Ohio State’s Julian Sayin has taken over the top spot in the Big Ten quarterback rankings entering Week 5, and the move comes with a loud statement attached. After a five-touchdown outing against Illinois, Sayin surged past Indiana’s Josh Hoover, who slips to No. 2 after a narrow win over Northwestern.
The shakeup at the top is only part of a ranking that saw Nebraska’s Anthony Colandrea and UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava break into the top eight after road wins that kept both teams unbeaten. At the other end, Penn State’s Rocco Becht drops four places to No. 8 after a 24-20 home loss to Wisconsin. Washington’s Demond Williams Jr. and Illinois’ Katin Houser fall out of the rankings after appearing last week.
Sayin’s performance was the kind that changes the conversation fast. He set a career high with five total touchdowns, and all four of his passing scores went to Jeremiah Smith.
He also added a 7-yard rushing touchdown. The Ohio State quarterback hit his first eight passes for 148 yards, and Illinois never got to him for a sack.
Through the season, he now has 1,206 passing yards, 10 touchdown passes and one interception, with that lone pick coming on a Hail Mary at the end of the Texas game. His next start comes against an Iowa team that beat Michigan on the final play Saturday.
Hoover, meanwhile, didn’t need fireworks to keep Indiana rolling, but the ranking slip reflects the standard at the top. He averaged a season-low 6.9 yards per attempt in the win over Northwestern, yet he avoided turnovers and finished the game with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:56 left to seal it.
He also went 6 of 6 on the drive that ended with his 8-yard touchdown pass to Nick Marsh before halftime. “I think him using his legs really adds to our offense,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said.
The TCU transfer now has 850 passing yards, 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions for a team riding a 20-game winning streak.
Colandrea’s rise is built on efficiency and clean football. He threw both of his touchdown passes in the first half of Nebraska’s win, including a 44-yard strike to Kwazi Gilmer, and added 66 rushing yards on 10 carries.
Nebraska didn’t turn the ball over on offense and won its Big Ten opener for the first time since 2019. Earlier this month, the UNLV transfer also became the first Nebraska quarterback since 2016 to throw at least three touchdown passes in back-to-back games.
Iamaleava also earned his way into the top eight after doing enough in a wet one at College Park. He completed passes to eight different receivers, and his only touchdown throw came in the fourth quarter when Aidan Mizell turned a short pass into an 83-yard score.
UCLA’s ground game carried plenty of the load, too, with the Bruins rushing for 266 yards. The Long Beach native has 820 passing yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions for the 4-0 Bruins.
Penn State’s Becht took the biggest tumble in the group. He completed only 41% of his passes against Wisconsin, and his interception led to a Badgers field goal in the third quarter.
Becht did score on a 3-yard run, but Penn State wasted a 17-0 lead and watched Wisconsin score twice in the final four minutes. Even after the loss, the Iowa State transfer still has 865 passing yards, nine touchdowns and one interception.
“We know we messed up, we know the areas we could be better at, we know it wasn't our best,” Becht said Tuesday.
The quarterbacks who dropped out had their own uneven weekends. Williams finished 17 of 27 for 207 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in Washington’s 27-24 home loss to Minnesota.
It was the third multi-interception game of his career, though he also ran for a 13-yard touchdown with 1:53 left. Houser, in Illinois’ 42-19 loss at Ohio State, completed 21 of 37 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown.
Collin Dixon, who entered the game leading the nation with eight touchdown catches, finished with five catches for 63 yards.
There were also strong showings outside the top tier. Michigan’s Underwood threw for a season-high 276 yards, with both of his touchdown passes going to JJ Buchanan.
The second one, a 49-yarder, gave Michigan a 19-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. But Iowa’s Deshaun Lee, Underwood’s former teammate at Belleville High School, intercepted him at the Iowa 2 in the third quarter.
The loss also snapped Michigan’s 47-game streak of leading at halftime, the longest active run in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
USC’s Maiava opened the scoring with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and finished with 326 passing yards against a ranked Oregon defense. He completed only 55% of his throws, though, and his fourth-and-7 pass to Zacharyus Williams fell incomplete with USC trailing by a touchdown late. The Honolulu native now has 1,499 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions through five games.
Iowa’s Brown completed 21 of 35 passes for 227 yards in the Hawkeyes’ 20-19 win at Michigan. His 16-yard touchdown to Reece Vander Zee gave Iowa its first lead early in the fourth quarter, and Vander Zee also caught the game-winning touchdown on the final play. Indiana’s Chiles was productive in a loss, finishing 22 of 29 for 293 yards and two touchdowns to Griffin Wilde in a 29-23 defeat at Indiana, while also running for a score.
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