CBS Sports Ranks Michigan State Quarterback Second-Worst in Big Ten
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It’s been a few months since CBS Sports writer Tom Fornelli released his Big Ten quarterback rankings.
Now that some time has passed and emotions have cooled off a bit, it feels like the perfect time to revisit Fornelli’s list and really examine where he was coming from when he ranked Michigan State quarterback Alessio Milivojevic as the second-worst projected starter in the entire Big Ten Conference.
Before diving into the rankings themselves, it’s important to remember just how dominant Big Ten quarterbacks have been over the last several years.
In the 2026 NFL Draft, there was arguably no safer pick than Fernando Mendoza going No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. After leading the Indiana Hoosiers through an undefeated regular season and then rattling off three straight College Football Playoff wins en route to the program’s first-ever national championship, Mendoza cemented himself as the future face of an NFL franchise.
Alongside Mendoza, former Penn State quarterback Drew Allar was selected fourth overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers, further proving the conference’s growing reputation for producing elite quarterback talent.
The 2025 draft class wasn’t nearly as loaded from a Big Ten quarterback standpoint, though Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel still came off the board in the third round as the fifth quarterback selected overall.
Then, of course, there was 2024 when USC quarterback Caleb Williams dominated headlines while Michigan’s national championship-winning quarterback J.J. McCarthy also became a first-round selection. The year before that, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud did the same.
Simply put, Big Ten quarterbacks have become some of the premier talents in college football. The conference has won the last three national championships, with two of those teams finishing undefeated. Fair or not, quarterback play is always going to be under the microscope in this league.
That brings us back to Fornelli’s rankings — a list loaded with talented players who could eventually play at the next level. Most notably, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore sits at the top and already looks like a legitimate contender to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Fornelli’s rankings were as follows:
- Dante Moore — Oregon
- Julian Sayin — Ohio State
- Jayden Maiava — USC
- Josh Hoover — Indiana
- Demond Williams — Washington
- Rocco Becht — Penn State
- Bryce Underwood — Michigan
- Katin Houser — Illinois
- Malik Washington — Maryland
- Colton Joseph — Wisconsin
- Anthony Colandrea — Nebraska
- Nico Iamaleava — UCLA
- Drake Lindsey — Minnesota
- Aidan Chiles — Northwestern
- Ryan Browne — Purdue
- Dylan Lonergan — Rutgers
- Alessio Milivojevic — Michigan State
- Jeremy Hecklinski — Iowa
As you can see, the only quarterback ranked below Milivojevic was Iowa’s Jeremy Hecklinski.
Personally, I strongly disagree with where Milivojevic landed on this list.
From what I saw last season, Milivojevic displayed impressive football IQ, the athleticism to escape pressure, and the awareness to consistently reset his feet before delivering accurate throws outside the pocket. Those are traits you simply cannot teach.
Milivojevic also dealt with one of the worst offensive lines in the conference, paired with an offensive scheme that often felt painfully vanilla and predictable. Despite those challenges, he still helped guide Michigan State to its lone conference win of the season while routinely taking hits and standing tall in the pocket.
There were multiple moments where Milivojevic delivered perfect downfield throws while being buried immediately after releasing the football. That toughness matters, especially for a young quarterback trying to survive in the Big Ten.
Michigan State’s schedule this season may not be as intimidating as many believe, and the Spartans clearly made improving the offensive line a priority through the transfer portal. If that unit even takes a moderate step forward, I would not be surprised at all to see Milivojevic finish the season as a top-10 quarterback in the conference — and possibly even enter next year viewed as a top-eight signal caller in the league.
What makes the ranking even more puzzling is seeing former Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles sitting three spots ahead of Milivojevic. Spartans fans watched Chiles struggle mightily last season before eventually being benched in favor of Milivojevic, so seeing that gap between the two certainly raises some eyebrows.
Still, that’s part of what makes sports so great. Everyone sees the game differently, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Fornelli clearly has his. Now it’ll be up to Milivojevic to prove him wrong.
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