Big Ten season preview: Top QBs all have something to prove in 2026

Jayden Maiava of USC is part of a larger Big Ten football story this season. The quarterbacks for the teams projected to make the College Football Playoff are all very talented. USC isn't projected to make the playoff by everyone, but Maiava is obviously skilled and has a chance to lift the Trojans to the playoff for the first time. Yet, as gifted as these Big Ten quarterbacks are, they were not great last season. Very good, yes, but not great. Let's be real: Dante Moore threw crushing interceptions in multiple Oregon games last season, most notably in the playoff semifinals against Indiana. He made several clutch plays but was not a model of consistency. The Ducks didn't even score 20 points in their shaky win at Iowa. Moore made a big throw late in the game, but he was all over the place in the game's first 58 minutes. Ohio State's Julian Sayin threw a game-changing pick-six in the Buckeyes' loss to Miami in the playoff quarterfinals last season. He scored only 10 points against Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game. Sayin was very good for a freshman, but he did not play at an elite standard. The fact that he was named a Heisman Trophy finalist was one of the worst Heisman finalist inclusions in the award's history. He wasn't even a top-20 player in the United States, let alone the top four. Jayden Maiava did a lot of things well for USC last year, but he threw critical interceptions against Illinois and Oregon. He wasn't airtight with the ball. He would play great for two quarters but would then cough up a critical third-quarter turnover which made life a lot more difficult for the Trojans. Moore, Sayin, Maiava - these quarterbacks did a lot more good than bad in 2025, but none played the position at the highest possible level. They left points and possessions on the field. They played on offenses which could be brilliant at times but did not sustain their excellence all the way through the season. They all fell into ruts of various lengths and did not consistently dominate. The real question with these Big Ten quarterbacks might be this: Which QB gets the most help from his offensive teammates? Maiava, for instance, needs his offensive line to give him time so that his unproven USC receivers will be able to get open. Moore and Sayin will need their lines to show up as well. How the pieces of the puzzle fit for these three quarterbacks is a drama which will command attention ... and likely prove decisive in these teams' seasons. Contact/Follow @TrojansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of USC Trojans news, notes and opinion. This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Big Ten season preview: Top QBs all have something to prove in 2026