When No. 7 Oregon (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) and No. 15 USC (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten) meet this weekend, all eyes will be on the quarterbacks. Sophomore Dante Moore and junior Jayden Maiava have taken drastically different paths to becoming the leaders of their teams, but both will be the deciding factor in determining who stays alive in the race for a Big Ten Championship berth.

For USC, Maiava has been nothing short of spectacular. Through the 2025 season, he has emerged as a consistent passer, ranking first in ESPN’s Total QBR with a 90.7 rating. Maiava has thrown for 2,868 yards, 18 touchdowns and just six interceptions. On a per-game basis, he’s outpacing Moore by a notable margin averaging roughly 68 more passing yards per game.

Moore, however, enters the matchup with momentum and a 9-1 record. The sophomore delivered the best performance of his young career in a 42–13 win over Minnesota on Friday. Moore completed a program-record 90% of his passes, hitting 27 of 30 attempts for 306 yards and two touchdowns. 

“I think he’d be the first to tell you too, some unbelievable catches within that great protection,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said. “That’s a great indicator of how this offense is operating … but it’s a team award, really.”

Although Lanning credits the offense as a whole deserves the honor, Moore still deserves credit for remaining composed under pressure. On the season, Moore has totaled 2,190 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and five interceptions, earning a 72.5 QBR that ranks 28th nationally. While his numbers trail Maiava’s in overall volume, Moore has grown tremendously in his time as command of the Ducks offense. 

Both teams enter the game sitting near the top of the Big Ten standings. Oregon ranked just ahead of USC in overall team production in fourth and fifth consecutively in the Big Ten. 

“We’re all fired up; we just can’t wait for this coming week,” Maiava said after beating Iowa.

While Maiava has had more time to develop and find his identity within his career, he’s been faced with two setbacks this season with losses to Illinois and now-No. 9 Notre Dame. Against the Fighting Illini, the Trojans’ defensive performance allowed over 500 yards in the game in a narrow loss, 32-34. With the Fighting Irish, the loss came from lack of Maiava’s offensive production, as three turnovers and two interceptions allowed the Irish to beat the Trojans 24-35.

The highlight for Maiava has been the deep ball averaging a longest pass of 49.3 yards per game. His ability to remain calm and execute long down the field has allowed the Trojans to lead the Big Ten in Yards per game averaging 488.9. 

For Moore, his strengths also lie in his run game. He has rushed 48 times for 183 yards, averaging a stronger 3.8 yards per carry, but with zero rushing touchdowns, as his runs typically come from scramble plays.

For the first time Oregon and USC meet in the Big Ten, both Moore and Maiava are set to deliver in the Ducks’ home regular-season finale.