Week one didn’t do the Big Ten any favors, and the first pass at the conference pecking order already has a few teams making people squint.
Ohio State sits on top for now because that’s where Ohio State usually ends up when the dust settles. The Buckeyes lost plenty, but they reloaded fast enough to look like the league’s best team again. Until somebody knocks them off that spot, they own it.
Indiana is right there behind them after Curt Cignetti opened his title defense with force. The Hoosiers have a new quarterback, but he picked up where Fernando Mendoza left off, and the early read is simple: Indiana looks elite again.
Oregon could have slid after nearly getting caught by Boise State, but the talent is still obvious. One shaky opener doesn’t erase what the Ducks have on the roster, and week two should tell a much clearer story.
USC also has a chance to climb quickly. The Trojans’ defense has long been the issue, and they answered that concern by giving up zero points. That’s the kind of start that puts a team on the radar as a real threat to crack the top tier in the Big Ten.
Penn State remains one of the harder teams to pin down. The Nittany Lions have a new head coach, and he brought in a quarterback from Iowa State, which makes them intriguing. But there’s still some skepticism baked in, because Penn State has fooled people before.
Illinois shook off the early rust and put a number on UAB after halftime. The defense still has question marks, but Katin Houser gives this team a chance to stay in games and win most of them.
Iowa is in a similar holding pattern, except the uncertainty starts at quarterback. The Northern Illinois game didn’t clear anything up, and that keeps the Hawkeyes behind Illinois for now.
Washington is ranked nationally, but the opener against Washington State left some concerns. The defense looked sturdy, yet the offense, which is supposed to be a strength, never really got going. There’s still room to move up fast if week two goes better.
The biggest surprise so far is UCLA. The Bruins handled Cal by 21 points in week two, and that’s a result that stands out because the Golden Bears are no pushover. UCLA looks like a team that could rise in a hurry.
Wisconsin’s score against Notre Dame looks rough at first glance, but the Badgers stayed in it until the snowball effect took over. They were better than expected, though there’s still reason to watch closely in case they fall flat next week.
Nebraska had its own tense moment against Ohio. The Bobcats are not a strong team, and still the Cornhuskers let them linger longer than they should have. Matt Rhule needs a quick fix.
Michigan, meanwhile, is the one that really drew a hard stare. The Wolverines should have lost to Western Michigan, but instead escaped with a narrow win after looking bad against the Broncos. If that level of play sticks around, Michigan could be headed for real trouble, even bowl eligibility.
Down near the bottom, there’s not much clarity yet for Minnesota or Maryland. The Golden Gophers played an FCS team, so there’s no real read on them yet. The same goes for Maryland, even with a 62-spot showing, because the opponent was the Hampton Inn Continental Breakfast Pirates.
Michigan State’s first year under Pat Fitzgerald started with a 30-20 win over Toledo, which doesn’t exactly scream confidence. The Spartans still look like a team to keep near the bottom until they prove otherwise.
Northwestern didn’t help its case either. Getting pushed by an FCS program is never a good sign, and the Wildcats have a lot of work ahead if they want to climb.
Purdue closed out the lower end of the list after Indiana State hung around for a bit before the Boilermakers eventually turned it into a blowout. Even with the final margin, the bigger picture hasn’t changed much: Purdue doesn’t look good again, and Barry Odom has a steep climb ahead.
In Other News...
Illinois Must Rework Its Line For Duke After A Costly Loss
Illinois will have to shuffle its offensive line again this week after Bret Bielema confirmed that guard Brandon Henderson will miss the upcoming game against Duke with a lower-body injury suffered late against Alabama-Birmingham. The injury came at an awkward time for a line that already has to be managed carefully, and Bielema said the staff is weighing replacement options as it tries to keep the front five steady for a nonconference matchup that now carries a little more urgency.
Bielema also gave updates on Jayshon Platt and Daniel Brown, offering a clearer picture of the rosters health as Illinois works through the early part of the season. Hendersons recovery is expected to take somewhere between two and six weeks, which leaves the Illini planning for more than just one game and waiting to see how the rest of the depth chart settles before the schedule stiffens further. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois May Have Found The WR1 Its Passing Game Needed
A strong opening to the 2026 season gave Illinois a clearer idea of where its passing game may be headed, and Collin Dixon was right at the center of it. The wide receiver put together six catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns in the opener, the kind of start that gets attention not just because of the production but because of the role he seems poised to fill for the Illini moving forward.
Offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. has already pointed to Dixons character and football IQ as reasons for optimism, even drawing a comparison to former Illinois standout and NFL receiver Pat Bryant. Dixon arrived in Champaign as a lower-rated recruit after originally committing to Wisconsin, but he has worked his way into becoming the teams leading wideout, and Illinois now has to find out whether the early surge is the beginning of a true No. 1 target or just the first big step in a much longer climb. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois May Need A JUCO Newcomer To Fix Its Secondary
Illinois new-look defense may wind up leaning on a familiar kind of bet, the kind that has helped plenty of programs patch holes in a hurry. Jakwon Morris arrives from Northwest Mississippi Community College with the sort of background Illinois has been willing to trust before: junior college polish, obvious athletic traits and a reputation for speed and coverage ability. In a secondary that needs answers, his profile stands out as one of the cleaner fits for the Illinis transition to a 3-3-5 scheme.
Morris still has to prove he can carry that promise onto the Power 4 stage, but the expectation inside Illinois is that he can push for a starting role at outside corner in 2026. For a defense trying to reshape itself, that kind of development matters just as much as any recruiting splash. The question now is whether his tools translate quickly enough to make him more than depth and become one of the pieces that steadies the back end. [Read more 🡒]