UCLA
Last week: 49
35. Ryan Browne, Purdue
Last week: 33
36. Caden Creel, Jacksonville State
Last week: 34
37. Brad Jackson, Texas State
Last week: 38
38. Caden Veltkamp, FAU
Last week: 42
39. Blake Baker, Louisiana Tech
Last week: 48
40. Baylor Hayes, Tulsa
Last week: 39
41. Camden Coleman, James Madison
Last week: 32
42. Kalieb Osborne, UConn
Last week: 41
43. Nick Poulos, Ohio
Last week: 47
44. Davis Warren, Stanford
Last week: unranked
45. Lunch Winfield, Louisiana
Last week: 44
46. CJ Bailey, NC State
Last week: 45
47. Owen McCown, UTSA
Last week: 30
48. DeShawn Purdie, Liberty
Last week: 46
49. Jackson Arnold, UNLV
Last week: 50
50. Marcus Stokes, Memphis
Last week: unranked
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