Where USC Trojans Fall Among Contenders for Big Ten Championship

Over the past three seasons, the Big Ten has had all three college football national championship winners, which does suggest that it is emerging as one of the top conferences across the landscape of college football.

Based on the Big Ten’s success in the College Football Playoff over the past few seasons, taking a look at which teams project to be at the very top and which teams could make a run if a few things go their way could provide interesting insight. Here is a breakdown of the Big Ten’s top contenders as well as a few dark-horse teams that could make a run to finish near the top of the conference.

Two Levels Of Separation Big Ten Contention Top-Tier Contenders Dark Horse Candidates USC Trojans Coach Lincoln Riley — Dec 30, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) carries the ball against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second half during the Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Top-Tier Big Contenders

Heading into 2026, the consensus does seem to be that the Oregon Ducks, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Indiana Hoosiers will all be competing for the Big Ten title, but the USC Trojans are also in the mix as a top contender for next season.

Oregon, Ohio State, and USC are bringing back their starting quarterbacks from a season ago, while Indiana will welcome a transfer quarterback for the third straight year. Oregon returns quarterback Dante Moore, Ohio State returns quarterback Julian Sayin, and USC returns quarterback Jayden Maiava. Indiana, on the other hand, brings in TCU transfer quarterback Josh Hoover.

Like many conferences, a lot of how the standings shake out will very likely depend on which quarterbacks excel and which quarterbacks struggle. With Moore, Sayin, and Maiava all returning to their respective teams, it does seem very likely that they could each take a step forward based on the continuity they have, while Hoover will have to adjust to a new system and new weapons.

Quarterback Jayden Maiava Looks to Lead USC Trojans to Big Ten Contention

When taking a deeper look at USC in particular, this will be Maiava’s third season under coach Lincoln Riley, which could result in Maiava’s best college season yet. In 2025, Maiava was solid as he recorded 3,711 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and completed 65.8 percent of his passes in addition to 157 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

Maiava has showcased he has the talent to be a great quarterback in the Big Ten, but a step up from his 2025 campaign could be the key to the Trojans becoming the top top Big Ten contender.

As Maiava prepares for next season, he has a few factors on offense that could really benefit him in 2026, including the return of the starting offensive line, USC’s young pair of running backs coming back, and having a few weapons return on the perimeter in addition to adding a few through the transfer portal and high school recruiting.

The most notable weapons for Maiava for 2026 are returning wide receivers Tanook Hines and Zacharyus Williams, NC State transfer wide receiver Terrell Anderson, Wisconsin transfer tight end Tucker Ashcraft, and freshman recruit Mark Bowman out of Mater Dei.

While Maiava does have to find new targets following the departures of Makai Lemon, Ja’Kobi Lane, and Lake McRee to the NFL, the complement of weapons he has could be exactly what he needs to have another successful season.

With the 2026 season quickly approaching, USC, Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana do appear to be the top Big Ten contenders. However, there are a few dark-horse teams that could make a conference title push very difficult.

Dark Horse Candidates

In terms of dark horse candidates for the Big Ten title, there are four teams that stick out, which are the Michigan Wolverines, Penn State Nittany Lions, Washington Huskies, and Iowa Hawkeyes.

For Michigan and Penn State, this season will ultimately come down to how the revamped rosters and coaching staffs are able to stack up in the Big Ten. For the Wolverines, Kyle Whittingham comes over after coaching at Utah with solid success, and the Nittany Lions have Matt Campbell coming over after helping Iowa State to become one of the more consistent programs in the country.

Michigan and Penn State will also need reliable quarterback play to compete in the Big Ten. The Wolverines will be relying on Bryce Underwood to take the next step, while the Nittany Lions are set to be led by Rocco Becht. Underwood had an up-and-down freshman season at Michigan, and Becht was solid for Iowa State. How Underwood and Becht perform will not doubt play a key role for Michigan and Penn State and their ability to compete.

If Whittingham and Campbell are able to adjust well to the playing style of the Big Ten and have their teams prepared every week, Michigan and Penn State could be right up there with the Big Ten's elite.

Conversely, Washington and Iowa do seem to have quite a bit of continuity with Jedd Fisch returning as the coach for the Huskies and Kirk Ferentz coming back for the Hawkeyes to continue instilling the culture at their respective programs.

Washington also has the benefit of bringing back quarterback Demond Williams, which could allow the Huskies to build their offense up from a season ago. However, Iowa will have a quarterback competition to decide the starter between Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski following the departure of Mark Gronowski. Whoever wins the starting job at Iowa will have their hands full, but should be in a great spot with consistency across most of the roster.

Heading into next season, Michigan, Penn State, Washington, and Iowa definitely have a chance to compete for a conference title. However, each of these programs does have a tough Big Ten schedule, which is something each of these teams must overcome if they want to remain competitive late in the season.

So, between Michigan, Penn State, Washington, and Iowa, the teams that can have great performances from their quarterback, overcome the schedule, and get coached with the most consistency could be the programs that make a quiet push for a Big Ten conference title.

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