Leavitt climbs to 17th in CBS Sports quarterback rankings after two clean games

Sam Leavitt moved from 24th to 17th place in the CBS Sports quarterback power rankings published on Tuesday. The leap follows back-to-back weeks in which the LSU signal-caller avoided throwing an interception. Leavitt, a transfer who was ranked the top in the nation before the season began, is beginning to show improved consistency under head coach Lane Kiffin.

The most recent performance came during the Tigers' 38-17 victory over Auburn in Week 8. Leavitt threw for a season-high 388 yards while managing a hamstring injury. He completed 8 of 10 passes on a critical 14-play, 95-yard drive that shifted the game's momentum. That drive included a 17-3 lead that Auburn never fully erased.

An early second-quarter throw to the right appeared to result in an interception when Auburn safety Eric Winters caught the ball. The replay center reviewed the play and determined the football struck the ground before being secured. The official ruling kept Leavitt's interception-free streak alive at two games.

Leavitt's improvement is part of a broader trend in the rankings. Jayden Maiava of USC fell from 10th to 15th after a 24-7 loss at Wisconsin. Maiava completed 31 of 50 passes for 257 yards and threw two interceptions. His 5.1 yards per attempt mark was a career low for the USC quarterback.

Darian Mensah of Miami held the top spot in the rankings. The Duke transfer threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns in a 52-23 win over Pittsburgh. Mensah leads all FBS quarterbacks in passing efficiency and is second in the nation with 22 touchdown passes.

Braden Atkinson of Oregon State remains second. Although the Beavers had a bye in Week 8, Atkinson had tied the school record for consecutive 300-yard games in Week 7. He leads the country in passing yards with 2,604 and touchdowns with 24.

Gio Lopez of Wake Forest rose to third place. Lopez completed 16 of 23 passes for 267 yards and four touchdowns in a Week 7 win over California. He also rushed for 51 yards. Drew Mestemaker of Oklahoma State moved to fourth after throwing for 386 yards and four scores in a 57-24 victory over Colorado.

CJ Carr of Notre Dame dropped to fifth following a 28-24 loss at BYU. Carr completed only three of 16 passes on throws of 15 or more air yards. He averaged 5.3 yards per attempt in that game. Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss fell to sixth after completing 25 of 52 passes in a loss to Texas.

Conner Weigman of Houston stayed at seventh. The Cougars quarterback threw for 33 yards and scrambled for 33 more in a 21-13 loss to Utah. He is third in the nation in points responsible for, with 20 passing touchdowns and six rushing scores.

Bear Bachmeier of BYU fell to eighth after a 39-31 loss at UCF. Bachmeier threw an interception in the first half that came off a tipped pass. Keelon Russell of Alabama rose to ninth after a 311-yard, three-touchdown performance against Texas A&M.

Kenny Minchey of Kentucky moved to 10th after a 34-17 win over Vanderbilt. The Wildcats now rank third in the nation in turnover margin. Noah Fifita of Arizona jumped to 11th after throwing for 308 yards and two touchdowns in a 39-3 win over Iowa State.

Gunner Stockton of Georgia remained at 12th despite a bye week. Stockton had thrown three turnovers in a Week 7 loss to Auburn. Josh Hoover of Indiana fell to 13th after a 13-6 win at Michigan in which he completed 8 of 18 passes for 81 yards and an interception.