Big Ten football offensive player of the year predictions for 2026

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As we inch closer and closer to the start of the 2026 college football season, it is beginning to be the time of the summer where we start putting our money where our mouths are with some preseason predictions. While we will hold off on bigger predictions for the upcoming Penn State, Big Ten, and college football season, why not sprinkle in some early picks for some of the Big Ten’s top players of the year? To start, our staff at Nittany Lions Wire is sharing our picks to be the Big Ten’s offensive player of the year.

The Big Ten has some truly special players on the offensive side of the football this upcoming season, and it has become a bit of a routine to expect one of those top players in the conference to be playing wide receiver for Ohio State. As our picks below show, that is once again the case this fall.

Here are our early picks for the Big Ten’s offensive player of the year in 2026.

Paul White, Contributor: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State wide receiver

Picking Jeremiah Smith to be Big Ten offensive player of the year is easy pick, but it also feels like the most likely one. The rare receiving prospect finished last season with 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns and he likely would have far exceeded his 2024 totals had he played an equal number of games. Smith has the whole package — a complete route tree, top-tier athleticism and sure hands — so defenses are truly at his mercy every game.

He’s already projected to be one of the top picks in the first round of next year’s NFL Draft, but there’s no doubt he wants to put on a show in what is more than likely his final college season. Don’t be surprised to see Smith explode and put together a historic season as he stakes his claim as one of the greatest college receivers of all time.

Christopher Sheppard, Contributor: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State wide receiver

There can be no other answer than the all-world Ohio State wide receiver. The former five-star recruit has lived up to that billing with a combined 2,558 receiving yards and 29 total TDs in just two seasons. His final one in Columbus could be the best one to date, with his connection with Julian Sayin important to the Buckeyes‘ success. The only question now is what he can do next.

Kevin McGuire, Lead Writer: Dante Moore, Oregon quarterback

There is no question in my mind that Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is a logical pick for this preseason prediction, and I most certainly would not bet against him being the Big Ten’s top offensive weapon this season overall. But I’ll go against the grain here and side with a quarterback whom I believe may be lining up a pretty big season in the northwest corner of the country. That would be Oregon’s starting quarterback Dante Moore.

Moore passed for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns last season, and only Indiana managed to get the best of him in their two meetings last year in the regular season and in the College Football Playoff. I’m fully anticipating another big season from him as he guides Oregon back on the Big Ten championship hunt as the Ducks look to finish the job it left incomplete last season.

Does Penn State have any candidates for offensive player of the year?

Penn State is probably lacking in the kind of star power and statistical production that will be needed to have a player seriously considered for the Big Ten’s offensive player of the year. The top candidate will probably be quarterback Rocco Becht, who was a former Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year winner under Matt Campbell at Iowa State.

Becht passed for 3,505 yards and 25 touchdowns and ran for 8 more touchdowns during the 2024 season. A year like that would put him in the conversation. While Becht is expected to perform well with his new team this season, it may not be enough to make a run for the Big Ten’s top offensive player honor.

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Big Ten football offensive player of the year predictions for 2026

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