Nine weeks into the Big Ten season, quarterback play is still separating the teams that look real from the ones that keep tripping over themselves.
For Indiana, the answer was simple enough: make the switch. Josh Hoover had been holding back the Hoosiers for multiple reasons over the last few weeks, and Curt Cignetti finally gave another quarterback a chance.
Grant Wilson stepped in and immediately changed the tone, leading Indiana to a comeback win over the feisty Minnesota Gophers. He was elite in the overtime win, and the connection he built with Charlie Becker stood out.
Once Wilson entered the game, the offense opened up. The confidence was there from the staff, and it showed in Wilson too.
The Hoosiers look like a better football team with him under center.
Ohio State is facing a different version of the same problem. The Buckeyes did not lose to the USC Trojans because of Luke Fahey alone, but his struggles were a major obstacle they could not overcome.
The move now should be straightforward: Tavien St. Clair needs to be the guy the rest of the way.
He brings athletic upside and traits that could lift Ohio State’s offense. There is even a case that the Buckeyes could have a higher ceiling with St.
Clair than with Julian Sayin. The fact that he did not get a shot against USC was a surprise.
USC’s own place in the conference picture still feels tied to quarterback play, too. That is part of why the Trojans remain in the hunt in the Big Ten.
Elsewhere, Northwestern got a harsh reminder of what happens when a fast start doesn’t carry all the way through. The Wildcats came out strong against Oregon, and Chip Kelly and Northwestern’s offense were having their way early.
But the second half belonged to Dylan Raiola and the Ducks, who stormed back for the win. Northwestern let its foot off the gas, and the lack of experience in big moments showed up late.
That loss shuts the door on any College Football Playoff hope or a run at the top of the Big Ten.
Wisconsin’s week-to-week reality also came into focus. The Badgers looked dominant against USC in Week 8, but this past week they looked like a completely different team.
USC deserves some of that blame, because the Trojans simply were not ready for a hostile road environment. Still, the bigger lesson came from Iowa in Week 9: Wisconsin should not be viewed as a contender just yet.
And at the top of the league, UCLA is the team that looks most stable. The Bruins’ defense has been phenomenal, and the offense has done its part to complement it every week.
Bob Chesney has them playing as well as anyone. Compared with the other top two contenders in the Big Ten, UCLA does not have the same obvious weak spots.
Right now, they look like the most trustworthy team to win the conference.
In Other News...
USC's Playoff Push Still Hinges On One Problem They Haven't Solved
USCs win over then-No. 2 Ohio State gave the Trojans the kind of resume boost that can change the conversation in a hurry, and the initial College Football Playoff rankings reflected that with a No. 20 debut. But the path from here is still steep, and the next stretch is the kind that will tell the rest of the sport whether this team is a real contender or just a dangerous one with a signature win on the ledger.
Road trips to No. 4 Indiana and No. 6 UCLA now loom as the defining tests of the season, because those games will go a long way toward deciding whether USC stays in the playoff mix. They also carry broader implications for Lincoln Riley, whose teams have been uneven away from home, with a 7-11 record in true road games over the past three seasons. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Maiava Just Entered A New USC Quarterback Conversation
Jayden Maiavas name is suddenly showing up in a different kind of USC quarterback conversation, one that reaches beyond the Coliseum and into next springs NFL Draft chatter. CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson recently slotted the Trojans quarterback as a potential late first-round pick, with Minnesota as the landing spot, a nod to how Maiava has started to draw attention well beyond his college production.
The projection is still just that, a projection, but it adds another layer to a season in which Maiavas performance against Ohio State has already become part of the evaluation. Wilsons mock also ties into a familiar NFL storyline for USC fans, with the Vikings quarterback picture and the memory of Sam Darnold both part of the backdrop, even as the real question is how far Maiava can keep pushing his draft stock from here. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Williams Is Giving USC Fans A New NFL Bragging Right
Caleb Williams put together another eye-catching showing in Week 8, and for USC fans, it was the kind of pro performance that keeps the old quarterback pipeline feeling very much alive. The former Trojans star led the way among ex-USC players that week with a productive outing against Seattle, piling up the passing yards and touchdowns that made him the clear headliner in a slate full of mixed results for the programs alumni.
Around him, the rest of the former Trojans delivered a range of contributions, with some making noticeable impacts and others leaving more to be desired. Still, Williams was the name that stood out most, and his latest performance only adds to the growing sense that USC has another NFL bragging right to point to as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]