Luke Fickell finally has something real to point to at Wisconsin.
After a rough start to his tenure and a 17-0 hole at Penn State on Saturday night, the Badgers could have folded the way so many of his teams have before. Instead, they steadied themselves, got a touchdown run from Colton Joseph late in the first half, and then owned the second half from there. Wisconsin outscored Penn State 17-3 after the break and walked out of the White Out with a 24-20 win.
That’s the kind of result that can change the mood around a program in a hurry. Wisconsin is 3-1 now, and this one carries real weight because it came on the road, at night, against a new-look Penn State team in one of the sport’s toughest environments. It’s the signature win Fickell has been missing, and it arrives at a moment when the Badgers were starting to look like a team worth paying attention to again.
That surge pushed Wisconsin up in the latest Big Ten power rankings after Week 4, with the Badgers climbing from No. 14 to No. 6. They weren’t the only team to make noise, either.
Iowa sits at No. 1 after edging Michigan 20-19, while Indiana moved to No. 2 after beating Northwestern 29-23. Ohio State holds at No. 3 after handling Illinois 42-19. UCLA jumped to No. 4 after a 54-3 rout at Maryland, and Oregon is right behind at No. 5 after beating USC 41-27.
The rest of the top half features Wisconsin, Minnesota at No. 7 after a 27-24 win at Washington, Nebraska at No. 8 after beating Michigan State 31-13, Michigan at No. 9 after losing to Iowa, and USC at No. 10.
Here’s the full movement after Week 4:
No. 1 Iowa 4-0 (2-0) @Michgian, 20-19 W Ohio State No. 2
No. 2 Indiana 4-0 (1-0) Northwestern, 29-23 W @Rutgers No. 1
No. 3 Ohio State 3-1 (1-0) Illinois, 42-19 W @Iowa No. 3
No. 4 UCLA 4-0 (2-0) @Maryland, 54-3 W Bye No. 7
No. 5 Oregon 3-1 (1-0) @USC, 41-27 W Bye No. 16
No. 6 Wisconsin 3-1 (1-0) @Penn State, 24-20 W Michigan State No. 14
No. 7 Minnesota 3-1 (1-0) @Washington, 27-24 W Michigan No. 11
No. 8 Nebraska 4-0 (1-0) @Michigan State, 31-13 W Maryland No. 9
No. 9 Michigan 3-1 (1-0) Iowa, 20-19 L @Minnesota No. 5
No. 10 USC 4-1 (1-1) Oregon, 41-27 L Washington No. 4
No. 11 Northwestern 2-1 (0-1) @Indiana, 29-23 L Penn State No. 8
No. 12 Washington 3-1 (0-1) Minnesota, 27-24 L @USC No. 10
No. 13 Penn State 3-1 (0-1) Wisconsin, 24-20 L @Northwestern No. 6
No. 14 Illinois 2-2 (0-1) @Ohio State, 42-19 L Purdue No. 12
No. 15 Michigan State 2-2 (0-1) Nebraska, 31-13 L @Wisconsin No. 13
No. 16 Maryland 2-2 (0-1) UCLA, 54-3 L @Nebraska No. 15
No. 17 Purdue 1-3 (0-1) Notre Dame, 49-10 L @Illinois No. 17
No. 18 Rutgers 1-3 (0-1) Howard, 58-7 W Indiana No. 18
There was also no shortage of Dan Lanning being Dan Lanning.
His quote of the week came after Oregon’s win over USC: “If you’re interested in winning football games and you’re from this area, you should go to Oregon.”
Lanning has built a reputation for delivering lines like that, and this one landed after Oregon’s third straight win over the Trojans. He also used the moment to turn his postgame press conference into a recruiting pitch with plenty of swagger, which fits the tone he’s made his own.
The other major matchup to keep an eye on is Ohio State’s trip to Kinnick Stadium. The Buckeyes haven’t been there since 2017, and that last visit did not go well. This is a big one for Ohio State, which is still leaning on reputation and the narrow one-point loss to Texas as the main evidence for its standing right now.
In Other News...
Ohio State Freshman Legend Bey May Have A Bigger Problem Than Playing Time
Legend Beys first season at Ohio State has already been shaped by interruption, and not just because of the usual freshman learning curve. After an earlier suspension and an ankle injury, the running back has been working from behind for playing time, and his role has stayed limited as the Buckeyes have moved through the season. Even in areas where young players can sometimes find a foothold, his path has been narrow.
The latest sign came against Illinois, when Bey did not play and another player handled his kick-return work instead. For a freshman trying to earn more than a spot in the rotation, that kind of move can say plenty about where he stands with the staff. If the concerns run deeper than health or depth-chart traffic, it could become a bigger issue for Bey as he looks to settle his future in Columbus. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Future Talent Pipeline Is Starting To Look Different
Ohio States recruiting machine is still humming, but the shape of the pipeline is starting to change. The Buckeyes already hold 19 verbal commitments in the 2027 class, a group that includes six national top 100 players and the countrys No. 1 overall prospect, DJ Jacobs, giving the staff another chance to load up early with high-end talent.
The next wave looks just as promising, if a little different in how it is forming. Ohio State has five commitments in the 2028 class, four of them top 100 prospects, led by quarterback Christopher Vargas at No. 4 nationally, and even the 2029 class already has a foothold with wide receiver Austin Miller, ranked No. 50. For a program that has long built its roster on blue-chip talent, the real question is how this early momentum will translate when the class rankings and the pressure both start to rise. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Has A Growing Running Back Problem Behind Ja'Kobi Jackson
Ohio State got the win over Illinois in Week 4, but the running back room left Ryan Day with a lot to sort through. The group finished with 122 rushing yards, and Ja'Kobi Jackson accounted for the best of it with 56 yards and a touchdown, giving the Buckeyes a steadier presence than they got from the rest of the rotation.
What followed was more revealing than the box score. Day publicly singled out sophomores Bo Jackson and Isaiah West, questioning their effort when compared with Ja'Kobi Jackson, and the backdrop here is not just one uneven afternoon but a position group dealing with injuries and inconsistent play. For Ohio State, the bigger concern is whether there is a reliable answer behind Ja'Kobi Jackson, because right now the depth chart looks far less settled than a contender would prefer. [Read more 🡒]