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67. Jeremy Hecklinski/Hank Brown, Iowa
2025 Stats (combined): 13 for 23, 115 yards, one touchdown, one interception
Quarterback play under Kirk Ferentz has become a slog in recent years, and even highly touted South Dakota State transfer Mark Gronowski couldn’t throw for more than 1,741 yards, making it seven straight years without a Hawkeye reaching the 2,000-yard mark—the only Big Ten program to do so in that span. He did rush for 16 touchdowns, leading the conference, but what Hecklinski or Brown can provide in that realm remains mostly unknown. Either quarterback will have the benefit of having leading rusher Kamari Moulton back, so expect more three yards and a cloud of dust (long live the Big Ten West) in Iowa City.


66. Ryan Browne, Purdue
2025 Stats: 58.9% completion rate, 2,153 yards, nine touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 115.3 efficiency rating
Browne’s first season as the starter in West Lafayette left a whole lot to be desired and it’s worth wondering whether Barry Odom should have looked elsewhere for his second season at the helm. The redshirt junior will be one of just two returning quarterbacks in the Power 4 who threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (nine) against FBS competition last season. And it’s not just turnovers—Browne was 56th out of 60 eligible Power 4 QBs in completion percentage last season. Purdue’s offense was at its best in 2025 when Browne was able to use his legs, so that’s sure to remain the focus for the Boilermakers.


65. Dylan Lonergan, Rutgers
2025 Stats (Boston College): 66.9% completion rate, 2,025 yards, 12 touchdowns, five interceptions, 137.2 efficiency rating
This may be one of the closest and most difficult competitions to project in the Power 4 this season between Lonergan and AJ Surace, but that doesn’t mean the outcome will drastically change the outlook for Rutgers behind center this season. Lonergan has some juice, showing off real upside in games against Michigan State, Stanford and Georgia Tech last season. The issue was everything else: In his six other games against FBS opponents, Lonergan was benched twice, left one game with an injury and completed 61.1% of his passes with just one passing touchdown and six turnovers.

62. Alessio Milivojevic, Michigan State
2025 Stats: 64.2% completion rate, 1,267 yards, 10 touchdowns, three interceptions, 141.3 rating
Milivojevic was given the reins down the stretch as Jonathan Smith tried to salvage his tenure at Michigan State and kept the Spartans in a number of closer games. He also struggled under constant pressure in the pocket, taking 14 sacks in four starts, though he shouldn’t take all the blame for that. Both he and Aidan Chiles were running for their lives all season long as the Spartans had one of the worst offensive lines in the Power 4—an obvious area for improvement for new head coach Pat Fitzgerald.


51. Aidan Chiles, Northwestern
2025 Stats (Michigan State): 63.1% completion rate, 1,392 yards, 10 touchdowns, three interceptions, 134.0 efficiency rating
There may be no quarterback on this list who stands to gain the most from his new offensive coordinator, as Chiles looks to highlight the best parts of his game in Chip Kelly’s system. Northwestern’s offense for the past decade has been the butt of a bad joke, but the Wildcats also haven’t quite had a player like Chiles—high reward and even higher risk. He has a big arm and is plenty mobile. He also took 51 sacks in two years at Michigan State and turned the ball over 21 times. For the first time in a long time, fans in Evanston will at least get to say this: The offense is worth watching.

49. Colton Joseph, Wisconsin
2025 Stats (Old Dominion): 59.7% completion rate, 2,624 yards, 21 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 152.7 efficiency rating
The Badgers’ offense has labored for three years under Luke Fickell, plummeting to 133rd out of 134 FBS teams in points per game last season (12.8), ahead of only 0–12 UMass. To land a dual threat like Joseph is a huge win, if not an indication that Fickell is down to his last strike in Madison. The production is difficult to argue with: Joseph was eighth last season in total yards per game (302.6) and second in yards per completion (15.2), complementing an efficient throwing year with 1,007 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. But he was also bolstered by a strong defense, which allowed for more freedom in the Sun Belt—wiggle room that he may not have when playing in the Big Ten.


45. Malik Washington, Maryland
2025 Stats: 57.7% completion rate, 2,963 yards, 17 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 118.4 efficiency rating
Few freshman quarterbacks are given the keys quite like Washington was in his first collegiate season. And unsurprisingly, it was a mixed bag. After a 4–0 start against FAU, Northern Illinois, Towson and Wisconsin, Maryland didn’t win again and Washington looked like a teenager—which he was! He completed fewer than 57% of his passes and threw eight interceptions in eight games, and the Terps looked lost. There were still enough moments of brilliance, like 459 yards and three touchdowns against Michigan State, 164 rushing yards against Rutgers and taking just eight sacks all year long. Now it’s time for Mike Locksley to give his young quarterback some help.



39. Drake Lindsey, Minnesota
2025 Stats: 63.2% completion rate, 2,382 yards, 18 touchdowns, six interceptions, 126.9 efficiency rating
Lindsey went 7–5 as a starter as a redshirt freshman, and put up a season stat line that looks impressive on paper with 22 total touchdowns compared to just six turnovers. Still, he’s a major work in progress. He threw for more than 200 yards in just five of those games, with Minnesota seeming determined to not overuse him. He also threw for 94 yards against Ohio State, 109 yards and three interceptions against Iowa and 138 yards against Oregon, showing there’s still a ton of growth to be done to compete against the league’s top defenses.

37. Katin Houser, Illinois
2025 Stats (East Carolina): 65.9% completion rate, 3,300 yards, 19 touchdowns, six interceptions, 146.3 efficiency rating
Houser is back in the Big Ten and has grown plenty since he started the bulk of Michigan State’s games in the latter half of the 2023 season. His tenure at East Carolina got off to a shaky beginning as he didn’t start in Week 1 and when he did finally get the call he threw 11 interceptions in eight games. But he cut down on the picks in ’25 (six in 12 starts) and was a more effective scrambler (193 rushing yards and nine touchdowns). Bret Bielema rode the growth of Luke Altmyer the past three seasons; in ’26 he’ll bank on Houser already being the full version of himself.


27. Anthony Colandrea, Nebraska - TOO LOW
2025 Stats (UNLV): 65.9% completion rate, 3,469 yards, 23 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 149.5 efficiency rating
We’ve seen this movie plenty before: Ex–Power 4 quarterback drops down to Group of 6 standout, balls out and then gets another opportunity. And we haven’t forgotten Colandrea’s roller coaster two years at Virginia, which is why he doesn’t land closer to Byrum Brown or Drew Mestemaker as guys who are making the P4 leap. But what he accomplished last season deserves recognition. He looked explosive, cut down on the mistakes and risk-taking from his final year with the Hoos and, most importantly, he won. In the only regular-season games UNLV lost, the offense scored 31 and 35 points. The last time a Nebraska quarterback won nine games in a single season? Tommy Armstrong in 2014.


26. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
2025 Stats: 64.4% completion rate, 1,928 yards, 13 touchdowns, seven interceptions, 123.5 efficiency rating
It’s not surprising that Iamaleava’s counting stats dipped significantly at UCLA given the talent around him and general turmoil within the program. And for the third straight season, the former five-star recruit will be working with a new head coach and play-caller. Bob Chesney would be wise to lean into Iamaleava’s rushing ability, seeing as he ran for 505 yards on 4.5 yards per carry in 2025, and Chesney is fresh off of maximizing a mobile quarterback in Barnett. The sort of performance that Iamaleava had in the Penn State upset last season (70.8% completions on 24 attempts for 166 yards and two touchdowns; 16 carries for 128 yards) is the goal to replicate.


25. Rocco Becht, Penn State
2025 Stats (Iowa State): 60.5% completion rate, 2,584 yards, 16 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 134.8 efficiency rating
Becht is the epitome of consistency at the collegiate level and enters the 2026 season, boasting the second-most career passing yards among active players behind only Hoover. That’s basically to say, the fifth-year man is what he is at this point. He has 26 career wins, the most among active FBS quarterbacks, and has done so by managing games well, not taking too many risks (27 interceptions, but never more than nine in a season) and using his legs when necessary (19 career rushing touchdowns). Becht will ride out his career in Happy Valley with Campbell—a winning combination thus far.

23. Bryce Underwood, Michigan - TOO HIGH
2025 Stats: 60.3% completion rate, 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 126.6 efficiency rating
Few players will benefit from an in-house regime change as much as Underwood, who wasn’t given a chance to spread his wings in his freshman season. Michigan continued to emphasize the run-first methodology that Jim Harbaugh rode to a national championship, as the true freshman threw more than 30 passes just three times in 13 games. He was also dreadful as a passer against top competition, completing just 50.9% of his passes for four touchdowns and four interceptions against Oklahoma, USC, Ohio State and Texas. Underwood could certainly be more accurate on open throws, though it stands to reason that he may lean even further into his athleticism and ability to run under new OC Jason Beck.


10. Josh Hoover, Indiana
2025 Stats (TCU): 65.9% completion rate, 3,472 yards, 29 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 153.4 efficiency rating
The heir to Mendoza also arrives as a transfer, as Cignetti tries to plug in the best guy for the job. And Hoover is capable of being that as a quarterback who’s started 31 games and is the active Power 4 leader in career passing yards. That said, it’s really difficult to overlook how careless he is with the football. He’s turned the ball over 42 times in three seasons and is one of just five QBs in the CFP era to have back-to-back years of 15-plus turnovers. Indiana was the best team in the country at protecting the football last season, so Hoover’s tendencies won’t fly with Cignetti in Bloomington. This is as much a bet, or maybe even more so, on Indiana’s coach unlocking the best version of this quarterback as it is on Hoover himself.


 8. Jayden Maiava, USC
2025 Stats: 65.8% completion rate, 3,711 yards, 24 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 157.8 efficiency rating
Maiava is electric and one of the most exciting players to watch in the country. He’s also damn good, ranking behind only Mendoza in QBR and throwing for the fifth-most yards in the nation last season. That marked a major step up from preseason expectations as he cut down on the mistakes he made in his four starts in 2025. He also can’t exactly be blamed for his defense allowing 34 points or more in each of the Trojans’ regular-season losses. Maiava did benefit greatly from having two NFL wideouts (Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane) as his top targets, though Lincoln Riley’s teams never seem to be hurting for pass-catchers. The real question will be if Maiava can step up against the Big Ten’s best consistently and not just beat up on the bad teams.


7. Demond Williams Jr., Washington
2025 Stats: 69.5% completion rate, 3,065 yards, 25 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 161.0 efficiency rating
How Jedd Fisch is able to keep the locker room after Williams tried to escape his contract at Washington could determine if the third-year quarterback is actually capable of landing this high on the list. He’s a special dual-threat player, and his production rivaled that of Dante Moore, who outdueled him during rivalry week in 2025. Like many of the young quarterbacks in this range, there were some duds against top competition. Washington averaged just 9.3 points per game against Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Oregon (all losses) compared to a whopping 41.5 points against its other nine opponents. Williams took a few too many sacks (31) last season, so would be wise to cozy back up to his offensive linemen above all else before Week 1.

4. Dante Moore, Oregon
2025 Stats: 71.8% completion percentage, 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 163.7 efficiency rating
Moore could have left for the NFL and been a first-round pick, but may have felt that there were some goals still on the table in Eugene. And few endings could have been as sour as the 56–22 rout at the hands of Indiana, a game in which Moore turned the ball over three times in the first half. He also put together a poor outing against Indiana the first go-around and struggled mightily on a rainy night in Iowa City (though he delivered when it mattered most in the fourth quarter). And though he similarly beat up on bad opponents, Moore torched Penn State on the road and carved up USC in a consequential late November game. Important to note: 2025 was his first true year as a starter. The arm ability is there, the decision-making should improve and a slightly better season against top defenses should make Moore and the Ducks national title contenders.


2. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
2025 Stats: 77.0% completion rate, 3,610 yards, 32 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 177.5 efficiency rating
Statistically, Sayin leaps off the page for his efficiency. He led FBS in completion percentage by 4.6 percentage points, trailed only Mendoza in passer rating and did so while still averaging 9.2 yards per attempt (sixth nationally). Is that all just because he had Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate catching passes? That’s surely part of the equation but belittles Sayin’s legitimate ability to pick apart defenses and make the right throws. The next step up would be doing so against Top 10 opponents. In the Buckeyes’ last two games against Indiana and Miami, Sayin took 10 sacks, threw three interceptions and couldn’t deliver when Ohio State needed him most. He might have gotten some grace in 2025 in his first year as a starter, but critics this season will be far less forgiving.

Greg McElroy breaks down Big Ten into contending tiers ahead of 2026 season

So, without further ado, let’s dive into how Greg McElroy breaks down the Big Ten into tiers ahead of the 2026 college football season:

Tier 1: National Championship Contenders
Oregon Ducks
Rather the beginning with one of the Big Ten’s last three national champions, McElroy starts out West with Oregon, a national semifinalist last season who enters 2026 with one of college football’s most experienced rosters. That includes junior quarterback Dante Moore, who opted to return to school after throwing for more than 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns as a first-year starter in Eugene.


McElroy also highlighted the Ducks’ loaded — and healthy — receivers room as well as what he described the best defensive line in the sport with the entire starting four returning from last year’s unit. In fact, the one positional group that actually has a few new faces is the secondary following the offseason addition of former Minnesota safety Koi Perich, the top safety in the transfer portal in January.

McElroy: “They have a couple of new coordinators, and if that’s your biggest worry, then you’re a national title favorite. … But this is a resume and a team that is certainly built for a deep January run.”

Ohio State Buckeyes
Next up are the Buckeyes, which won the 2024 national title and returns a wealth of talent off of a 2025 squad that struggled late before being bounced in the Playoffs by Miami. Despite sending double-digit players to the NFL, this season’s Ohio State squad returns some serious offensive firepower with superstar WR Jeremiah Smith and second-year starting QB Julian Sayin, a Heisman Trophy finalist last season.


The Buckeyes offensive line returns four of five starters to a veteran unit that allowed 10 sacks in its back-to-back losses to Indiana and Miami to end 2025. Ohio State rebuilt the nation’s No. 1 defense through the transfer portal after losing multiple defensive starters to the NFL in April. Throw in new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and star sophomore tailback Bo Jackson, and McElroy sees a serious contender.

McElroy: “This is a Top-5 offense, you’ve got multiple Heisman contenders, and a defense that’s reloading in real time. … This could very easily be your national champion.”

Indiana Hoosiers
Make no mistake about it — Curt Cignetti and Indiana are a legitimate national title contender, especially after what the Hoosiers accomplished over the past two years. That includes winning last season’s CFP national championship amid college football’s first 16-0 season in more than 130 yards. And you can count McElroy as a true believer Indiana can do it again in 2026 after reloading in the transfer portal.


Despite losing several stars to the NFL, Cignetti managed to replace last season’s Heisman Trophy winner (Fernando Mendoza) with college football’s active career passing leader in Josh Hoover from TCU. Hoover now joins a loaded Hoosiers offense with a trio of big-play threats at receiver along with one of the best offensive lines in the sport, led by consensus All-American offensive tackle Carter Smith.

McElroy: “They should very well be back in the Playoffs, and you give Cignetti the opportunity to put that team together again, they’re an impossible team to bet against.”

Tier 2: College Football Playoff Contenders
USC Trojans
Much like in Tier 1, McElroy starts his second tier out West with the Trojans, arguably the most prominent blueblood program who has yet to make the College Football Playoff. McElroy clearly believes that could change this season, especially given what USC has coming back. Trojans QB Jayden Maiava returns after leading the Big Ten with 3,711 passing yards and finishing second nationally in passing efficiency in 2025.


On defense, once considered the program’s Achilles heel, Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley hired former TCU head coach Gary Patterson to take over the unit this offseason. That’s what gives McElroy some confidence 2026 could be different at USC. Still, the Trojans’ schedule could be an issue, especially with USC facing all three of McElroy’s Tier 1 teams this season.

McElroy: “If the defense finally holds up, the only thing standing in between USC and a playoff berth is the schedule.”

Washington Huskies
For the Huskies, everything revolves around star dual-threat QB Demond Williams, who flirted with transferring this offseason before being convinced to remain in Seattle. McElroy highlighted Williams’ natural playmaking ability after rushing for 611 yards to lead all Big Ten quarterbacks last season. McElroy suggested if Williams works his way into the Heisman conversation, Washington could be Playoff-bound.

The Huskies also need to make some strides defensively, especially within a rebuilt defensive line that has plenty of depth but not a lot of quality experience, including up front. McElroy also cited a friendly Big Ten slate that doesn’t have Ohio State or Michigan, but does include road games at USC in October and at Oregon to end the regular season.


McElroy: “It’s a schedule that can absolutely spring a potential Playoff run if all things fall into place.”

Penn State Nittany Lions
This might be a bit of a surprise given how things went in Happy Valley last season, which included a midseason firing of longtime head coach James Franklin. In comes Matt Campbell from Iowa State, who brought with him star senior quarterback Rocco Becht among a wealth of transfers from Ames. If those Cyclones imports can build upon their experience at Iowa State, there’s serious hope in 2026.

That aside, McElroy credits Penn State’s very friendly Big Ten schedule that avoids matchups against all three of his Tier 1 contenders and features a home game against USC in Happy Valley. In fact, the Nittany Lions only play three teams in McElroy’s top two tiers, paving the way for mostly smooth road to the Playoffs, especially if they can split back-to-back October games against USC and Michigan.

McElroy: “If the transfers can gel early, and Matt Campbell does what he does with a giant-killing reputation, then the Nittany Lions could very well be 6-0 before they head to Ann Arbor.”


Michigan Wolverines
Michigan underwent a necessary exorcism this winter after the mid-December for-cause firing of second-year head coach Sherrone Moore amid just the latest Wolverines scandal. That was followed by the hiring of longtime Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, who immediately instilled a sense of integrity into a program in desperate need of some. He also brought up-and-coming Utes OC Jason Beck with him to Ann Arbor.

McElroy believes Beck’s influence will do wonders for the further development of dual-threat sophomore QB Bryce Underwood, a former five-star signee who had his ups and downs as a freshman last season. If Underwood and talented RBs Savion Hiter and Jordan Marshall can take the next step, there’s promise. But a rebuilt defense coupled with a difficult 2026 schedule could also doom the Wolverines next season.

McElroy: “Michigan does draw all three of the title tier teams. … You add in Oklahoma in the non-conference and Penn State at home, that’s four of the Top 12 teams in the country all on one schedule.”


Tier 3: Conference Spoilers
Iowa Hawkeyes
McElroy opens his third tied with an Iowa program he described as “the model of consistency” given the Hawkeyes 11-year streak of winning seasons under longtime head coach Kirk Ferentz. Of course, that stability coupled with a notoriously stingy and opportunistic defense are exactly why McElroy believes Iowa can be the ultimate spoiler in 2026.

Uncertainty at quarterback doesn’t inspire confidence, but the Hawkeyes are a traditional ground-and-pound offense that might be able to grind out wins behind RBs Kamari Moulton and L.J. Phillips. McElroy also pointed to Iowa’s front-loaded Big Ten slate that opens with Michigan, Ohio State and Washington but gets much easier in the second half of the season.

McElroy: “The reason they can play the role of spoiler is because of that defense. They don’t beat themselves, and they can drag a contender into a rock fight, and do it every week.”


Illinois Fighting Illini
Next up on McElroy’s spoiler tier is Bret Bielema’s Fighting Illini. Bielema is entering Year 6 in Champaign this season and has been flirting with conference contention each of the past two seasons.

But with a ball-hawking defense that forced 16 turnovers over its nine wins last season, anything is possible. Throw in new quarterback Katin Houser, a dual-threat playmaker from East Carolina, and that’s a perfect recipe for becoming a Big Ten spoiler in 2026.

McElroy: “If that secondary can continue to take the ball away, this is a team that can absolutely ruin a contender’s Saturday.”

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Matt Rhule appears to have the Cornhuskers on the rise with back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the end of the Bo Pelini era a dozen years ago.


And despite losing former five-star QB Dylan Raiola to Oregon via the transfer portal, Nebraska signed dynamic dual-threat Anthony Colandrea, who has drawn comparisons to Diego Pavia. If Rhule can solve its defensive issues, McElroy believes the Huskers could help ruin some contender’s season.

McElroy: “A better quarterback that can maybe create a little bit more on his own, heading into the toughest slate is why they sit in this tier. The schedule is just too much, I think, for them to overcome.”

Tier 4: Bowl Game Bound
Teams: Wisconsin Badgers, Minnesota Golden Gophers, UCLA Bruins, Maryland Terrapins

McElroy expects a potential bounce-back season for Luke Fickell‘s Badgers thanks to a traditionally strong run game and a friendly schedule that avoids all Tier 1 teams. Minnesota has eight-plus wins in four of the past five years and owns a nine-game bowl win streak McElroy thinks could go to 10 this year.


Surprisingly, McElroy is also confident first-year UCLA coach Bob Chesney can snap the Bruins’ two-year bowl drought in 2026, as can veteran Maryland coach Mike Locksley, who is facing a pressure-packed eighth season with the Terrapins, but also has a favorable slate.

McElroy: “These are teams we believe are headed for the postseason, they are bowl-bound. Now none of them are necessarily threatening at the top of the league, but they have a clear reason to expect a winning season.”

Tier 5: Work To Do
Teams: Northwestern Wildcats, Michigan State Spartans, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Purdue Boilermakers

Last but not least are a foursome of Big Ten programs that are likely to languish at the bottom of the standings again in 2026, but each also have reason for hope as it looks toward the future.


Northwestern is coming off a seven-win 2025 and hired former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly to lead its offense, both reasons to believe in 2026. Meanwhile, Michigan State, Purdue and Rutgers all face extremely difficult roads to bowl eligibility this season, especially given suspect defenses.

I thought I heard Bryce Underwood could be the best ever, or something like that. Preseason prognostication means very little, but fifth in the conference seems low for an alleged generational talent.

OOOOF.

The Swamp is doing some heavy lifting....