After Iowa win, Jayden Maiava has stated his case as the best QB in college football

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USC football did it — the Trojans beat the Iowa Hawkeyes and set themselves up for a game against Oregon in Autzen Stadium next weekend that could earn them a College Football Playoff berth if they win.

They did it largely due to brilliant play by Jayden Maiava. While the Trojans managed only 3.4 yards per rush, Maiava torched the Hawkeye secondary for 254 yards and a touchdown.

I think that performance cemented Maiava as the best quarterback in the country. Let’s break down every reason why it was so special and, coupled with his season-long efforts, why it should earn him wide consideration as the best QB in college football.

Iowa‘s defense

This Iowa defense is a top-5 pass defense in the entire FBS. The Hawkeyes have a battle-tested defense: they have played Heisman candidate Fernando Mendoza of Indiana, Big Ten passing yards leader Athan Kaliakmanis of Rutgers, Dante Moore of Oregon, and star Rocco Becht of Iowa State.

None of them played as well as Maiava. Kaliakmanis had more yards but threw an interception and was way less efficient in a Rutgers loss. Mendoza had less completions and yards, a worse completion percentage and threw an interception. Moore was generally outplayed by Mark Gronowski last week. Becht’s Cyclones scored 16 points. Iowa’s defense had locked down every passer they faced — until Maiava.

The elements

This game was played almost entirely in the rain. Rain is supposed to make it harder to throw the ball, and instead, Maiava made incredible, accurate throws all game long.

This is not new for Maiava, who also played well in wet conditions at Purdue and outplayed CJ Carr in the rain at Notre Dame, despite USC’s loss. Like Trojan kicker Ryon Sayeri, Maiava doesn’t miss a step in the rain, which is hard to do.

The moment

Like I mentioned, this puts USC in a position to make the College Football Playoff if they can beat Oregon and UCLA to finish out the season. It also effectively eliminates Iowa from CFP contention.

The Trojans had to play from behind 14-0 and 21-7 to pull off this victory. It was clutch. And it continues a general trend from Jayden Maiava.

USC is 11-3 since Maiava became the starter last season. I’d say at leas 2/3 of those losses fall on the poor play of the USC defense (Notre Dame this year and Illinois this year especially).

With the exception of USC’s loss to Notre Dame last season, Maiava finds a way to put USC in a position to win. Even in games he generally does not play well in for most of the contest (see: Vegas bowl vs. Texas A&M last year and Nebraska game this year) Maiava finds a way to deliver USC the victory when it matters most.

Jayden Maiava is very, very clutch.

Brushing off Nebraska performance

Jayden Maiava has made some key mistakes throughout the season, including during USC’s losses to Illinois and Notre Dame, but he has generally played a very good game over the course of 60 minutes every single week. Except for against Nebraska.

Maiava’s struggles at Nebraska are largely credit to the Huskers. They are a top-5 pass defense in the country like Iowa but unlike Iowa, they had not been battle tested by a top QB before playing Maiava. Against Maiava, they proved they are legit. Nebraska fans also made it tough in an electric blackout environment.

But after Maiava completed only 9/23 passes for 135 yards with 1 interception and 0 touchdowns, questions arose about if Maiava was good as the numbers say or if he had just feasted against bad pass defenses. Against Iowa, which is arguably a better pass defense than Nebraska, Maiava proved it was one bad game that he had because he’s still a human being and he is overall a very, very good quarterback.

The numbers

Jayden Maiava has the most passing yards of any quarterback whose team is still in College Football Playoff contention with 2,614. That also ranks second in the Big Ten. He also has 17 touchdowns against 6 interceptions. His 9.7 yards per attempt are tied for third in the country.

Critics will say his 17/6 touchdown to interception ratio doesn’t stand out. Other Big Ten quarterbacks on top teams like Julian Sayin of Ohio State and Fernando Mendoza of Indiana both look better in that category. But…

I still think Maiava is more talented

It’s about the eye test. Maiava has it all from a talent perspective: he’s got a rocket arm, great athleticism and a fearless mindset. He’s been clutch, beaten two of the top 5 defenses in the country and been generally the Trojans’ MVP. I think Indiana and Ohio State would still be CFP contenders without Mendoza and Sayin.

Where would USC be without Maiava?

So… Maiava for Heisman?

Not necessarily. Team success matters. If USC was 9-0 and Maiava has the same stat line, he would be the odds-on favorite for the Heisman trophy. Mendoza, Sayin, and Marcel Reed (who Maiava beat in the Vegas bowl last season let’s not forget) will likely garner way more of the Heisman consideration. I also genuinely believe this is a season that a non-QB could win the trophy.

But remember, I am not arguing that Jayden Maiava has the best statline. I am arguing that he is the most talented and important quarterback in the country. If he doesn’t get the Heisman, that’s not an indictment of my point.

Not perfect

I also don’t think Maiava is perfect. I hope he will consider returning to USC next season so he can get even better. Part of the reason I think he’s one of the best is that the talent around him just isn’t all that great.

But as I’ve argued, he is really talented and USC fans should be grateful they get to watch him play every week.

The Oregon bottom line

Next week, USC plays Oregon, and guess what? By the numbers, Oregon has the best pass defense in the entire country. And it’s not even close.

That Duck D will have every advantage playing at home in a hostile Autzen Stadium.

There’s a reason I wrote this article now. I truly believe Maiava is going to march into Autzen next Saturday and play one of his best games of the season when it matters most. And if Maiava does that, and can boast the numbers he has amassed while playing 3 of the 5 best pass defenses in college football, he does deserve to go to New York.

So if I put everyone on notice now, maybe they’ll pay attention.

A little louder for the people in the back: IF JAYDEN MAIAVA BEATS THE BEST PASS DEFENSE IN THE COUNTRY ON THE ROAD WITH A GREAT PASSING PERFORMANCE NEXT SATURDAY, HE HAS EARNED YOUR ADMISSION THAT HE IS THE BEST QUARTERBACK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC’s Jayden Maiava earns Heisman consideration for great play vs Iowa

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