Weekend report card: Grading the 5 best and 5 worst college quarterbacks from Week 1
By Sam Fariss
Week 1 has wrapped up and there were some clear winners and losers over the weekend.
Whether it was an underdog coming out on top, a highly-ranked team falling flat, or an individual player's surprise performance, the week was filled with twists and turns.
Running the shows, as always, were the quarterbacks.
Many quarterbacks stood out amongst the rest as the best in the nation. Others? Disappointed their fans and their teams.
Here's the weekly report card for the five best and the five worst quarterbacks in Week 1.
Best QBs of Week 1:
Ole Miss Rebels. 22/27, 418 yds, 5 TDs, 97.3 QBR. Jaxson Dart. Jaxson. A+
Everyone knew Jaxson Dart and the Ole Miss Rebels were going to be good this season. Not everyone knew they were going to be this good.
Dart started his season by completing nearly 81.5 percent of his passes for 418 yards and 5 (FIVE) touchdowns through the air.
Dart's QBR of 97.3 is one of the highest in his career and was the perfect way to start his season on the right foot.
cam. A. Miami Hurricanes. 26/35, 385 yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 95.7 QBR. Cam Ward
This game was a 'do or die' situation for quarterback Cam Ward and the Miami Hurricanes as they visited the Florida Gators.
Ward finally proved himself as a starting quarterback and proved that he was the missing piece of the Miami offense. The one thing holding the QB back from perfection was his singular interception.
Arkansas Razorbacks. 16/23, 229 yds, 2 TDs, 91.5 QBR. Taylen Green. Taylen Green. A-
The Arkansas Razorbacks started their season with a bang, defeating the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Lions 70-0.
Quarterback Taylen Green lit up the night in Fayetteville, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes for 2 touchdowns through the air while scoring 2 more touchdowns on the ground.
Arizona Wildcats. 19/31, 422 yds, 4 TDs, 1 INT, 87.3 QBR. Noah Fifita. Noah Fifita. B+
Arizona Wildcats Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan might just be the greatest quarterback-wide receiver duo in college football this season.
Fifita completed 19 passes for a jaw-dropping 422 yards and 4 touchdowns as the Wildcats defeated the New Mexico Lobos 61-39.
22/28, 314 yds, 3 TDs, 81.6 QBR. Nico Iamaleava. Nico Iamaleava. B. Tennessee Volunteers
Arguably one of the best quarterbacks in college football this season, Nico Iamaleava has clearly made himself at home in Tennessee.
In his 2024 season opener with the Volunteers, Iamaleava completed almost 80 percent of his pass attempts for a whopping 314 yards and 3 touchdowns, including his 59-yard dart to Dont'e Thornton Jr.
Worst QBs of Week 1:
Davis Warren. D. Michigan Wolverines. 15/25, 118 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT, 33.0 QBR. Davis Warren
The entire Michigan offense looked rather flat in its season opener against the Fresno State Bulldogs, especially for a national title-defending team.
However, quarterback Davis Warren really struggled to find his footing in the first game of the season. With just one touchdown through the air, negated by an interception and -9 rushing yards, Warren wasn't the player who pushed the Wolverines to victory.
D-. WKU Hilltoppers. 18/31, 92 yds, 0 TDs, 2 INTs, 23.1 QBR. TJ Finley. TJ Finley
At one point, TJ Finley was supposed to be the 'Chosen One' for the Auburn Tigers' but oh how the mighty have fallen.
Now at Western Kentucky, Finley was obliterated by the Crimson Tide when he and the Hilltoppers visited Alabama. His one saving grace is the fact that he was playing against the Tide and not a lesser opponent.
12/30, 100 yds, 0 TDs, 2 INTs, 31.8 QBR. Conner Weigman. Conner Weigman. F. Texas A&M Aggies
Woof... The Texas A&M Aggies disappointed basically the entire country on Saturday night when they hosted the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Beyond the Aggies' defensive struggles, quarterback Conner Weigman had one of the worst games of the weekend. Weigman earned just 126 total yards but had 2 game-ruining interceptions to end his team's chance at a victory.
Florida Gators. 11/20, 91 yds, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 19.1 QBR. Graham Mertz. Graham Mertz. F
The Florida Gators undeniably have the hardest schedule of the 2024 season. Dropping the first game to their in-state rivals the Miami Hurricanes didn't help.
Another thing that didn't help was quarterback Graham Mertz's disastrous performance during the Gators' season opener. Mertz earned less than 100 yards through the air and threw 2 interceptions while getting 0 touchdowns for this team.
Houston Cougars. 15/30, 135 yds, 0 TDs, 2 INTs, 3.9 QBR. Donovan Smith. Donovan Smith. F
Did you not realize a player rating could be in the single digits? Me either.
The Houston Cougars were absolutely embarrassed by the UNLV Rebels at home and are sitting very low on the Big 12 totem pole just one game into the season.
Donovan Smith had one of the worst games imaginable, completing just 50 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions, including a pick-six.
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