College football’s first few weeks delivered the exact brand of chaos fans love, yet despite all the shakeups in results and standings, individuals on the field have seen their statuses be just as fluid.
With key upsets and non-conference opponents facing the Big Ten, those in the conference have seen many of their stars either exceed or fail to meet those expectations that they entered with.
The two most essential positions in the Big Ten offenses have seen this exact phenomenon, which poses the question: where do those players stand after one-fifth of the regular season officially approaches?
Who Are the Best Backfield Skill Position Players in the Big Ten?
Quarterback
Opening the season, it appeared that Oregon Ducks gunslinger Dante Moore would be the top passer in the conference after returning to college despite having a real chance to go top-five in the 2026 NFL Draft. Yet his year has been tragic so far, catalyzed by a tell in his stance, which has allowed defenses to pick up on his run-pass patterns, and he’s quickly fallen out of the tier of top-caliber passers in the Big Ten.
However, with the depreciation of Moore, the top quarterback in the conference remains out west in the form of USC Trojans‘ signal caller Jayden Maiava, who has faced lower-level foes, an extra one in fact, after the Trojans’ Week 0 game against San Jose State. That extra game has obviously propelled the passer to Big Ten highs in yards and touchdowns, but with only a single interception and sack, Maiava has still had a start that’s exceeded expectations, even in these lower-level games.
The preseason hype was real for the Trojans’ offense, and that hype all stemmed from Maiava. While the Trojans’ offense appears to be legit early on, an attentive eye needs to be focused on if it can persist into the conference slate, which it looks likely to happen in Week 3 against a troubled Rutgers squad.
Joining Maiava with a similar start to the season is new Penn State Nittany Lions‘ passer Rocco Becht, who has been pinpointed for his accuracy to start the season. The Nittany Lions’ offense has a new level of intangibles and tenacity brought in by the Big 12 transfer from Iowa State, and it appears he’s not missed a beat after dealing with a non-throwing shoulder surgery in December.
The blue and white arm leads the conference in passer rating, which doesn’t look likely to change in Penn State’s next matchup against a pitiful Buffalo team that only really has hope to cover the 40-point spread. Becht doesn’t get sacked in high numbers and has yet to throw an interception this season, which also brings optimism to Happy Valley given the fact that the quarterback has no hesitation to air it out, considering he leads the Big Ten in yards per completion.
The third passer in the Big Ten is the only spot that remains in the best of the best under center, as Julian Sayin hasn’t done much to change things for his status. Entering the season, the Ohio State Buckeyes‘ quarterback appeared to be the second-best, or even top option, yet in Ohio State’s upset to Texas, he didn’t do much to help those chances for an offense which was figured out by the Longhorns in the second half. Sayin is still a dynamic passer with the ability to take Ohio State deep into the CFP, but he and his Buckeyes need an immediate rebound if they want that to happen.
Running Back
The backfield is a weird place for the Big Ten. It has a strong batch of rushers, yet usage and production are skewed across so many different approaches. The best conference running back in the early season by both metrics has been Michigan State’s Cam Edwards, who leads with 48 carries and 250 yards, which is good for over five yards per carry. The senior also tallied three touchdowns so far this season, which paces along the top of the Big Ten.
Just behind Edwards is transfer Wayne Knight, who followed coach Bob Chesney from JMU to UCLA. The senior hasn’t had any difficulty with the move, forming one of the most efficient ground games in the Big Ten alongside Anthony Woods, who leads the conference in yards per carry. While Knight is splitting time with Woods, he still averages eight yards per carry, which is fifth-best in the conference, and has stood out as the primary red zone back. Of his 21 carries, Knight has taken over a quarter of them back for a conference-high total of six scores, with a pair of three-touchdown days over California and San Diego State.
The third-best rusher in the Big Ten is Bo Jackson, who entered the season with a good chance of being the top in his position. The Ohio State running back started hot against Ball State, but like the rest of his offense, cooled off in the aforementioned upset to Texas. There’s still reason to believe that Jackson can remain one of the Big Ten’s best backs, but he’ll need to stack big performances soon that are reminiscent of his freshman year, because the gap at the top is extremely tight and he could find his way out of the rankings by next week.
Main Image: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
