Big Ten QB tiers: Ranking the top units across the conference

If the 2025 Indiana Hoosiers proved anything, it's the value of great quarterback play. They'd win the Big Ten for the first time since 1967 and a national championship for the first time behind Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman winner who was drafted first overall.

The Big Ten is still full of talent at the quarterback position. That includes several quarterbacks who are hoping to make their impact felt as they compete for national championships and high NFL Draft picks. Others have more questions to deal with before the 2026 season kicks off.

So, here's a breakdown of the quarterback tiers across the Big Ten. With 18 teams, there are two tiers of four and two tiers of five teams to break down.

The Top-Tier Teams

Oregon Ducks, Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines, USC Trojans

After making another quick exit from the College Football Playoff, the Oregon Ducks are bringing back quarterback Dante Moore for another season as their starter. That's despite a very real interest in Moore from the NFL. After a 30-touchdown season, it's exciting to see how he grows. Add Dylan Raiola as a transfer, and the Ducks are loaded.

Ohio State is also returning an NFL-caliber quarterback in Julian Sayin. Like Moore, he's looking to make a deeper CFP run in 2026. At rival Michigan, Bryce Underwood has all the talent in the world, even if he's still young and has a new offense to learn. Then, rounding out the top-tier is USC. The Trojans return Jayden Maiava, who sparked the offense a season ago. Another year playing under Lincoln Riley makes him a real threat.

The Upper Middle-Tier Teams

Penn State Nittany Lions, Indiana Hoosiers, UCLA Bruins, Washington Huskies, Illinois Fighting Illini

It's a new era for Penn State, with Matt Campbell taking over. He brought his quarterback with him, as Rocco Becht transferred in and is expected to start for the Nittany Lions.

Indiana is going back to the well for a third straight transfer quarterback. This time, it's Josh Hoover, who has had some issues with turnovers. UCLA and Washington, meanwhile, bring back last year's starting quarterbacks, Nico Iamaleava and Demond Williams Jr. More experience and upside should help there. Meanwhile, Illinois is an interesting team, turning to Katin Houser, who struggled in the Big Ten before but reinvented himself at ECU. 

The Lower Middle-Tier Teams

Nebraska Cornhuskers, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Michigan State Spartans, Northwestern Wildcats, Maryland Terrapins

By now, Nebraska was supposed to have one of the best quarterback situations in the Big Ten, led by Dylan Raiola. Then, he transferred to Oregon. The Cornhuskers scrambled and ended up landing Anthony Colandrea, a transfer with starting experience.

Also in the lower-middle tier are a few quarterbacks with great potential. As freshmen, Malik Washington and Drake Lindsey both flashed that for Maryland and Minnesota, respectively. Meanwhile, Alessio Milivojevic took Aidan Chiles' job at Michigan State a season ago, before Chiles transferred to Northwestern.

The Lower-Tier Teams

Wisconsin Badgers, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Purdue Boilermakers, Iowa Hawkeyes

Opening up the lower tier of Big Ten teams at the quarterback position is Wisconsin. In a year where head coach Luke Fickell needs a turnaround, he'll likely turn to Colton Joseph at quarterback. A transfer from Old Dominion, he threw 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions a season ago. 

Rutgers is turning to transfer Dylan Lonergan, who does have starting experience. Meanwhile, Purdue is likely going with Ryan Browne, who is in his third year at the program and played in 12 games a season ago. However, they both have struggled in their careers. Finally, Iowa is an up-in-the-air quarterback competition. Again, there are options, like Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown, but none that stand out as ideal quarterbacks for the Big Ten.