Leavitt Jumps to 17th in QBR

LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt threw for a season-high 388 yards in a 38-17 win over Auburn on Saturday. The performance helped him move from 24th to 17th in the CBS Sports quarterback power rankings. He did so while managing a sore hamstring that limited his mobility during the game.

Leavitt avoided an interception for the second straight week, though one play nearly ended that streak. Early in the second quarter, he rolled right and underthrew a pass that appeared to be caught by Auburn safety Eric Winters. A replay review overturned the call, ruling the ball hit the ground. Leavitt capitalized on the reprieve, completing 8 of 10 passes on a 14-play, 95-yard drive that put LSU ahead 17-3.

Coach Lane Kiffin called Leavitt "lucky" to escape the early mistake but expressed satisfaction with the team's progress. "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 completed 63 of 83 passes for 677 yards and seven touchdowns across his last two games against Mississippi State and Auburn without a turnover.

Darian Mensah of Miami remained the top-ranked quarterback after throwing for 387 yards and four touchdowns in a 52-23 win over Pittsburgh. He holds a wide lead in passing efficiency among FBS quarterbacks and has 22 touchdown passes. Braden Atkinson of Oregon State stayed at second place, leading the country with 2,604 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. Atkinson tied a school record with his seventh consecutive 300-yard game in Week 7.

Gio Lopez of Wake Forest rose to third place. Drew Mestemaker of Oklahoma State made the largest jump among the top five, moving from eighth to fourth after throwing for 386 yards and four touchdowns in a 57-24 win over Colorado. CJ Carr of Notre Dame slipped to fifth after a 28-24 loss at BYU, completing only 3 of 16 passes of 15 or more air yards. Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss dropped from third to sixth after completing 25 of 52 passes in a narrow loss to Texas.

Jayden Maiava of USC experienced the biggest fall among the top 15, sliding from 10th to 15th. He averaged a career-worst 5.1 yards per attempt in a 24-7 loss at Wisconsin. Maiava threw for 257 yards on 31 of 50 attempts and was intercepted twice for the first time this season. CBS Sports noted that USC's issues extend beyond the quarterback position, though his Heisman hopes have faded.

Noah Fifita of Arizona jumped from 16th to 11th after going 27 of 34 for 308 yards in a 39-3 rout of Iowa State. He leads all active quarterbacks with 91 career touchdown passes. Keelon Russell of Alabama rose to ninth after throwing for 311 yards and three touchdowns against Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide will visit LSU after their Week 9 bye.