Big Ten quarterback rankings: Can Cade McNamara make a big comeback this season?

The Big Ten just might take over the SEC as the best conference in college football this season. The conference has always been a battle between Michigan and Ohio State with Penn State in the mix every now and then. With the addition of the four new teams from the Pac-12, the Big Ten just got a lot tougher.

Along with new teams come new quarterbacks and the Big Ten has some of the best of the best in the conference. Dillon Gabriel made the move from Oklahoma to Oregon effectively moving to the Big Ten to compete against teams such as Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan in hopes of winning a Heisman Trophy.

A good quarterback could turn a struggling team into a playoff contender, but in the eyes of Iowa, they just need a quarterback who can facilitate an offense well. The question is, can Cade McNamara be that guy?

So looking at the pool of Big Ten quarterbacks, who is the best of the best, and which teams may want to look at some other options?

18. Mike Wright - Northwestern

Mike Wright was a late add to the Northwestern football team and the Wildcats were scrambling after the loss of Brendan Sullivan to Iowa. Wright spent three seasons at Vanderbilt and one at Mississippi State with his best season coming in his second with the Commodores. He only has 14 career starts and he may not be the right fit with the Wildcats, but he is the best they have.

17. Athan Kaliakmanis - Rutgers

As a transfer from Minnesota, Athan Kaliakmanis completed 53.1% of his passes as a starter, which makes him a slight upgrade from last season. However, he is not much of a dual-threat quarterback in the running game. This offense though for Rutgers is not anything that will be show-stopping, so Kaliakmanis comes in low in these rankings.

16. MJ Morris - Maryland

MJ Morris is the one best suited for the starting position since the Terrapins have yet to name a starter. With Taulia Tagovailoa being denied another year of eligibility, the Terrapins had to find a starter quickly this offseason and Morris seems to be leading the race.

15. Cade McNamara - Iowa

Cade McNamara is coming back from an ACL tear this season, but he might have to fight for his position every single game. Northwestern transfer Brendan Sullivan is hot on the heels of McNamara, but the starting job is his until he loses it himself. McNamara had the chance to move up these rankings if he can look like the McNamara of old, but he has a lot to prove before that happens.

14. Luke Altmeyer - Illinois

Luke Altmeyer comes to Illinois from Ole Miss, but he made nine starts for Illinois last season. He had a great completion percentage completing 64.8% of his passes but his touchdown-to-interception ratio was 13-10 so he will need to work on not turning the ball over in order to be more successful in this conference.

13. Hudson Card - Purdue

Hudson Card had good stats on paper last season but he had the 10th-worst QBR in the conference last season. He threw for over 2,300 yards and had 15 touchdowns, but he also had eight interceptions and a 58.9 completion percentage. With a new offensive coordinator, Card has the potential to take a step forward this season, but he must prove he can do it on the field.

12. Ethan Garbers - UCLA

UCLA made the move to the Big Ten this offseason and they are going through a number of changes along with a new head coach. Garbers made just six starts for the Bruins last season and he only threw for 1,136 yards and 11 touchdowns, but only threw three interceptions. He did have a 67.1 completion percentage. He needs a step up in a tougher conference this season in order to put the Bruins in any sort of playoff contention.

11. Alex Orji - Michigan

Alex Orgi has the ability to be a great quarterback with what he showed in the Michigan spring game, however, he has never attempted a pass in a college football game. The Michigan offense is most likely going to be a run-heavy offense, but he has the ability to bring a strong passing aspect as well. He can be a dual-threat quarterback, but he needs to prove he can do it in a game when it all counts.

10. Kurtis Rourke - Indiana

Indiana is another team in the Big Ten that has a new head coach with Curt Cignetti taking the position. Ohio standout Kurtis Rourke is poised to take the starting position at Indiana coming in with a lot of experience. He had 33 career starts at Ohio with over 7,600 yards and 50 touchdowns and has over 800 yards on the ground with 11 touchdowns. He brings. anew look to the Indiana offense and could be a star.

9. Max Brosmer - Minnesota

Max Brosmer had a great season at New Hampshire last season with over 3,400 yards adn 29 touchdowns with just six interceptions, but how will he adjust to the Big Ten? Can he adjust to the faster pace and tougher opponents, or will be crack under the pressure? He has the ability to be a threat in the run game along with his great arm strength, so he could be a surprise dark horse in the Big Ten.

8. Dylan Raiola - Nebraska

Looking like Patrick Mahomes does make you Patrick Mahomes and someone should tell Dylan Raiola that. Raiola is coming in as a five-star true freshman and head coach Matt Rhule is not wasting any time getting him on the field. He showed a lot of talent in the spring game, but he has yet to have any real college football action. Raiola is almost a guaranteed upgrade from Nebraska's quarterback last season.

7. Aidan Chiles - Michigan State

Aidan Chiles has a lot of promise on the field coming from Oregon State, but he will be in a tougher conference this season. He did not see the field a lot in 2023, but at Michigan State, he is the one in line to be the starter. With some of the weapons he has around him at Michigan State, he could take a big step forward in 2024.

6. Tyler Van Dyke - Wisconsin

Tyler Van Dyke has a lot to prove at Wisconsin after some great seasons at Miami. With the big arm he has, Luke Fickell will probably want to try and unlock an air raid offense that he was successful with at Cincinnati. Even though Van Dyke has regressed in the past couple of seasons, he has the star power inside of him, but he needs to prove he can still show as he has in fall camp.

5. Will Rogers - Washington

It was touch and go there for a while wondering if Will Rogers was going to stick with Washington after Kaelen DeBoer departed for Alabama. Rogers chose to stay with Jedd Fisch and the Huskies and he is bringing a lot of experience with him. His time at Mississippi State was record-breaking and he has the ability to do a lot with the weapons he has at Washington.

4. Drew Allar - Penn State

Drew Allar showed a lot of star power in his freshman season at Penn State, well at least when he was playing teams that weren't ranked in the top 15. When he faced teams with a little more bite, he struggled heavily and fans wondered if he was living up the his high recruiting. With a new offensive coordinator in the building, that might be just what Allar needs to take that next step, but he must prove it first.

3. Miller Moss - USC

Miller Moss is no Caleb Williams but he has one thing in his favor and that is the fact that he has Lincoln Riley as his head coach. Moss had six touchdowns in the Holiday Bowl for USC basically cementing that he would be the starting quarterback in the 2024 season. He also impressed in the spring meaning he is the leading guy this year for the Trojans.

2. Will Howard - Ohio State

Will Howard made the move from Kansas State to Ohio State in the offseason and brings a lot of experience with him. Howard has played every single since he was a freshman and has great arm strength and a great ability to scramble out of trouble when he needs to. Now with the quarterback whisperer that is Ryan Day, Howard is primed to be a contender for the Heisman trophy and lead the elite Ohio State offense to possibly another Big Ten title.

1. Dillon Gabriel - Oregon

Dillon Gabriel has proved himself in the college football world since he was a true freshman and was called upon at UCF to lead the team to victory. Gabriel has proven he can win at the lower Group of Five level at UCF in the American Athletic Association, the middle power conference level at Oklahoma in the Big 12, and now can prove he can do it at the highest level with Oregon in the Big Ten. His ability to throw the ball and run it affectively makes him one the most feared quarterbacks in the country.