Week 7 made a mess of the Big Ten again, and the top of the league still feels wide open. Half of the Top 10 in college football took losses across the weekend, and the conference’s biggest headline came from Ohio State and Indiana, who delivered the kind of heavyweight matchup that lived up to the billing. With the season now past the midway point, the Big Ten picture is starting to separate a little - but only a little.
At the bottom, Michigan State and Maryland remain stuck in Tier 5, and neither has found its footing in conference play. The Spartans are still last after falling 24-21 to Northwestern, while Maryland slid down after a 37-30 loss to Rutgers. Both teams are still searching for their first Big Ten win, and it is definitely time to start thinking about 2027.
Rutgers was one of the bigger movers of the week, finally climbing out of the lowest tier after picking up its first conference victory against Maryland. Penn State, meanwhile, kept sinking after another rough weekend in Big Ten play.
The Nittany Lions lost 21-18 to Michigan and nearly dropped out of Tier 4 altogether. Their struggles under Matt Campbell are piling up, and it is not helping that the quarterback blamed the poor play on simply being "unlucky."
Michigan’s win over Penn State was enough to move the Wolverines up a spot, and it was also their first conference win of the season. Head coach Kyle Whittingham finally turned to backup QB Tommy Carr, and the change paid off. Carr helped Michigan score three second-half touchdowns on the way to the win.
Nebraska took one of the sharper falls in Tier 3 after dropping 17-14 to Oregon, slipping from No. 5 in last week’s rankings. The Cornhuskers had already taken their first loss two weeks ago against Indiana, but this one was a different kind of setback.
Oregon moved up a bit after the win, though there is still not a lot of faith in Dan Lanning and his group going forward. The Ducks could not decide which quarterback to play, but they still got the job done.
Northwestern also climbed after edging Michigan State, and the Wildcats continue to be one of the more surprising teams in the league. Wisconsin fell after losing 17-7 to UCLA, a result that would usually sting less given how UCLA has looked this season, but this was a Nico Iamaleava-less Bruins team that still managed to hold the Badgers to seven points.
In Tier 2, UCLA stayed undefeated at 6-0 after beating Wisconsin, while USC moved up without even playing. The Trojans were helped by the movement around them. Iowa also sat idle on a bye.
At the top, Ohio State and Indiana delivered the weekend’s marquee game, with the Buckeyes coming away with a 19-15 win. Indiana finished right behind them at No. 2, but the game came with a major cost for Ohio State: starting quarterback Julian Sayin will be out for several weeks, if not the rest of the season, after injuring his throwing shoulder against the Hoosiers.
The finish was razor thin. Nick Marsh came painfully close to being inbounds on what would have been the go-ahead touchdown for Indiana, a play that came down to inches. Now both teams have to reset, because the schedule is only getting tougher from here.
In Other News...
Michigans Zach Marshall Absence Just Fueled A Bigger Discipline Debate
Michigans offense has been searching for answers, and Zach Marshalls absence against Penn State only added another layer to the conversation. Head coach Kyle Whittingham said the tight end missed the game for a non-injury reason, which immediately pointed attention back to the weeks most uncomfortable subplot: the leak of Marshalls private messages criticizing offensive coordinator Jason Beck.
Marshalls comments had already stirred debate around the direction of the offense, and his sudden absence made it easy for outside speculation to fill the gap. With Michigan still trying to steady itself on that side of the ball, the timing of the situation has turned a personnel move into something bigger, at least in the public eye, and left the larger discipline question hanging over the program. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Rhino Usage Is Raising A Real Offensive Question
For much of the first half of the season, Michigans Rhino package has become more than just a niche wrinkle. The hybrid offensive lineman-tight end role has shown up on nearly half of the offenses snaps through six games, giving the Wolverines a heavier, more physical look at tight end while also opening the door to some unusual personnel groupings.
Jason Beck has framed the Rhino as a useful tool, but the tradeoff is starting to show in the passing game, where the structure can make things easier to read. Even with that concern hanging around, Michigan has continued to get real production from its true tight ends, and the arrival of Hogan Hansen has added another layer to the position group at a time when the Wolverines are still sorting out exactly how much they want to lean on the Rhino identity. [Read more 🡒]
J.J. McCarthy Just Gave Michigan Fans A New NFL Reason To Watch
Several former Michigan Wolverines made their mark in Week 6 around the NFL, but J.J. McCarthys first appearance of the season was the one that naturally drew the most attention back in Ann Arbor. The New York Giants quarterback completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards, threw a touchdown and an interception, and added 26 rushing yards in a performance that gave Wolverines fans another reason to keep one eye on Sundays.
McCarthy was hardly the only familiar name to show up. Colston Loveland, Blake Corum, Nico Collins, Devin Bush and Kwity Paye all turned in notable contributions for their teams, a reminder of how much Michigan talent is scattered across the league right now. For fans who have followed these players since college, it made for one of those NFL weekends where the Wolverines were never far from the conversation. [Read more 🡒]