College football rankings: Ranking every quarterback in the College Football Playoff

The first round of the College Football Playoff starts tomorrow (Dec. 20) and this is the first year the playoff will be operating under a new 12-team format. There is a ton of quarterback talent in the playoffs who will get to showcase their skills and hopefully lead their team to a National Championship win.

It's a bit of a shocking year with the new 12-team format. Teams like Colorado and Miami didn't quite make it in leaving out the talents of quarterbacks like Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, the two likely contenders for the No. 1 overall draft pick.

Let's rank the12 quarterbacks who will be in the College Football Playoff.

12. Maddux Madsen - Boise State (12-1)

Maddux Madsen has been incredibly efficient for Boise State, it's just been hard to notice when his running back is Ashton Jeanty, who had arguably the second-best season by a running back ever in college football. Madsen has 22 touchdowns and only three interceptions on the year so far.

11. Nico Iamaleava - Tennessee (10-2)

Nico Iamaleava has had a strong year with the Tennessee Volunteers and his last two performances of the regular season show why Tennessee is a playoff contender. In his last two games alone, Iamaleava threw for a combined eight touchdowns and just one interception. He has a total of 2,512 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions on the year as well as 311 yards rushing and one touchdown.

10. Kevin Jennings - SMU (11-2)

Kevin Jennings is 9-0 as the starting quarterback of SMU's offense and is the reason they are in the place that they are. He has been a big contributor on gameday, throwing for 3,050 yards, 22 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions. Three of those interceptions came against Duke in Week 9. He also has 379 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Jennings has been incredibly efficient for SMU. He has four games with three touchdown passes and has passed for 200+ yards in all of his nine starts.

9. Carson Beck/Gunner Stockton - Georgia (11-2)

Beck was injured in the SEC Championship against Texas and it is unknown whether he will be ready to play in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. If Beck misses time, backup Gunner Stockton will start in his place. Stockton should be more than capable of replacing Beck as he led the trailing Bulldogs to victory in the SEC Championship.

8. Quinn Ewers - Texas (11-2)

Quinn Ewers' stats look pretty decent (2,665 yards, 25 TD, 9 INT) but he has struggled a bit this season in Texas' offense. Arch Manning has played in relief of Ewers several times and has threatened his position as the starter. However, Ewers will be the main guy as the Longhorns shift their focus to the playoffs. He's battled a few injuries but hopefully, a break before their first playoff matchup will help him bounce back.

7. Sam Leavitt - Arizona State (11-2)

Arizona State has found their future at quarterback in Sam Leavitt. The redshirt freshman who transferred from Michigan State has been one of the leaders of Arizona State's offense along with running back Cam Skattebo. He earned Big 12 Offensive Freshman of The Year after improving during the second half of the season. The Sun Devils were ranked dead last in the preseason Big 12 rankings and now they are headed to the College Football Playoff as Big 12 champions.

6. Kurtis Rourke - Indiana (11-1)

Kurtis Rourke has a lot of experience under his belt. He spent his first four seasons at Ohio before transferring to Indiana this season. He has played exceptionally well for the Hoosiers (27 touchdowns) and makes minimal mistakes (four interceptions). The Indiana Hoosiers aren't a very storied football program. This is the Hoosiers' best season since 1980 and their first time in history with 11 wins.

5. Drew Allar - Penn State (11-2)

Drew Allar has announced they he will return to Penn State next season, already becoming a favorite in the Heisman Trophy odds. He has a big arm but has been inconsistent at times, throwing for seven interceptions in 13 games. If Allar can find a way to the ball in better spots, Penn State could be a real threat in the College Football Playoff.

4. Will Howard - Ohio State (10-2)

Will Howard didn't have a good performance in Ohio State's season finale against the Michigan Wolverines, throwing for just 175 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Ohio State also lost to the No. 1 ranked team Oregon in Week 6 but Howard performed well with 326 yards and two touchdowns. He will have to rely on his elite receiving corps to help the Buckeyes make a strong playoff run.

3. Riley Leonard - Notre Dame (11-1)

Riley Leonard has been a strong quarterback for Notre Dame to rely on and he is even one of the better rushing quarterbacks in college football. He threw for 16 touchdowns this season and rushed for another 14, ranking eighth amongst QBs.

2. Cade Klubnik - Clemson (10-3)

Cade Klubnik has drastically improved his draft stock this season. He's thrown for 33 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions, improving on his 19 TD and 9 INT performance last season. He's also been a serious threat on the ground for opponents, rushing for 458 yards and seven touchdowns.

1. Dillon Gabriel - Oregon (13-0)

Dillon Gabriel has helped lead Oregon to the best record in college football in his first (and likely only) season with the team. He has been highly efficient for the Ducks' offense, completing 73.2% of his passes for 3,558 yards, 28 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. He also has 192 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground, finished third in the Heisman voting, and beat top teams like Boise State, Ohio State, and Penn State.