Even on a weekend when none of the conference’s ranked teams faced each other, the Big Ten still delivered some compelling storylines: From Penn State’s first game without James Franklin to Michigan’s rugged dismantling of Washington; from Oregon’s offensive explosion against Rutgers to UCLA’s third consecutive win since firing head coach DeShaun Foster.
Not mentioned in that list were performances by two quarterbacks who are cementing themselves as legitimate Heisman Trophy candidates and an unraveling by Nebraska to finish a week when its head coach, Matt Rhule, was the subject of widespread coaching search rumors in connection with his alma mater, Penn State.
For a team-by-team look at the league, here’s our latest set of Big Ten Power Rankings following Week 8:
The Top 10
Result: 34-0 road win over Wisconsin
It’s time to start talking about the bonafide Heisman Trophy candidate on Ohio State’s talent-strewn roster. Not Jeremiah Smith, the otherworldly wide receiver who caught nine passes for 97 yards against the Badgers on Saturday. Not Caleb Downs, the field-tilting safety who is arguably the best defensive player in college football. No, the real Heisman Trophy contender — at this point, anyway — is sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin, who completed 36 of 42 passes for 393 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions to shred Wisconsin with the kind of poise and precision typically reserved for upperclassmen, not first-year starters.
Sayin, who transferred from Alabama ahead of the 2024 season and then sat behind veteran Will Howard during the Buckeyes’ run to the national championship, continues to lead the country in completion percentage (80%) while also ranking 13th in passing yards (1,872) and tied for fourth in passing touchdowns (19). He has yet to throw an interception against Big Ten competition and is one of only four quarterbacks in the power conferences to amass 1,800-plus yards with three or fewer INTs, a list that includes Duke’s Darian Mensah, Alabama’s Ty Simpson and Illinois’ Luke Altmyer.
On Saturday, Sayin spearheaded an offense that outgained Wisconsin by 347 total yards and converted 7 of 13 times on third and fourth down combined. The Buckeyes have a bye before hosting Penn State on Nov. 1.
Result: 38-13 home win over Michigan State
What an emotional whirlwind this past week must have been for Indiana, which scored arguably the biggest win in program history at then-No. 3 Oregon on Oct. 11, before returning home to headline after headline suggesting head coach Curt Cignetti should be a top candidate for the vacancy at Penn State. And then on Thursday, two days before kickoff against Michigan State, the school announced a hefty new contract agreement with Cignetti totaling eight years and $93 million, a move that will likely see the 64-year-old coach end his career with the Hoosiers.
So, how did Cignetti’s team respond once it finally took the field on Saturday afternoon? With five consecutive touchdown drives to begin the game and an electric performance from quarterback Fernando Mendoza, whose Heisman Trophy candidacy and NFL Draft stock continue to soar with each passing week. Mendoza completed 24 of 28 passes for a season-high 332 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in a highly efficient display that Cignetti described as “the sharpest we’ve seen him up to this point in a game.” He now ranks third nationally in completion rate (73.5%) and is tied for first in passing touchdowns (21) — all while only throwing two interceptions this season.
Second-ranked Indiana now faces red-hot UCLA in a fascinating matchup this weekend (Noon ET Saturday on FOX).
Result: 56-10 road win over Rutgers
Any concerns about the long-term outlook for the Ducks following a painful loss to Indiana two weeks ago, a cross-country flight to New Jersey and an opening-drive fumble against Rutgers on Saturday were swiftly erased with an offensive hailstorm that shredded the Scarlet Knights to a seismic degree. Oregon scored six consecutive touchdowns to end the first half and opened a jaw-dropping 42-3 lead that showcased this team’s breadth of firepower.
Quarterback Dante Moore, who played his worst game in a Ducks uniform against Indiana, responded by completing 15 of 20 passes for 290 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, spreading the ball around with at least two completions to five different receivers, headlined by tight end Kenyon Sadiq snagging four passes for 80 yards and two scores. Oregon’s rushing attack was even more effective, gashing the Scarlet Knights for 415 yards and four touchdowns on 36 attempts. Starter Noah Whittington needed only 11 carries to produce a team-high 125 yards and two scores, while backup Jordon Davison — a true freshman — turned just three carries into 100 yards and a score. The trickle-down effect included four more players who chipped in at least 30 rushing yards in Moore (49) and tailbacks Dierre Hill Jr. (62), Da’Juan Riggs (35) and Jay Harris (33). In total, the Ducks produced eight plays that gained 30-plus yards.
Result: Idle
Comprehensive losses to then-No. 19 Indiana (63-10) and No. 1 Ohio State (34-16) have proven that Illinois can’t compete with the best teams in the Big Ten. But a home victory over then-No. 21 USC and a non-conference road win at Duke in early September showed head coach Bret Bielema and Co. are capable of beating everyone else on their schedule.
There are no ranked opponents remaining on Illinois’ schedule coming off the bye week, though Saturday’s trip to Washington and the finale against Northwestern certainly qualify as tricky. Still, the possibility of a 10-win regular season is very real — especially with three of the Illini’s final four games to be played at home — and that might be enough to get Illinois into the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history.
Result: 24-7 home win over Washington
This was a resounding and impressive victory for the Wolverines after they flopped in all three phases during a loss to USC two weeks ago. Head coach Sherrone Moore and his players said their week of preparation leading into Saturday’s game against Washington included a series of “tough conversations” about the team’s trajectory entering the second half of the season. And the way they responded by smothering the Huskies’ high-flying offense and authoring a balanced offensive performance of their own suggests there is still plenty of internal belief in Moore’s leadership atop the program.
Defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, whose unit was dissected by the Trojans, responded by devising an excellent plan to contain dual-threat quarterback Demond Williams Jr., reducing the dynamic sophomore to a one-dimensional passer. The Wolverines limited Williams to minus-19 rushing yards and made life nearly as difficult for tailback Jonah Coleman, who carried 16 times for 50 yards and a touchdown. It presented a stark contrast to what Michigan did on the ground behind second-string tailback Jordan Marshall, entrusted for 25 carries that yielded a career-high 133 yards and a touchdown in the absence of starter Justice Haynes, sidelined by a midsection injury. Such consistent gains on the ground made life far easier for quarterback Bryce Underwood, who completed 21 of 27 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns in what was unquestionably his most efficient passing effort of the season.
Result: 34-24 road loss to No. 13 Notre Dame
Let’s make one thing clear about USC’s position at No. 6 in our latest rankings despite getting walloped by then-No. 13 Notre Dame on Saturday night: The Trojans didn’t plummet down this list in part because they weren’t defeated by a Big Ten opponent. And at this juncture, with the Fighting Irish only having lost to Miami and Texas A&M by a combined four points — two teams with a combined record of 12-1 — it’s fair to say Notre Dame is probably among the better teams in the country. That said, the nature of USC’s defeat over the weekend was quite concerning.
The Trojans’ defense surrendered 442 total yards, including an unforgivable 306 on the ground as Notre Dame tailbacks Jeremiyah Love (24 carries, 228 yards, 1 TD) and Jadarian Price (13 carries, 87 yards, 1 TD) seemingly did whatever they wanted, especially once the weather turned and rain started to fall. But it’s important to note that USC, which has a bye this weekend, will enter November with just a single conference loss.
Head coach Lincoln Riley and his team still have plenty to play for down the stretch and should get the chance to score a season-defining victory when they travel to Oregon on Nov. 22. Their only losses thus far have come on the road against ranked opponents.
Result: 25-24 home win over Penn State
Iowa had the privilege of hosting wayward Penn State on Saturday during the Nittany Lions’ first game without head coach James Franklin, who was fired last weekend following a stunning loss to Northwestern, and quarterback Drew Allar, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury that same afternoon.
The Hawkeyes trailed 21-10 at the midway point of the third quarter as Penn State chiseled out a lead by leaning on tailback Kaytron Allen, who carried 28 times for a career-high 145 yards and two touchdowns, lessening the workload on first-time starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, a redshirt freshman. But the Hawkeyes responded with 10 points in a span of six minutes to bridge the third and fourth quarters, relying almost exclusively on a rushing attack that generated 245 yards and three scores, before mounting a final touchdown drive in the waning minutes to reclaim the lead for good.
Quarterback Mark Gronowski, who still hasn’t fully recovered from a knee injury suffered in late September, gutted his way to a team-high 130 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries, with his 67-yard burst in the fourth quarter setting up the winning score by wide receiver Kaden Wetjen. Iowa will host Minnesota this weekend in a battle between two teams with 3-1 records in conference play.
Result: 24-6 home win over No. 25 Nebraska
Since getting shelled by No. 1 Ohio State, 42-3, in early October, the Gophers have answered with back-to-back wins that give them a realistic chance to reach nine victories for the first time since 2022 and the fourth time under head coach P.J. Fleck.
Minnesota’s defense became the unquestioned storyline on Friday night when it hogtied Nebraska to the tune of 213 total yards and an anemic rushing average of just 1.2 yards per carry on 29 attempts. The Gophers lived in Nebraska’s backfield against both the run and the pass, racking up 10 tackles for loss and a school-record nine sacks, including 2.5 apiece for defensive lineman Anthony Smith and edge rusher Karter Menz. The suffocating effort was sorely needed for a defense that had given up 456 yards to Purdue and 474 yards to Ohio State in its last two games, placing significant pressure on an offense that ranks outside the top 100 nationally in yards per game. But the offense pulled its weight against Nebraska as standout tailback Darius Taylor, who has battled injuries for much of the year, recorded his first 100-yard game since the opener in late August, carrying 24 times for a season-high 148 yards and a touchdown. The Gophers travel to Iowa this weekend in what should be another physical, low-scoring affair.
Result: 20-17 home win over Maryland
Is there a better story in college football right now than UCLA? The Bruins were left for dead after losing four straight games to Utah, UNLV, New Mexico and Northwestern by 68 combined points and then moving on from head coach DeShaun Foster, defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe and offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri.
There was, perhaps, no easier target in college football than quarterback Nico Iamaleava, whose transfer saga from Tennessee to UCLA had seemingly gone up in flames. Since then, however, the Bruins have rallied around interim coach Tim Skipper and fresh-faced, freshly promoted offensive coordinator Jerry Neuheisel — the son of former UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel — to reel off three consecutive victories over then-No. 7 Penn State, Michigan State and Maryland, surging to 3-1 in the conference standings.
Their latest win was fueled by an impressive defensive effort and 13 fourth-quarter points that upended the struggling Terrapins. A wounded Iamaleava and tailback Anthony Frias II sparked a gutsy five-play, 68-yard drive in the final minute to facilitate the game-winning field goal by kicker Mateen Bhagani with :02 remaining.
Now, UCLA will fly east to face No. 2 Indiana this weekend in a nationally televised game that is suddenly rich with storylines (Noon ET Saturday on FOX).
Result: 19-0 home win over Purdue
What a turnaround this has been for head coach David Braun, whose first year with the program engendered a groundswell of optimism when he finished 8-5 in 2023 before tumbling back down with an ugly 4-8 record last fall.
Northwestern opened its season with a disappointing, 20-point road loss to Tulane that sounded some alarm bells for the Wildcats, who were felled again by then-No. 4 Oregon in mid-September. From that point forward, though, Braun’s team has rallied for four consecutive victories against UCLA (17-14), UL Monroe (42-7), Penn State (22-21) and Purdue (19-0) that have propelled Northwestern’s defense to 11th nationally in scoring at 15.1 points per game and 22nd overall at 305.3 yards per game.
That the Wildcats engineered points on each of its first three possessions against Purdue on Saturday offered more than enough cushion for the defense to hold serve, limiting the Boilermakers to just 87 rushing yards and stopping them three times in three attempts on fourth down. The balanced effort resulted in Northwestern finishing with a 15-minute advantage in time of possession.
Braun’s team now has to navigate a difficult closing stretch in the Big Ten that includes five teams with winning records, including No. 25 Michigan (home) and No. 23 Illinois (away).
The Rest
Result: 24-7 road loss to Michigan
What had been a 7-7 tie at halftime quickly unraveled for Washington in the second half, as quarterback Demond Williams Jr. tossed three interceptions in the span of four drives, with a turnover on downs in between. The Huskies’ high-powered offense, which had topped 35 points in four of its previous six games, was limited to 70 yards in the third quarter and just 8 in the fourth, repeatedly hemmed in by a resurgent Michigan defense that bounced back strongly after getting gashed by unranked USC two weeks ago. Washington will host No. 23 Illinois this weekend in what feels like a trajectory-defining game for head coach Jedd Fisch in Year 2.
Result: 24-6 road loss to Minnesota
In a week when Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule’s name swirled through social media in connection to the opening at Penn State, the school where Rhule played linebacker for legendary head coach Joe Paterno and where one of his closest friends — Pat Kraft — is the Nittany Lions’ athletic director, the Cornhuskers responded with an absolute stinker against Minnesota. Quarterback Dylan Raiola was sacked nine times on a night when Nebraska failed to score a touchdown in a losing effort for the first time since 2016. Rhule’s team was outgained 339-213 in total yards and produced only 36 yards on the ground, finishing with just three conversions on third and fourth down combined.
Result: 20-17 road loss to UCLA
Maryland trailed 17-10 in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter before true freshman quarterback Malik Washington orchestrated a beautiful 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by an 8-yard pass to wideout Jalil Farooq with 40 seconds remaining. But the Terrapins’ defense couldn’t hold against a UCLA team that is suddenly bursting with optimism and self-belief. The Bruins traversed 68 yards in five plays — with 35 of them coming on a back-breaking run by tailback Anthony Frias II — to set up a game-winning field goal. Maryland has now dropped three straight conference games by 10 combined points after beginning the season 4-0.
Result: 25-24 road loss to Iowa
The first game in the post-James Franklin, post-Drew Allar era ended with another painful defeat on Saturday night as Penn State dropped its fourth consecutive game. Led by interim coach Terry Smith, who had been part of Franklin’s staff since 2014, the Nittany Lions led 14-10 at halftime and 21-10 in the middle of the third quarter before crumbling down the stretch. Redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, a former four-star prospect, completed 15 of 28 passes for 93 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions in the first start of his career while splitting time with backup Jaxon Smolik, who was used purely as a runner before exiting with an injury. The Nittany Lions have a much-needed bye week before playing No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana in consecutive games.
Result: 38-13 road loss to No. 3 Indiana
Despite leading 10-7 at the midway point of the second quarter following a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Aidan Chiles to wide receiver Nick Marsh, the Spartans dropped their fourth consecutive game by double digits and remain winless in conference play. The rumblings surrounding the future of second-year head coach Jonathan Smith, whose record sunk to 8-11 overall and 3-10 in the Big Ten, will only intensify after his team was shredded through the air by Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (24-of-28, 332 yards, 4 TDs) and only scored three points in the second half. Things won’t get any easier for Smith this weekend when the Spartans host No. 25 Michigan in a primetime, nationally televised rivalry game.
Result: 56-10 home loss to No. 8 Oregon
Amid a season when Rutgers’ defense has done nothing but regress under co-defensive coordinators Robb Smith and Zach Sparber, who replaced Joe Harasymiak following the 2024 campaign, Saturday’s blowout loss to Oregon represented rock bottom. The Scarlet Knights surrendered a staggering 750 yards of total offense — 335 through the air, 415 on the ground — as the visitors scored touchdowns on six consecutive drives to end the first half, by which point the Ducks led 42-3. Head coach Greg Schiano’s team has now lost four consecutive games while sinking to 123rd in total defense (437.4 yards per game) and tied for 119th in scoring defense (31.6 points per game). A trip to Purdue this weekend feels like a must-win game if Rutgers wants to reach bowl eligibility for a third straight season.
Result: 19-0 road loss to Northwestern
Purdue suffered its 13th consecutive conference loss in embarrassing fashion on Saturday when it was shut out by Northwestern, which kept a Big Ten opponent off the scoreboard for the first time since beating Minnesota 39-0 on Nov. 18, 2017. Starting quarterback Ryan Browne (5-of-10 for 31 yards) suffered a shoulder injury early in the second half that sidelined him for the remainder of the game. His replacement, Malachi Singleton, a transfer from Arkansas, completed 11 of 20 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown. The Boilermakers host Rutgers this weekend before a brutal closing stretch against No. 25 Michigan (away), No. 1 Ohio State (home), Washington (away) and No. 2 Indiana (home).
Result: 34-0 home loss to No. 1 Ohio State
There’s not much left to say about Wisconsin, which was shut out at home for the second consecutive game and is enduring one of the most embarrassing seasons in modern program history. It was the first time since 1977 that the Badgers failed to score a point in back-to-back games — they were trounced by Iowa, 37-0, two weeks ago — and Wisconsin’s offense was outgained 491-144 in total yards, including a 393-49 disparity through the air. The Badgers still have to play No. 6 Oregon (away), No. 2 Indiana (away) and No. 23 Illinois (home) in the weeks to come, with questions about the future of head coach Luke Fickell intensifying each day.
Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.
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