As much talent as there is, plenty of inexperience will be sprinkled throughout the conference. Being able to combine that with proven guys\/projections is the key. That being said, let\u2019s check out the Sporting News\u2019 Big Ten quarterback rankings.<\/p>\n
Allar deciding to come back to Penn State for another season instantly boosted the Nittany Lions to a preseason favorite. His spot as the Big Ten\u2019s top quarterback likely does not come up against too many arguments.<\/p>\n
Sporting News: \u201cAllar \u2013 a three-year starter \u2013 received some draft buzz while leading the Nittany Lions to the CFP semifinals. He returned to school, and there should not be too many complaints.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Julian](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Sayin-2-1024x538.jpg\")
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Ohio State head coach Ryan Day<\/a> has yet to officially name a starting quarterback. However, the Sporting News not only expects Sayin to win out but also perform at quite a high level as well.<\/p>\n Sporting News: \u201cSayin \u2013 a redshirt freshman who transferred from Alabama<\/a> after Nick Saban<\/a> retired \u2013 was a five-star coming out of high school\u2026 (Lincoln) Kienholz<\/a> has made a push for the starting job in spring practice, and coach Ryan Day likely will wait until fall camp to name a starter.\u201d<\/p>\n Some serious College Football Playoff<\/a> buzz is coming from Champaign. Altmyer figures to be the guy who will determine how far Illinois winds up going. Sporting News places him third overall, a solid spot for the Fighting Illini\u2019s starter.<\/p>\n Sporting News: \u201cAltmyer\u2019s return is a huge reason why Illinois is being considered an early playoff sleeper team for 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n Iamaleava spent this offseason as the top story in all of college football. He now settles into a new program at UCLA, hoping to just go out there and perform.<\/p>\n Sporting News: \u201cIamaleava is comparable to the next five-star QBs on this list, but he has enjoyed the most success on the field among those three QBs.\u201d<\/p>\n Raiola started the Big Ten quarterback\u2019s youth movement last season, starting as a true freshman. Consistency will be needed by Matt Rhule<\/a> this go-round, wanting to see massive strides during Raiola\u2019s second year.<\/p>\n Sporting News: \u201cThere were ups and downs in his freshman year. Raiola did not have a 300-yard game, and he did finish with a conference-high 11 interceptions.\u201d<\/p>\n There may not be a more discussed name leading into the season than Underwood. Someone who comes with a lot of hype during his recruitment, Michigan needs it to translate quickly for the true freshman.<\/p>\n Sporting News: \u201cUnderwood \u2013 the top quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class \u2013 remains the favorite to start. The 6-foot-4, 208-pound quarterback will have to hold off Mikey Keene<\/a>, who started against Michigan for Fresno State<\/a> in the opener last season.\u201d<\/p>\n Moore made an unusual move in the NCAA transfer portal<\/a> era, moving somewhere to be a backup. Time was spent behind Dillon Gabriel<\/a>, learning the Oregon system. Whether or not the decision paid off will reveal itself quite quickly since the Ducks want to compete for another Big Ten title.<\/p>\n Sporting News: \u201cMoore can be an efficient playmaker within the offense if he limits interceptions \u2013 which were a problem in his freshman year at UCLA.\u201d<\/p>\n Lincoln Riley<\/a> made the decision to move on from Miller Moss and fully install Maiava as the starter. Maiava now gets his chance to be the guy from the get-go as USC enters an important season.<\/p>\n Sporting News: \u201cMaiava will have to improve on a 59.8% completion percentage this year, because the high-yield in a Riley offense is there in the Big Ten.\u201d<\/p>\n Washington fans got a glimpse of what the future could be like in the final two games of 2024. The future has now arrived a few months later as Jedd Fisch<\/a> gives Williams the nod.<\/p>\n Sporting News: \u201cWilliams is a 2025 breakout candidate if he can build on that strong finish from last year.\u201d<\/p>\n Chiles followed the Michigan State coaching staff over from Oregon State<\/a>, a huge win for the Spartans at the time. Now, he enters a second season as the starting quarterback, where improvements will be needed moving forward.<\/p>\n Sporting News: \u201cChiles had a bumpy first year as a starter with Jonathan Smith<\/a>, but the second year at Michigan State should produce better results. Chiles flashed some play-making skills that led to the hype entering last season, but he struggled with turnovers against a brutal Big Ten schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n Iowa continues to search for answers at quarterback to improve the offense. Gronowski is an addition from the FCS ranks, hoping success from South Dakota State<\/a> translates in the Big Ten.<\/p>\n Sporting News: \u201cThe Hawkeyes\u2019 quarterback problems continued under long-time coach Kirk Ferentz<\/a>\u2026 Will Gronowski change that? He won two FCS national championships at South Dakota State with 93 TDs and 20 interceptions.\u201d<\/p>\n Sporting News found one area where Kaliakmanis needs to improve in 2025 \u2014 connecting with receivers at a higher clip. Taking care of the ball is already a strong suit and next steps are finishing with a better completion percentage. <\/p>\n Sporting News: \u201cHe had just one interception in Rutgers last four games, but he will need to improve on a 53.9% career completion percentage for the Scarlet Knights to move up the Big Ten pecking order.\u201d<\/p>\n Curt Cignetti<\/a> wants to get a little more quarterback magic out of the transfer portal. Mendoza may have a ceiling Indiana fans have not seen in a while, though, receiving first-round NFL Draft buzz.<\/p>\n Sporting News: \u201cIt\u2019s another round of portal roulette, but Cignetti can make it work. We had the Hoosiers at No. 10 on this list last season.\u201d<\/p>\n A starter at SMU to begin last season, Stone makes his way up to Chicagoland for another opportunity. This will be his final year of eligibility, looking to make the most of it at Northwestern.<\/p>\n Sporting News: \u201c(Stone) gets a fresh start with third-year coach David Braun<\/a> at Northwestern\u2026 He should fit well with second-year offensive coordinator Zach Lujan<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Wisconsin has relied on transfer quarterbacks in years past, not finding much success. Everyone involved with the program hopes Edwards will be different \u2014 especially since he has Big Ten experience. Sporting News does not have much faith.<\/p>\n Sporting News: \u201cIt\u2019s a complete reset at the position, and that means more unpredictable results.\u201d<\/p>\n PJ Fleck has still not named a starting quarterback. No matter who goes out there, Minnesota does not have any starting experience on the roster. Lindsey slides down into the bottom three because of that, even if progress is expected.<\/p>\n Sporting News: \u201cLindsey is 4 of 5 for 50 yards and a TD in three appearances. He will improve under Fleck, but it will be a process.\u201d<\/p>\n A lot of firsts are unfolding at Purdue this season, including head coach Barry Odom. He was able to land Singleton through the portal, somebody who got some run last season at Arkansas<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sporting News: \u201c(Singleton) should develop with new offensive coordinator Josh Henson<\/a>, who was at USC the last three seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n One of multiple UCLA quarterbacks who left this offseason, Martin made a trip across the country for his next spot. Sporting News believes there might be some competition from a true freshman.<\/p>\n![\"Nebraska](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/USATSI_25072718_168401306_lowres-1024x683.jpg\")
Vincent Carchietta | Imagn Images<\/p>\n![\"USC](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/jayden-maiava-1024x538.png\")
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava. (Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Mark-Gronowski--1024x538.png\")
Mark Gronowski was throwing a football. (Photo: Dennis Scheidt)<\/p>\n![\"smu-qb-preston-stone-confidence-is-at-all-time-high-ahead-for-start-at-nevada\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Preston-Stone1-1-1024x538.jpg\")
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Malachi Singleton (Nelson Chenault\/USA Today)<\/p>\n