Power ranking the 2026 Big Ten quarterbacks

Power ranking position groups is a fun offseason exercise, but should the ranking favor production or potential?

It's best to split the baby. While the old Bill Parcells adage applies, "You are who your record says you are," quarterbacks grow and their supporting cast changes. The Big Ten is perhaps the most quarterback-rich conference in college football, with some genuine stars and high draft picks, some passers who will light up the scoreboard.

1. Julian Sayin, Ohio State

Sayin earns the top of the power poll post-spring practice, because he's the most accurate passer in college football, 77 percent completions as a freshman. He's the perfect operator for the loaded Ohio State offense because he stays within the system and makes few mistakes, 3,610 yards passing last season for 32 touchdowns with eight interceptions.

The former five-star recruit from Carlsbad, California took 16 sacks last season. He's no threat to run accounting for -44 yards in 42 carries while leading the Buckeyes to a 12-2 season.

It's hard to separate a quarterback from his situation. In 2025, he enjoyed the benefits of a stout offensive line, a stingy defense, the best receiver corps in college football and a thousand-yard rusher in Bo Jackson. Sayin wasn't called on to win games often. Ohio State quarterbacks rarely are. It's the system that rolls over opponents like an Abrams tank.

2. Dante Moore, Oregon

As a pro prospect and an elite thrower of the football, Dante Moore has more upside than his Buckeye counterpart. Moore's highlight throws are a thing of beauty, passes threaded into tight windows, bullets zipped to the seam, big-time throws in clutch situations.

Moore threw for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns with 10 interceptions last season while leading the Ducks to a 13-2 record. He played subpar games in two head-to-head losses to Fernando Mendoza and Indiana, sacked 9 times and intercepted three times.

In the 56-22 loss to the Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff semifinal, Moore fumbled twice and threw a Pick Six on the first offensive play of the game. A bad start seemed to suck him into the quicksand.

To take the top spot in this poll and in college football, he's got to take the next step in his development in terms of pocket presence and the way he responds to blitzes, stunts and breakdowns in protection, learning to process more efficiently under duress. But oh, those highlight throws and clutch plays! He just has to reduce the lowlights.

In 2026, Moore has showdowns with USC's Jayden Maiava in The Coliseum, Sayin in the Horseshoe and Washington's Demond Williams in Autzen Stadium. There's ample opportunity to prove himself king of the hill.

3. Jayden Maiava, USC

Maiava led the Trojans to a 9-4 record last season while throwing for 3,711 yards, 24 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He enjoyed an exceptional cast at the skill positions in running back King Miller, Biletnikoff winner Makai Lemon and Jakobi Lane, plus freshman Tanook Hines, who had a big game against the Ducks with 141 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Maiava's biggest issue is consistency, but there's no doubting his toughness. Still, 24 touchdowns isn't a lot in a Lincoln Riley offense, and he lost his two most productive receivers to the NFL draft.

4. Josh Hoover, Indiana

This is partly a system grade. As Curt Cignetti's quarterback in 2024 Kurtis Rourke set an Indiana record with 29 touchdown passes and threw for 3,042 yards. In 2025 Mendoza shattered that mark, throwing for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns on the way to a 16-0 record, the Heisman Trophy and the national championship.

Hoover is not Mendoza. Mendoza is 6-5, 225; he rushed for 276 yards and 7 touchdowns, including the game-clincher against Miami. Hoover is 6-2, 200-- at TCU last year he threw 13 interceptions with a net 4 yards rushing in 55 attempts, sacked 18 times.

It's a good bet that Cignetti's film study and no-nonsense instruction will make Hoover a better quarterback. "When he came here, he met his two best friends, a great defense and a really good run game," Cignetti said.

5. Rocco Becht, Penn State

Becht with the Nittany Lions will be better than he was with the Cyclones. He's in a much better situation with an overhauled roster-- Matt Campbell brought 48 new players to Happy Valley, 28 of those from ISU.

Last season was a down year for the three-year starter. In 2024 he threw for 3,505 yards with 25 touchdowns and 9 interceptions while rushing for 318 yards and eight touchdowns. Iowa State went 11-3, beating Miami 42-41 in the Pop Tarts Bowl with Becht throwing for 270 yards and three touchdowns.

Penn State's schedule is tailor-made for a rebound and early positive momentum. They open the year with Marshall, a road game at Temple and Buffalo, followed by Wisconsin and Northwestern. A 5-0 start is a strong possibility before they host USC on October 10.

They miss Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon in conference play, ending the season with Minnesota, Rutgers and Maryland. That's a slate to make a quarterback look good in a coach's first year at a new school.

He gets high marks for leadership and charisma. The Nittany Lion fans will embrace him quickly.

6. Demond Williams

Ask Washington fans and they'll say Williams is a Heisman Trophy candidate, but a look inside the numbers dispels that notion. Here are the junior's performances in the Huskies' four losses last season in his first year as a starter:

Ohio State L, 24-6 18-22 passing for 173 yards, 0 TD, 6 sacks. 13 rushes for -28 yards

@Michigan L, 24-7 20-32 passing for 209 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT, 2 sacks, 5 rushes for -19 yards

@Wisconsin L, 13-10 20-32 passing for 134 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 5 sacks, 19 rushes for 60 yards

Oregon L, 26-14 15-30 passing for 129 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 4 sacks, 10 rushes for 27 yards

Williams famously tried to get out of his contract in January, briefly entering the portal. At 5-11, 190 he can be spectacular against Washington State, Rutgers and Illinois, but he suffers in bigger games against better defenses, particularly a defensive front that can contain him.

He enters 2026 without his two best weapons, Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston.

7. Bryce Underwood, Michigan

Underwood will blossom under Kyle Whittingham, who is very good at gettting the best out of quarterbacks. He'll support him with strong tight end play, an improved offensive line, a running game and defense.

He finished ninth in the Big Ten in passing as a freshman with 2,428 yards passing, 11 touchdowns, 9 interceptions. Underwood is dynamic, a true dual-threat with 392 yards rushing and six touchdowns, 4.45 yards a carry. He beat Williams, Dylan Raiola and Maryland's Malik Washington head-to-head.

The rest:

8. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA Former Tennessee starter could take a big leap forward in Bob Chesney's improved roster and culture.

9. Malik Washington, Maryland Promising sophomore, a former five-star

10. Katin Houser, Illinois Brett Bielema pins his hopes on the transfer from East Carolina where he was a three-year starter.

11. Colton Joseph, Wisconsin 2,624 yards passing, 21 TDs, 10 interceptions at Old Dominion, 6-2, 200 pounds. Badgers open with Notre Dame this year, a rude awakening.

12. Anthony Colandrea, Nebraska At UNLV, third in the Mountain West in passing last year while rushing for 669 yards and 10 touchdowns

13. Drake Lindsey, Minnesota Mo Ibrahim is back to coach the Minnesota running backs, which could help him by providing some much-needed balance.

14. Aidan Chiles, Northwestern-- Chip Kelly is very good with dual-threat quarterbacks.

15-17 Ryan Browne, Purdue, Dylan Longeran, Rutgers, Alessio Milivojevic, Michigan State

18. Can't Iowa ever find a quarterback? With Phil Parker's defense, if they had just above-average quarterback play they'd make the playoffs.

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