Josh Pate Ranks No. 1 Big Ten QB Ahead of 2026 College Football Season

Josh Pate believes this returing starter is the best quarterback in the Big Ten this season.

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) lines up his teammates for stretching during football training camp inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus on Aug. 7, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Big Ten features one of the more diverse collections of quarterbacks in college football this season.

Oregon starter Dante Moore could mark the league's second No. 1 overall NFL draft pick in as many years, following in the footsteps of former Indiana starter Fernando Mendoza.

Younger starters like Bryce Underwood and Malik Washington look to unlock their full potential after promising freshman campaigns in 2025. The group is deepened by transfers like Rocco Becht and Josh Hoover, who come to their new programs with multiple seasons of starting experience under their belts.

College football media personality Josh Pate opined on the Big Ten's quarterbacks ahead of the 2026 season. He released rankings of the league's top 10 signal-callers, slotting Ohio State starter Julian Sayin as the best in the Big Ten.

The argument for Sayin as the Big Ten's best quarterback

No college football quarterback was more efficient throwing the ball than Sayin in 2025.

Sayin completed an FBS-high 77% of his passes, outdoing Nebraska and Miami starters Dylan Raiola and Carson Beck by 4.6 percentage points. His completion rate only dipped below 70% in three games all season, two of which were against ranked foes in Texas and Miami.

The Buckeyes' 12-0 regular season catapulted Sayin into the Heisman Trophy race at the end of the regular season. No other Heisman Trophy finalist from 2025 is returning to college football.

Questions surrounding Sayin in 2026

Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot (12) sacks Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) during the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game on Dec. 31, 2025. Ohio State lost 24-14. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

While Sayin is colloquially viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in college football this season, some fans and media are still skeptical of his true potential.

For one, Sayin possesses the rare luxury of throwing to a once-in-a-generation wide receiver talent in Jeremiah Smith. This isn't a short-term concern, but it may not bode well for life after Ohio State.

Sayin is ultimately the one who makes the throws, but similar talents to Smith have teed up an unsuccessful first-round draft pick in the past.

Former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones is a textbook example; three years after winning a national championship in an offense with a Heisman Trophy wide receiver, Jones was out of his starting NFL job because he could not mesh with his new surroundings.

The other question surrounding Sayin is his ability to elevate his team in the midst of late-game adversity.

The Buckeyes coasted through a fairly weak conference schedule that allowed them to maintain their No. 1 ranking from the second week of the season all the way into the Big Ten Championship game.

The loss to Miami was particularly concerning; Sayin's pick-six stuck the Buckeyes in a two-touchdown hole in the second quarter, and the team was unable to rally when given the chance to take a lead early in the fourth quarter.