Ranking B1G QBs entering Week 8: Everybody is chasing Dillon Gabriel

Week 7 certainly delivered in the Big Ten.

Dillon Gabriel looked the part of Heisman Trophy contender in Oregon’s exhilarating win over Ohio State, Drew Allar overcame some mistakes to come up clutch in key spots to lead Penn State over USC in Los Angeles, and Braedyn Locke continued to look more comfortable running Wisconsin’s offense.

Meanwhile, Purdue backup quarterback Ryan Browne shined in place of Hudson Card, nearly helping the Boilermakers upset Illinois.

Let’s check in on each B1G QB heading into Week 8:

18. Jack Tuttle, Michigan

The defending national champion Wolverines will take on Illinois following a bye this past week, so Tuttle will have had an extra week to put behind the 2 turnovers in the final 10 minutes of their recent loss to Washington to learn from his mistakes. He also has the luxury of knowing he is QB1 moving forward, as coach Sherrone Moore made it official.

17. Ethan Garbers, UCLA

Garbers returned last week and threw for 293 yards against Minnesota, but the Bruins lost their 5th straight and are still searching for their first win in the Big Ten. A week after Justyn Martin stepped in due to injury, Garbers returned from an ankle injury to complete 25-of-36 passes with a touchdown and 3 interceptions. The senior began the game red hot, completing 10 of his first 11 passes for 110 yards. But the offense cooled off and once again failed to score 20 points. The Bruins travel to Rutgers this week.

16. Aidan Chiles, Michigan State

The last time we saw Chiles, he was getting sacked 4 times in a loss at Oregon. The Spartans had a bye last week, and they’ll be looking to snap a 3-game losing streak Saturday against an Iowa squad that is coming off an easy 40-16 home victory over Washington. Chiles has had an uneven season, throwing 5 touchdowns (he also has 3 rushing scores) against 8 interceptions and completing just 56.6% of his throws. Can he clean up his play in the second half of the ’24 campaign?

15. Cade McNamara, Iowa

The Hawkeyes surprisingly enjoyed an easy 40-16 home victory over Washington last week, bouncing back nicely from a 35-7 loss at Ohio State. Once again Kaleb Johnson led the offense with 21 carries for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus a receiving score. The quarterback play in Iowa City has been a little uneven this fall, but McNamara threw 2 touchdown passes and topped 100 yards for the first time against a power-conference defense this season. He went 8-of-14 for 108 yards. Very on brand for the Hawkeyes.

14. Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers

The Scarlet Knights had their poorest showing of the season last week in a 42-7 home loss to Wisconsin. Star rusher Kyle Monangai, the defending B1G rushing champion, was limited to just 72 yards, which made life difficult for Kaliakmanis. He certainly wasn’t helped by several dropped passes, but he finished just 12 of 32 for 103 yards and an interception. Roughest outing yet. The Scarlet Knights host UCLA this week.

13. Ryan Browne, Purdue

With Hudson Card sidelined by a concussion, the redshirt freshman made his first career start. The results were positive: 118 yards rushing on 17 carries; 18-of-26 passing for 297 yards and 3 touchdowns in a wild 50-49 overtime loss to Illinois. He almost led a comeback win, but Fighting Illini defender Dylan Rosiek sacked him on a 2-point conversion attempt to close the game. Down 27-3 at halftime, Purdue roared back, and a highlight of it was Browne’s 62-yard strike to Max Klare on a double-reverse flea flicker. Browne certainly provided this anemic offense a spark.

12. Jack Lausch, Northwestern

The Wildcats had one of the more impressive results last week, as they took advantage of a season-high 4 Maryland turnovers in a 37-10 road victory. Lausch’s 9-yard touchdown scramble in the first quarter opened the scoring, and he finished 10-of-18 for 203 yards while taking care of the football.

11. Braedyn Locke, Wisconsin

With the starting gig locked up due to Tyler Van Dyke’s season-ending injury, Locke is getting more comfortable in this offense. In the Badgers’ easy 42-7 win over Rutgers last week, Locke had 240 passing yards and a touchdown and ran for another score. He was 20-of-28 with an interception in gusty conditions, and he was helped by Tawee Walker’s career-best 198 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. The Badgers play at Northwestern on Saturday.

10. Max Brosmer, Minnesota

One week after his 1-yard keeper helped the Golden Gophers knock off USC, the senior connected with Darius Taylor for a 4-yard touchdown with 27 seconds remaining to earn a 21-17 victory against UCLA at the Rose Bowl. The score capped a 7-play, 61-yard drive. Brosmer finished 26-of-37 for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns to help the Gophers rally from a 10-0 halftime deficit. Minnesota is off this week and returns to action Oct. 26 against Maryland.

9. Billy Edwards Jr., Maryland

This has been a rough season for the Terrapins. Edwards Jr. rushed for a touchdown but was just 28-of-51 through the air for 296 yards and an interception in a 37-10 home loss to Northwestern. The Terrapins are winless in B1G play and committed a season-high 4 turnovers in the loss. They had only 3 giveaways in their first 5 games. The Terps face USC at home this week.

8. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska

Raiola enjoyed a bye 1 week after his poorest performance of the season in a low-scoring win over Rutgers. The 5-star freshman went just 13-of-27 passing for 134 yards with an interception. The playing conditions were rough (hot with a swirling wind), but it was a humbling outing nonetheless. Still, Raiola already has 9 TD passes — just 1 shy of Nebraska’s total last year.

7. Miller Moss, USC

In the Trojans’ 33-30 overtime loss to Penn State, Moss passed for 220 yards with 2 scores and an interception in an up-and-down performance. He was 20-of-34 as ‘SC was unable to hold off the Nittany Lions’ comeback, essentially knocking it out of both the national and B1G race. The Trojans travel to Maryland this week.

6. Luke Altmyer, Illinois

Altmyer threw a 25-yard touchdown pass in overtime to Pat Bryant to help Illinois escape with a 50-49 victory over Purdue at home last week. He completed 20-of-34 passes for 379 yards and 3 touchdowns, and he found Bryant 4 times for 104 yards. Now the Illini have back-to-back league tests when they host Michigan this week and travel to Oregon the following weekend.

5. Will Rogers, Washington

Rogers rode the struggle bus this past weekend in a blowout loss to Iowa. The Huskies had a nice opening drive that lasted 14 plays, but it ended with a blocked field goal. Fourteen more plays consumed the next drive and ended in a touchdown. But their fortunes turned with 2 turnovers from Rogers. He was harassed throughout the game by a Hawkeyes defense that didn’t even need to blitz to pressure him. The Huskies were stopped 3 times on 4th down in the second half as they tried but failed to rally. After a bye, Jedd Fisch’s squad travels again to play Indiana.

4. Will Howard, Ohio State

The Kansas State transfer came up short in his duel with Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel in a thrilling 32-31 loss last week. Yes, he’d like to redo his final play, running out the clock instead of getting down sooner or throwing out of bounds. Howard threw for 336 yards and 2 touchdowns in what was OSU’s first major test this season. He also scored on a 1-yard keeper on the opening drive, making it his 5th rushing score this season. It was a heck of a performance from Howard, who will now have a bye before the Buckeyes host Nebraska on Oct. 26.

3. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana

The Hoosiers enjoyed a bye last week ahead of their matchup with Nebraska. Rourke helped IU stay unbeaten the previous week with a 41-24 victory at Northwestern. He threw for 380 yards and 3 touchdowns as the program matched its best start at 6-0, equaling the 1967 squad. IU broke the 40-point mark for the 5th time this year, and Rourke enjoyed his third 300-yard performance in the past 4 games. A showdown with Dylan Raiola looms.

2. Drew Allar, Penn State

Allar delivered several times in clutch moments to help the Nittany Lions rally from a 14-point deficit in the second half for a pivotal 33-30 overtime road victory over USC. Allar’s favorite target was tight end Tyler Warren, who caught 17 passes to tie the FBS single-game record for the position. Allar did throw 3 interceptions, but he also passed for a career-high 391 yards and 2 touchdowns. While he wasn’t perfect, he was ultimately clutch. And the Nittany Lions remain unbeaten.

1. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon

What a ballgame. Gabriel helped rally the Ducks past then-No. 2 Ohio State in a B1G showdown. He threw 2 touchdown passes and scored on a 27-yard keeper early in the 4th quarter, completing 23-of-34 passes for 341 yards. He added 32 yards on 4 carries in front of a record crowd of 61,128. It was the highest-ranked opponent Oregon has defeated during a regular season. Just a spectacular performance.

Dave Miller

Dave Miller has covered the college football landscape nationally since 2009 with stops at National Football Post and Campus Insiders. In addition to contributing to Saturday Tradition, he can be seen on Stadium Network.