Welcome to Around the Big Ten, where we recap all of the Big Ten matchups from the week.
No. 2 Ohio State at USC
After Wisconsin bludgeoned USC 24-7 last weekend, it felt like Lincoln Riley was not only on the hot seat in Southern California, but also allergic to any sort of signature win. That narrative flipped Saturday night in the Coliseum.
USC dominated the Buckeyes for four quarters, but it truly set in late in the third quarter when the Trojan defense, up 20-9, recovered a fumble by sophomore running back Isaiah West. Freshman tight end Mark Bowman had a supernatural effort on a 70-yard catch-and-run that put USC inside the 5-yard line. Sophomore running back King Miller capped the drive with a touchdown run, putting Riley and company up 27-9.
Ohio State outgained the Trojans by over 100 yards, dominated time of possession, ran 31 more offensive plays, but lost 30-18. Yes, sophomore quarterback and Heisman finalist Julian Sayin will miss the rest of the season, but freshman quarterback Luke Fahey was serviceable, going 21-for-38 for 260 yards and a touchdown through the air. Fahey was by no stretch of the imagination perfect, but he did enough for Ohio State to compete. Credit goes to USC defensive coordinator Gary Patterson, who since moving to the booth, has gotten his unit into shape in Big Ten play.
Ohio State Next: vs. Oregon | Nov. 7 at 2:30 p.m.
USC Next: BYE
Minnesota at No. 4 Indiana
“Gritty not pretty” has been the sentiment among several Big Ten head coaches in 2026. That could not have been more evident than watching Minnesota and Indiana go at it on Saturday.
Minnesota profited off of Indiana’s special teams blunders early, as a wayward punt gave the Golden Gophers the football deep in Hoosier territory. Indiana answered with a forced fumble on sophomore quarterback Drake Lindsey during Minnesota’s next offensive possession to go up 7-3.
It looked like IU would take control of the game from that point on, but it didn’t. Late in the second quarter, a trick play sprung freshman tight end Roman Voss for a 39-yard touchdown, giving Minnesota a crucial 10-7 lead. Curt Cignetti benched senior quarterback Josh Hoover in favor of senior Grant Wilson at the half.
Both sides’ kickers nailed miraculous 60-yard field goals in a 20-second span that took the game to overtime at 16-all. Wilson found senior wide receiver Charlie Becker up the sideline for a touchdown on the first play of the additional period, and the Hoosier defense stepped up on fourth-and-goal to sack Lindsey and win 23-16 in an instant classic.
Cignetti’s squad earned another one-score victory. The Hoosiers continue to fight tooth and nail with an 8-1 record, but the loss is heartbreaking for PJ Fleck’s crew, who would have gotten their biggest win in Fleck’s tenure if they had held serve at the end.
Minnesota Next: vs. Minnesota | Nov. 7 at 11 a.m.
Indiana Next: BYE
No. 20 Northwestern at Oregon
Oregon has had the comfort of playing at home a lot this season. The Ducks enjoyed their third-straight home game in Big Ten play and downed the red-hot Northwestern Wildcats 34-26.
There was a lot of outside noise from around the country surrounding Dan Lanning’s program. It didn’t help that former head coach Chip Kelly came to town as the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator. There was no issue with the noise down the stretch with that inquiry on Saturday.
The Ducks were down 20-6 late in the second half before junior quarterback Dylan Raiola flipped a switch. He found sophomore receiver Dakorien Moore for a 10-yard touchdown just before half and then threw two more in his 336-yard outing; he willed Oregon to a 34-26 victory.
Give Raiola a lot of credit; he took the brunt of an exuberant amount of criticism after his performances against UCLA and Illinois. He took accountability and ownership for his mistakes and showed maturity against a defense that has been optimal for Northwestern this season.
Northwestern Next: vs. Iowa | Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m.
Oregon Next: at Ohio State | Nov. 7 at 2:30 p.m.
No. 25 Wisconsin at Iowa
College football has changed so much. Iowa and Kirk Ferentz have not.
The Badgers under Luke Fickell have returned to the identity of great defense and potent special teams that complement an adequate run game. While that is the epitome of Wisconsin, it was not ready for the team that has mastered that identity.
The writing was on the wall from the start after the Hawkeyes went up 10-0 in the first quarter. Iowa once again ran the football, but they’ve evolved this season by incorporating the concept of what the rest of college football would refer to as the forward pass. Senior quarterback Hank Brown is now fully healthy after recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered earlier in the season, and he put it on display, completing 83% of his passes for 222 yards and two scores en route to a 30-0 beatdown.
While Fickell has brought the gritty identity back to Wisconsin, the Badgers stood no chance against the identity Ferentz has built at Iowa.
Wisconsin Next: vs. Rutgers | Nov. 7 at 3:15 p.m.
Iowa Next: at Northwestern | Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m.
Michigan at Rutgers
If you weren’t actively looking for the Michigan vs. Rutgers game on Saturday, you would have missed it. The Big Ten Network tucked the game into its 11:30 a.m. CT slot.
Yes, the score was 28-21 in favor of the Wolverines, which seems more respectable than some of the 13-10 finishes the Big Ten has delivered in recent weeks, but the level of slop in this one was unbearable.
Michigan never turned the football over and ran for 161 yards; it dominated time of possession and punted just twice. Yet, it needed a go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter against a team that had 123 yards passing on just three completions. That is indicative of how the football game went.
It’s unclear what is in store for the Wolverines. They are 5-3 with a manageable schedule, but they are incredibly inconsistent and have an identity crisis on offense.
Michigan Next: vs. Michigan State | Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m.
Rutgers Next: at Wisconsin | Nov. 7 at 3:15 p.m.
Purdue at Penn State
Speaking of games hidden with good reason, look no further than the battle of Purdue and Penn State. Matt Campbell’s team needed to beat Purdue at home, and thankfully they did, 31-17.
It wasn’t always pretty, but then again, is there such a thing as a season with parity as we’ve never seen? The exception to this ideal is that Penn State was a preseason top-25 team that should have been able to compete for a College Football Playoff berth given their weak schedule. The loss is the second straight for Purdue, who it feels like just yesterday celebrated being 2-1 in Big Ten play for the first time since the Jeff Brohm era.
Purdue Next: vs. Maryland | Nov. 7 at 11:30 a.m.
Penn State Next: at Washington | Nov. 7 at 2:30 p.m.
Illinois at Maryland
This week was extremely tough for Illinois head coach Bret Bielema, who lost his father, Arnie. It made the 20-17 walkoff field goal win all the more emotional for the man who has won eight or more games with the Illini in three out of the last four seasons.
Illinois senior quarterback Katin Houser returned despite breaking his hand just three weeks ago. And despite struggling in the first half, he led his team to victory. The win is big for Illinois’ bowl game implications, as they face a tough road ahead in November.
Illinois Next: vs. Nebraska | Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
Maryland Next: at Purdue | Nov. 7 at 11:30 a.m.
Nevada at UCLA
It was extremely odd to see Nevada and UCLA square off on Halloween. There wasn’t much you could take away from this one as the Bruins trudged to a 27-0 victory, besides the fact that Bob Chesney’s team just keeps winning.
It did raise some questions, however. UCLA’s defense is elite, but is the offense going to carry enough of the load to propel the Bruins over teams like Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan and USC? Only time will tell, but after Ohio State’s loss to the Trojans on Saturday night, it’s impossible to not see Chesney and Curt Cignetti as the top-2 teams in the Big Ten entering November.
UCLA Next: at Minnesota | Nov. 7 at 11 a.m.
