Week 6 in the Big Ten is starting to sort the league into clear tiers, and the gap between the top and bottom keeps getting wider. Indiana is still sitting on top after rolling past Rutgers, while teams like Northwestern and Minnesota keep climbing into the conversation with wins that are making people pay attention.
At the bottom, Rutgers is still stuck in 18th after getting hammered 47-15 by Indiana on Saturday night. Greg Schiano’s group is sliding the wrong way, and it’s getting tougher to picture a quick fix.
Maryland is right above the Scarlet Knights at 17th after a rough start to league play, with losses to UCLA and Nebraska by a combined 102-26. Michigan State sits 16th after a 31-3 loss to Wisconsin, its third straight defeat by at least three scores.
Illinois rounds out the bottom four at 15th after falling at home to Purdue, leaving Bret Bielema’s team at 2-3 with wins over UAB and Southern Illinois.
Purdue’s rise is one of the more notable changes near the middle of the rankings. The Boilermakers jumped to 14th after beating Illinois 24-17 for Barry Odom’s first Big Ten win in West Lafayette and Purdue’s first conference victory since November of 2023.
Penn State stays at 13th, but the Nittany Lions have gone from 3-0 to back-to-back Big Ten losses against Wisconsin and Northwestern. Michigan dropped to 12th after consecutive losses to Iowa and Minnesota, and the Wolverines are still waiting for Bryce Underwood to settle in.
Washington holds 11th after an 0-2 start in conference play, with losses to Minnesota and USC.
Wisconsin moved up to 10th and looks like a team that may finally be finding its footing under Luke Fickell. After opening with a loss to Notre Dame, the Badgers have won four straight and now get a bye before a road trip to No.
21 UCLA. Nebraska stays at 9th despite a 5-0 start, and the Huskers are heading into a huge home game against Indiana after beating Maryland 48-23.
Iowa slipped to 8th after losing to Ohio State, but the Hawkeyes still have a path to make noise with no more ranked opponents left on the regular-season schedule.
Northwestern is up to 7th, and the Wildcats keep looking more legitimate by the week. Curt Cignetti was right.
Northwestern is a good football team. Aidan Chiles is taking a big step forward, and the Chip Kelly-led offense is thriving right now.
With a new stadium and a 3-1 record, Northwestern's next three games come against Ball State, Michigan State, and Rutgers. They should probably be 6-1 before facing Oregon on Oct.
Minnesota is right behind at 6th, and the Golden Gophers are one of the conference’s most interesting teams right now. How about Minnesota?
The Golden Gophers are 4-1 and coming off back-to-back wins over Washington and Michigan. PJ Fleck has his team playing at a high level, which makes this team dangerous moving forward.
UCLA checks in at 5th after a bye week, but the Bruins have already made a statement in league play with wins over Purdue and Maryland. Bob Chesney is off to a 4-0 start to his UCLA tenure, which includes consecutive Big Ten wins over Purdue and Maryland.
The Bruins scored 106 total points in those contests. UCLA's huge matchup against No.
10 Oregon is must-watch TV this Saturday.
USC is 4th after bouncing back from its loss to Oregon with a 25-21 win over Washington. In a make-or-break year for Lincoln Riley, the Trojans have little room for error the rest of the way.
Oregon remains 3rd after a bye in Week 5 and now turns to a big home game against UCLA in Eugene. Dylan Raiola is set to be the starter with Dante Moore sidelined, which brings plenty of intrigue to the Ducks moving forward.
Ohio State stays 2nd after winning 31-14 at Iowa, and the Buckeyes remain firmly in the national title picture. Ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll, the Buckeyes remain National Championship hopefuls.
After taking on Maryland this weekend, a pivotal matchup against Indiana awaits on Oct. 17.
Indiana is still No. 1 after blowing past Rutgers 47-15 and improving to 5-0. The defending National Champion Hoosiers have now won 21 straight, but the next stretch is no joke.
Curt Cignetti and company have a tough road test this weekend at Nebraska. To avoid being put on upset alert, it's imperative that Indiana isn't caught looking ahead to its Week 7 matchup against Ohio State.
In Other News...
Indiana Will Help Reveal What Nebraskas Hot Start Really Means
Nebraskas unbeaten start has turned heads, but the next stretch of Big Ten play should tell a lot more about what this team actually is. The Huskers are 5-0 and have already shown some grit, including in a recent win over Maryland, yet there is still plenty of uncertainty about how steady they are on both sides of the ball as the schedule gets tougher.
Indiana is part of the test now, and that matters because conference games tend to strip away the early-season noise. Nebraska has looked capable enough to keep winning, and Anthony Colandrea has been among the players drawing attention for his role in that run, but the Hoosiers are one of the teams that can help show whether this hot start is a true sign of progress or just a strong opening month waiting for a reality check. [Read more 🡒]
Indianas Biggest Test Just Got Even Bigger Before Ohio State Visit
Indianas trip to Ohio State was already shaping up as one of the biggest games on the schedule, and the Buckeyes only added to the sense of urgency with what they did in Week 5. After beating Iowa 31-14, Ohio State moved to the top of ESPNs FPI rankings, a reminder of how complete and dangerous this roster looks heading into a matchup that will carry real weight for Indiana.
Jeremiah Smith was a major part of that surge, setting program records for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in the win. Elsewhere in the rankings shakeup, Missouris 45-17 win over Florida sent the Gators tumbling five spots, but for Indiana the focus is squarely on what awaits in Columbus and how high the ceiling is for the opponent standing in the way. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Just Became Nebraskas Biggest Unbeaten Test Yet
Nebraska is rolling into a marquee Big Ten matchup with real momentum after handling Maryland 48-23 to stay unbeaten at 5-0, even if the start was not nearly as clean as the final score suggested. The Huskers have now put themselves in the thick of the conference conversation, and the stakes only get bigger with Indiana waiting next, another undefeated team at 5-0.
For Nebraska, this is the kind of game that can say a lot about where a season is headed, especially with other league contenders like Ohio State and Wisconsin also adding wins and the College Football Playoff picture beginning to take shape. Indiana has its own perfect record and plenty to protect, which makes this one of those early-season tests that can change the tone for both programs long before November arrives. [Read more 🡒]