NCAAF Big Ten Teams Name Quarterbacks/Related Odds

While the 2024 college football season theoretically begins tomorrow (this is a Friday story), in practicality the start of the season is a week away. Teams still have time to get ready in advance of the opener, whether against a paid punching bag or competition that’s legitimate. 

There will be a ton of focus on the Big Ten Conference this season, if no other reason than the landscape is looking much different than in previous seasons. What’s now an 18-team league is going to offer some new rivalries during the season.

Do not forget the conference is home to the defending national champs out of Ann Arbor, with the new-era Michigan Wolverines another of the sport’s biggest stories ahead of this season.  

Before we look at some of the Big Ten’s intriguing prop wagers, here’s two stories that will be of interest to fans of the league… 

‘Huskers Tab Raiola

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have not had a winning record since  2016, continuing to try to find the road back to relevance. This season, they are turning to a true freshman quarterback to lead the offense, 

Dylan Raiola arrived in Lincoln early with a ton of hype. Coach Matt Rhule was able to get Raiola to flip his original Georgia commitment to join the Cornhuskers. Ranking dead-last in passing yards during Big Ten play last season, Raiola has to be an improvement. 

Trojans Tab Moss

A porous 8-5 record last season has the Southern California Trojans trying to bounce back in the first Big Ten season. They will also have a new quarterback at the controls.

Caleb Williams is now the starter with the Chicago Bears, so understudy (three seasons) Miller Moss has been named the starter.

Moss ought to know the system inside and out. To his credit, while most players in his position would’ve transferred instead of sitting on the bench that long, Moss has patiently waited his turn. 

Moss had a great performance in the last postseason. 372 passing yards and a Holiday Bowl- record six touchdowns in whipping Louisville, that after Williams chose to sit out.

Passing the Baton

There are any number of new starting quarterbacks in the Big Ten this season, representing both ‘old’ schools and those plucked out of other (see Pac-12) conferences.

Dillon Gabriel replaces new Denver Bronco starter Bo Nix in Oregon, the aforementioned Miller Moss (USC) and Dylan Raiola (Nebraska) have the keys to those offenses, while Will Rogers obviously never met a Washington Husky he didn’t like.

Ethan Garbers is now running the offense at UCLA, while the defending-champ Michigan Wolverines and new coach Sherrone Moore have not settled on a starter as of this writing. 

Returnees Will Howard (Ohio St.) and Drew Allar of Penn St. are two quarterbacks with license to improve this season. It’s the Buckeyes as +145 favorites to win the Big Ten in 2024, according to college football conference odds.

‘Grabbing’ the Gusto

With some skilled quarterbacks come players who can catch the football. While the Big Ten has been known to feature its rushers, in this revamped conference, that’s not necessarily the case.  

Emeka Egbuka of the Ohio St. Buckeyes and the newly-imported Oregon Ducks’ Evan Stewart are both priced at 7-2 (+350) to lead the league in receiving yards, as per college football props. Stewart’s teammate Tez Johnson is next at 4-1 (+400).

It’s no surprise to see a pair of Ducks among the board leaders in this category given that new Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel is the 5-4 (+125) choice to lead the Big Ten in passing yards.