Michigan didn’t have to spend Week 6 surviving the Big Ten’s chaos, but the rest of the league certainly did. While the Wolverines were on a bye, the conference spent the weekend shaking itself up, with several teams rising, falling, or revealing they’re not quite what they looked like a month ago.
That matters because the deeper the season gets, the fewer soft landing spots there are. Week 7 already has a massive one on the calendar with Ohio State and Indiana set to meet, and that kind of heavyweight collision could send these rankings spinning again.
For now, though, the climb and crash from Week 6 produced plenty to sort through.
At the very bottom, Rutgers finally escaped last place by doing nothing at all. The Scarlet Knights were idle, which was enough to slide them out of the cellar for the first time.
Michigan State, on the other hand, dropped in after a brutal 38-37 overtime loss to Illinois. That defeat came against the backup quarterback, who entered in the third quarter after starter Katin Houser left with a hand injury.
The Spartans are still trying to find firm footing in Pat Fitzgerald’s first season, and the early returns have been rough.
The next tier was packed with movement, and Purdue made the biggest jump. The Boilermakers’ 41-13 win over Minnesota was emphatic enough to push them ahead of the Golden Gophers, even though Purdue’s record is slightly worse.
It’s a sign that Barry Odom is starting to get some traction there. Minnesota, meanwhile, took a hard hit despite sitting above Purdue in the standings.
Penn State also stayed in the middle of the pack after another loss, though this one at least came with a fight. The Nittany Lions fell 31-23 to USC and now head into a matchup with a rested Michigan team coming off its bye. Illinois, Maryland, Washington and Penn State all landed in the same crowded stretch of the rankings, while the Illini climbed after squeezing out that one-point overtime win in East Lansing.
The third tier brought its own twists. Northwestern joined the group after a 45-14 win over Ball State, a result that fit the Wildcats’ season so far.
Their only loss has come against Indiana, and they pushed that game all the way to the end. Wisconsin stayed put after its bye, while Michigan also held steady in the No. 10 spot with no game to change its case.
Oregon took another tumble after a 17-15 loss to UCLA, and the Ducks continue to look nothing like the preseason No. 2 team. The Bruins, meanwhile, kept rolling.
They’re undefeated, they beat Oregon in a tight one, and they now look like a real force in the conference. The only catch is the injury to Nico Iamaleava, who is out for a few games with a knee injury, meaning UCLA will need backup quarterback Ty Dieffenbach to keep things moving.
Nebraska’s spot in Tier 2 might raise an eyebrow at first glance, but the Cornhuskers pushed Indiana all the way before falling 20-17, and that matters here. Anthony Colandrea appears to be the better fit at quarterback, and Nebraska still looks alive in the College Football Playoff conversation. Iowa kept pace with a 41-24 win over Washington, while UCLA’s rise continued after its win over Oregon.
At the top, nothing changed. Indiana and Ohio State remain 1 and 2, even after the Hoosiers’ 20-17 win over Nebraska and the Buckeyes’ 45-16 rout of Maryland.
But that calm could disappear fast. These two meet next in what’s being billed as a major rematch from last season’s Big Ten Championship, a game Indiana won before going on to win it all, with Ohio State taking an early loss to Miami.
Indiana hasn’t been at its sharpest this season, while Ohio State has recovered cleanly from that early Texas defeat. Put it together, and this one has the feel of a huge measuring-stick game - maybe even a National Championship preview.
In Other News...
Michigans Turnover Problem Just Forced A Change They Couldnt Avoid
Michigans turnover problems have become too costly to ignore, and Kyle Whittingham made that clear during his Monday press conference. The Wolverines have had a strong defensive start in recent games, but the bigger picture has been hard to overlook: they rank 122nd nationally with a minus-4 turnover margin, and that kind of ball security issue has a way of erasing good work everywhere else on the field.
Whittingham said the turnover battle has to turn, and its already led to a change at punt returner after recent mistakes in that area. Michigan has lost the turnover margin in four of five weeks, a stretch that has lined up with its losses, and the frustration now goes beyond a bad stat sheet. For a team trying to stabilize itself, the margin for error keeps getting thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Returns To Ann Arbor With Pressure On Bryce Underwood
After a rough stretch on the road, Michigan comes back to Ann Arbor needing a reset and a result, with both sides of the ball still searching for consistency under a new staff. Penn State arrives with its own problems, sitting 3-3 overall and winless in Big Ten play, and the matchup has the feel of two programs trying to steady themselves before the season slips any further.
For Michigan, the focus is squarely on Bryce Underwood, who remains the starter as the Wolverines try to get the offense moving under coordinator Jason Beck. The pressure around the position has only grown with Michigan sitting 3-2 and 0-2 in the league, and this week offers another chance to show the home crowd a cleaner, more complete performance before the questions around the offense get any louder. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans UCLA Test Suddenly Feels Very Different For One Reason
UCLAs next stretch now looks a lot different after the Bruins kept their perfect record intact with a win over Oregon, only to come out of it facing a major change at quarterback. Nico Iamaleava is likely done for the season, and UCLA is expected to turn to Cal Poly transfer Ty Dieffenbach in his place. That kind of midstream shift always changes the feel of a matchup, especially for a team still trying to navigate a demanding run through Wisconsin, Michigan and USC.
For Michigan, the timing matters because the Wolverines meeting with UCLA was already part of a pivotal part of the schedule, and now it comes with an entirely new layer of uncertainty. A defense that prepared for one quarterback will have to recalibrate for another, while the Bruins try to keep their momentum going under different circumstances. It is the sort of development that can alter game plans on both sides, and it gives this upcoming trip an even more intriguing edge than it had a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]