What started as a field of 12 is now down to 4 as the College Football Playoff quarterfinals cut the field in half. This weekend we saw two major thrilling upsets as Miami and Ole Miss knocked off Ohio State and Georgia along with two blowouts with Indiana and Oregon dominating Alabama and Texas Tech.
As you look at the 4 teams left standing, you start to look at the quarterbacks in the field as the factor that could determine who wins the National Championship. The field is incredibly diverse with two quarterbacks that could hear their name called at the top of the NFL Draft in Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore, a former Division II star who's taken the world by storm, and a quarterback once thought to be the next great, but it hasn't quite clicked yet in Carson Beck.
Power Ranking the Final 4 Quarterbacks in the College Football Playoff
4. Carson Beck - Miami
The Miami Hurricanes have won their first two College Football Playoff games, and it hasn't asked Carson Beck to do much. Beck has gone 33-46 for 241 yards and a pair of touchdowns with no interceptions in the Playoff. The Hurricanes have won with their rushing attack and defense, but that formula may not work as the competition gets harder.
We've seen Beck look like the best or the worst quarterback in the country when the offense relies on him throwing the ball, which creates concerns if the Hurricanes fall behind in any of their matchups. The good news for Miami is that Beck hasn't taken any unnecessary risks thus far, and he has experience playing in these big games from his time at Georgia and with these two Playoff wins.
3. Dante Moore - Oregon
For most of the season, Dante Moore was playing with a backup receiving core as Oregon dealt with injuries to several of its biggest playmakers. Now that Oregon's offense is healthy, Dante Moore is looking like the quarterback that NFL teams are hoping enters the NFL Draft.
The biggest concern for Oregon will be the fact that Moore has thrown 3 interceptions in the first two Playoff games, but he's still playing at a high level. Moore's worst game of the season came against Indiana, and now he has a chance to avenge it and send his team to the National Championship.
2. Trinidad Chambliss - Ole Miss
When you watched what Trinidad Chambliss was able to do in the 4th quarter against Georgia, it's truly remarkable. Trinidad Chambliss was making plays that would be unrealistic in a video game, going 10-20 yards behind the line of scrimmage escaping Georgia's pass rush and delivering jaw dropping throws.
Chambliss now faces another vaunted defense as Ole Miss takes on Miami who's grinded Texas A&M and Ohio State to a halt. Trinidad Chambliss' story this season has been the stuff of a Disney Movie, and he'll have a chance to become a hero in Oxford if the Rebels continue to roll.
1. Fernando Mendoza - Indiana
The Heisman Trophy winner remains in the College Football Playoff, giving Indiana an advantage over every other team. In his College Football Playoff debut, Fernando Mendoza was nearly perfect, going 14-16 for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns while rushing for 16 yards. No matter what defenses throw at the Indiana star, he seems to be under total control.
Fernando Mendoza now gets to face a defense he's already beaten in the rematch against the Oregon Ducks. In the first matchup, Mendoza went 20-31 for 215 yards and a touchdown with a costly pick-six. If Mendoza can clean up some of the mistakes he made in the first game, Indiana should shock the world by making it to the National Championship.