The top tier of quarterbacks is again the same cast of characters -- Trevone Boykin, Deshaun Watson and Connor Cook.
But the next rung of standout QBs continues to be a place of much drama and turbulence, in the best possible way. Memphis' Paxton Lynch and J.T. Barrett from Ohio State both make appearances this week.
But who's No. 1? And where did the new/old Buckeyes starter land this week? As always, let the debate begin.
1. Trevone Boykin, TCU
As Boykin enjoyed his bye week and watched the rest of the country play, he no doubt was reminded of how important fourth quarters can be. The good news is Boykin and the Horned Frogs are never better than in the final 15 minutes of the game. Check out Boykin's stat line in the fourth quarter this year: 20-of-27 passing, 321 yards, 11.89 yards per attempt, four touchdowns, no interceptions. Boykin belongs at the top of any quarterback rankings.
2. Deshaun Watson, Clemson
Wow, Watson helped Clemson lay an all-time-worst loss on Miami, in the Hurricanes' home building, no less. And Watson continues to grow every week -- his 98.9 total QBR against Miami was the third-best performance of the season in FBS, behind Arkansas' Brandon Allen (99.6 total QBR against UTEP) and East Carolina's James Summers (99.4 against SMU).
3. Connor Cook, Michigan State
After what was a sluggish first three quarters, Cook led Michigan State from a 28-26 lead against Indiana to a blowout fourth quarter. Cook drove the Spartans to 24 points in the final 15 minutes, including his first fourth-quarter TD pass of the year. It all added up to a 52-26 rout of the Hoosiers, giving Cook his 31st career win. And he and a banged-up Sparty team could use the upcoming bye week with the Buckeyes looming three weeks from now.
4. Paxton Lynch, Memphis
What a terrific two weeks for Lynch. A national TV audience got to see the 6-foot-7 gunslinger from Memphis last week as the Tigers knocked off Tulsa on Friday night. Just a week earlier, Lynch helped Memphis knock off Ole Miss in one of the program's best wins ever. The nation's most efficient passer continued to show off his complete quarterback skill set as Memphis overpowered Tulsa. I've been seeing some comparisons with Colin Kaepernick recently, and while Lynch's body type certainly resembles that of the 49ers quarterback, Lynch's throwing mechanics and natural accuracy far exceed anything Kaepernick has ever shown. Lynch is rising fast.
5. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
Prescott's remarkable streak of 288 straight passes without an interception came to an end Saturday, but cut the guy some slack: He accounted for six touchdowns and almost 500 yards as he singlehandedly overwhelmed Kentucky. Nobody else on this list lost the level of supporting cast that Prescott did, and yet here he is as one of the best, most consistent quarterbacks in the country.
6. Kevin Hogan, Stanford
It's not always pretty with Hogan, but the results are pretty much the same: Stanford wins. And as my friend and colleague Brian Griese said Saturday night, "He orchestrates the most complex offense in college football." This Saturday at Washington State, Hogan has a chance to tie Andrew Luck's school record of 31 career wins, which would also set up the Cardinal in the Pac-12 pole position. Hogan is a sneaky-good athlete who can run when he needs to (eight carries for 37 important rushing yards last weekend against Washington). Don't be surprised if Hogan and Stanford just keep winning.
7. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State
A ho-hum first start this season for Barrett at Rutgers: 14-of-18, 223 yards, three passing touchdowns, 101 yards on the ground and two rushing scores. Wow. He also seems to have infused the Buckeyes with some swagger after what has been an up-and-down season for the offense. Barrett has led Ohio State to touchdowns on 46 percent of his drives this year. Cardale Jones: 22 percent. Maybe there was a method to Urban Meyer's QB rotation madness, because now there is no question about who will lead the Ohio State charge down the home stretch.
8. Cody Kessler, USC
There may be more disappointing seasons out there -- looking at you, Auburn -- but there's no more volatile team or season than what we're seeing from USC. Kessler and the Trojans dismantled one of the top-five teams in the country over the weekend, and yet I could totally see them losing this week to Cal. You just don't know with this team. Kessler has been perhaps the most steady person on the field, and he negated Utah's dominant defensive front with precision passing and pro-style timing as he finished 21-for-28 passing for 264 yards and a touchdown.
9. Seth Russell, Baylor
What disappointing news to hear that Russell is out for the year with a broken bone in his neck. But I want to keep him on here for one more week, based on a fantastic first two months of the season. He'll finish the regular season with a crazy stat line of seven games, 2,104 yards passing, 29 touchdowns, six interceptions and only three sacks.
10. Luke Falk, Washington State
Falk is a baller, plain and simple. His numbers are ridiculous for the year (2,885 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and four interceptions), and he has looked especially good on tape the past three weeks at Oregon and Arizona and at home against Oregon State. In just those three games, Falk had 1,426 yards, 16 TDs, two picks and, most importantly, three wins. Compared with his first four outings in 2015, Falk's average production the past three weeks is up more than 110.5 yards per game, and his total QBR has exploded from 55.4 to 77.2. Now Wazzu welcomes Stanford to Pullman for a pivotal Pac-12 game. Perfect opportunity for Falk to make another jump up these rankings.