College football’s old Big Ten West spirit came roaring back in Week 4, and the sport’s powers in Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State all got a reminder of what that brand of football looks like when it shows up angry, awkward and unavoidable.
Iowa delivered the purest version of it. Three weeks after Michigan got one over on Western Michigan in Ann Arbor, the Hawkeyes answered with their own brand of chaos, beating a game they had no business winning.
They were outgained 429 to 285, lost the yards-per-play battle 6.3 to 4.8 and even missed a field goal while trailing by five with less than three minutes left. Still, when the moment arrived, Iowa wide receiver Reece Vander Zee was in the right place at the right time.
That’s how these games go in the Big Ten West.
The same kind of misery hit Maryland in a far uglier way. After eight years on the job, the Terrapins’ coach is sitting on a 39-51 record, one week in the Top 25 and three bowl wins from 2021 to ’23.
On Saturday, that résumé absorbed a 54-3 home loss to UCLA, with quarterback Malik Washington throwing four interceptions. A decade ago, the idea around Maryland was that “Maryland is the new Oregon.”
Right now, being the new Bruins would be enough.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, found the kind of September result Luke Fickell badly needed. The Badgers have now put together a month that includes a respectable showing against Notre Dame, blowouts of Western Illinois and Eastern Michigan, and Saturday’s upset of Penn State.
Quarterback Colton Joseph wasn’t dominant - he finished 18 for 38 for 235 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions and a rushing score - but he did enough, and his late touchdown pass to tight end Jacob Harris pushed Wisconsin into the lead. Then the Badgers’ defensive backs closed it out by treating Rocco Becht’s downfield throws like they belonged to someone else, breaking up or otherwise disrupting multiple attempts in the final minute.
If Wisconsin was a relief story, Oklahoma was a warning flare. John Mateer, a calendar year removed from being part of Heisman conversations, produced the blooper of the season in a 41-13 loss to Georgia.
On a bizarre play, the ball slipped out of his hand and traveled 85 yards to the other end zone, where Bulldogs linebacker Chris Cole ended up with it. Mateer’s final line looked much better than the afternoon felt: 25 completions on 34 attempts for 231 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
But Oklahoma’s offense, already a problem for much of Brent Venables’s tenure, is now an outright liability. The question hanging over the Sooners is whether they even consider a quarterback change before the rivalry game with No.
1 Texas in two weeks.
Florida may be the biggest September winner of them all. The Gators blew open what had looked like a possible track meet and turned it into a rout of Ole Miss, piling up 498 yards and forcing two Rebels turnovers.
The payoff for offensive coordinator Faulkner has been immediate, and the source material makes the case plainly: no coordinator hire this offseason has mattered more. Florida looks like a CFP contender, and if Faulkner keeps this up, he can pick his next head coaching job.
There was no shortage of damage in Los Angeles. USC lost 41-27 to Oregon and offered little resistance on defense, which has become a familiar problem under Lincoln Riley.
Then came linebacker Stephens, who appeared to rub a horrifying hit on Ducks quarterback Dante Moore in Oregon players’ faces and nearly set off a brawl. NBC’s Chris Simms also drew criticism for his halftime defense of Stephens, which was framed as contrarianism for contrarianism’s sake.
Ohio State’s win over Illinois was more straightforward, and Jeremiah Smith made sure nobody missed it. The Buckeyes beat the Fighting Illini 42-19, and Smith put on a show with 12 catches for 217 yards and four touchdowns.
Illinois has slipped a bit after two strong years, but Smith still looked unstoppable, even without appearing to break a sweat. Next up is Iowa, where he gets another chance to reassert his big-game reputation after a quieter second half against Texas.
Texas A&M took a hit that was impossible to dress up. The Aggies fell 35-6 to LSU, and quarterback Reed was largely invisible, going 10-for-26 for 106 yards with an interception.
Texas A&M managed only 197 total yards, its fewest since the 2022 upset loss to Appalachian State. That matters even more because this was a team that went 11-0 last season and finished 11-2.
Texas also made its mark, though not in the cleanest way. The Longhorns’ end delivered one of the most complete defensive performances of the 2020s, and the Duncanville, Texas, native essentially set up camp in Tennessee’s backfield.
He accounted for five of the 10 sacks the Volunteers allowed, in a game that had offensive line coaches in distress. Texas still looked like a work in progress, but coordinator Will Muschamp’s defense looks headed somewhere real.
The next three weeks bring a bye, then Oklahoma, then Florida.
Louisville joined the list of odd Saturday storylines. Last week, the Cardinals were asked to stay weird, and they obliged.
Quarterback Lincoln Kienholz had a productive day, helped along by an admirably zen College GameDay interview, but Louisville’s defense took the day off and allowed Wake Forest to pile up 402 yards. That made for a banner afternoon for Demon Deacons coach Jake Dickert.
Wake Forest even outrushed Louisville 177-75, a number that jumps off the page. Depending on how much of a lost cause NC State turns out to be, Wake Forest’s near-future schedule could set up nicely.
Louisville gets the Wolfpack next, looking for a reset.
In Other News...
Iowa Just Got One More Reason To Beat Michigan
Iowas upcoming showdown with Michigan already carries plenty of weight, but theres now an added layer of intrigue around the Hawkeyes place on the national stage. ESPNs College GameDay has not been to the University of Iowa since 2006, and the shows absence has become part of the backdrop as the Hawkeyes continue trying to turn recent football momentum into something bigger.
Pat McAfee stirred the conversation by suggesting that a win over Michigan could send College GameDay to Iowa City the following week, which gives Saturdays game a little extra juice for a fan base that has waited a long time for that spotlight. Iowa has been looking for a signature moment, and with Michigan coming in, the chance to earn one on the field now comes with the possibility of finally drawing the sports biggest pregame stage back to campus. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Gaffney Embodies Everything Iowa Fans Love About This Program
Luke Gaffney has become the kind of player Iowa fans have long embraced under Kirk Ferentz: steady, tough and willing to do the work without much fuss. The senior defensive lineman started as an undersized walk-on and has grown into a key contributor, while also serving on the Player Council and appearing in all three games of the 2026 season.
Ferentz recently pointed to Gaffney as a reminder of what the program can still build without leaning on star rankings. His rise has been defined less by hype than by leadership, hard work and the kind of attitude that tends to resonate in Iowa City, especially on a defense that values grit as much as production. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Faces Its First Real Offensive Test At Michigan
Iowa heads into Big Ten play still unbeaten, but the trip to Michigan is a different kind of measuring stick than the games the Hawkeyes have handled so far. After rolling past Northern Iowa and opening the year 3-0, Iowa now gets a road test against a Wolverines team that is also 3-0, yet has not exactly looked explosive on offense. For Iowa, it is the first chance to see whether the early-season efficiency can travel into conference play against a heavyweight environment.
Hank Brown will make his first road start at quarterback, adding another layer to a game already expected to be a defensive battle. Michigan's own offensive struggles point to a matchup where every possession figures to matter, and Iowa will have to lean on composure more than comfort if it wants to leave Ann Arbor with its perfect record intact. For a team trying to set the tone in the Big Ten, this is the kind of game that can reveal a lot without handing over many points. [Read more 🡒]