Turf Show Times
This was an odd weekend of college football without the marquee matchups that were spread throughout each time slate in Week 1. Arch Manning and Texas went from playing Ohio State to San Jose State. Cade Klubnik had to claw Clemson back against Troy. The matchups may not have been exciting, but the Los Angeles Rams were still paying attention. It’s unclear if Les Snead was in attendance, but the Rams did have a presence at the Oklahoma-Michigan game, featuring quarterback John Mateer.
Every week throughout the college football season, I will be watching some of the top quarterback prospects for 2026 and rating their performances. My ratings will also take into account the opponent that the quarterback faced.
Mateer ended up in my “others to watch” category last week. With Oklahoma taking on Michigan, this was a must-watch and Mateer rose to the occasion. Mateer wasn’t on the radar for most people coming into the season and Dane Brugler had him as the fifth-best underclassman. It’s very possible that Mateer is this year’s Joe Burrow as a player who enters the scene after being overlooked.
Again, the Rams had a presence at this game. Mateer makes a lot of sense as a Sean McVay quarterback. Mateer can run, but his entire game also isn’t based around running. He wins from the pocket, but can still execute the fun stuff offensively.
The Oklahoma quarterback wasn’t perfect, but finished 21-for-34 for 270 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also led the Sooners in rushing with 19 carries for 74 yards. There may be some PTSD after the last Oklahoma quarterback that the Rams drafted. However, Mateer is someone that I’ll be watching this season.
Player Performance Rating: 7.5/10
It’s hard to evaluate quarterbacks when they’re going up against a team that isn’t on the same level. LSU played Louisiana Tech and Nussmeier did what was expected. He finished 26-for-41 with 237 yards and a touchdown. While he had an interception and was inconsistent, it’s nothing to be concerned over. We’ll be back on Nussmeier in a few weeks when the Tigers take on Ole Miss and are in the SEC schedule.
Player Performance Rating: 7/10
The Nittany Lions have had a cupcake start to their schedule. They played Nevada last week and then steam-rolled FIU. Next week they take on Villanova before hitting the Big Ten slate. Allar wasn’t great, finishing 19-for-33 with 200 yards and two touchdowns. There were moments that Allar could’ve handled better mentally, but the talent is clearly there. The big test will come in two weeks against Oregon.
Player Performance Rating: 7/10
After his Ohio State performance, nothing is going to matter for Arch Manning until Texas is in the heart of their SEC schedule. They open against Florida on October 4, but play Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry game...
