Ohio State’s hold on the top spot in the Big Ten power rankings never really wavered, even if the Buckeyes made things messier than they had to be in a 45-16 win over Maryland. There were stressful stretches in that one, and some plain bad football too.
Ohio State briefly found itself up only 14-10, and on one Terrapins scoring drive the Buckeyes piled up four penalties. Even so, the No. 1 spot stays in Columbus.
Indiana sits right behind the Buckeyes after surviving Nebraska in Lincoln. The Hoosiers needed a late push to escape with the win, but escape they did, and that keeps them in the No. 2 slot. It’s been nearly two years since Indiana last took a loss, and Curt Cignetti gets another chance to make a statement when Ohio State comes to Bloomington on Saturday.
UCLA is the team that pushed the rankings into a new shape. The Bruins stayed unbeaten by handing Oregon its second loss of the 2026 season, and that kind of result says plenty about where Bob Chesney’s team stands now. With a schedule that looks manageable the rest of the way, UCLA has all the signs of a real CFP threat in Chesney’s first season.
From there, the middle of the Big Ten keeps shifting. USC drops to No. 4 after a third straight loss this season in its annual White Out game on Saturday.
Iowa climbs to No. 5 after going to Seattle and washing Washington, a response to the Ohio State loss fueled by backup quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski. Wisconsin sat out Week 6 but comes back into the picture at No. 6, with UCLA waiting at the Rose Bowl next Saturday evening.
Nebraska came painfully close to producing the week’s biggest result, but the near-miss still counts as a loss and leaves the Huskers unranked for now at No. 7.
That sets up a huge Week 7 game against Oregon, a matchup that matters for both teams’ 2026 survival. The Ducks land at No. 8 after two losses to currently ranked teams and that earlier win over USC; another slip against Nebraska would all but wipe out their CFP hopes by mid-October.
Northwestern holds at No. 9 after a comfortable 31-point win over Ball State, and the Wildcats head to East Lansing next weekend with a chance to keep climbing. Purdue follows at No. 10 after upsetting Minnesota and beating the Gophers badly at home, a sign Barry Odom is settling in during his second season.
Minnesota drops to No. 11, still showing flashes but now carrying two losses, which has made P.J. Fleck a much less popular man this week.
Michigan didn’t play in Week 6 and sits at No. 12, with a Week 7 home game against a limping Penn State team up next. Illinois is No. 13 after a good overtime win over Michigan State, and if the Fighting Illini are going to squeeze real production out of an undermanned roster, Bret Bielema is the guy to do it.
Penn State comes in at No. 14, and the Nittany Lions at least avoided the week’s worst loss in the league. Matt Campbell is apparently down to looking for moral victories now that Penn State’s season is almost entirely off the rails. Washington is next at No. 15, with Jedd Fisch’s team now on a three-game losing streak and the heat beginning to build.
Michigan State lands at No. 16 after another winnable game slipped away against Illinois. Maryland checks in at No. 17 despite showing some fight against Ohio State, because the talent gap was still too much and the Terrapins keep trudging through the late Mike Locksley era. Rutgers closes things out at No. 18 after its bye, though the Scarlet Knights could start climbing out of the bottom if they handle Maryland on the road this weekend.
In Other News...
Ryan Day Revealed Ohio State's Bigger Concern After Maryland Win
Ohio States win over Maryland came with a heavier dose of adversity than the final score suggested, as the Buckeyes were down five starters and two reserve players because of injuries and illness. Starting offensive tackle Austin Siereveld was scratched after an illness surfaced just hours before kickoff, and Phillip Daniels was also held out because he was not ready to play, forcing Ohio State to shuffle on the fly in a game where depth mattered more than usual.
Ryan Day pointed to the mix of penalties and availability issues as part of the larger concern, even with the victory in hand. The Buckeyes are also hoping to get some injured players back next week, which makes the immediate injury picture just as important as anything that happened against Maryland. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Got Snubbed Before A Huge Top 10 Road Test
Ohio State heads to Bloomington for a top-10 road test against Indiana, but the Buckeyes wont be getting the full College GameDay treatment for it. ESPNs pregame show chose BYU vs. Notre Dame in Provo instead, leaving one of the weekends marquee Big Ten matchups without the extra spotlight that usually comes with a clash this big.
Its the kind of decision that stings a fan base used to being in the center of the national conversation, especially with the Buckeyes entering a stretch where every ranked opponent matters. And with GameDay already heading elsewhere this week, Ohio State supporters may be left wondering whether theyll get another chance to host the crew before the season is over. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Got The Wake-Up Call Ryan Day Can Actually Use
Ryan Day had a useful decision in Maryland: he sat most of his starters and let the backups take real game snaps, the kind of reps that can only help a team that already knows it has a higher ceiling. Ohio State still handled the Terrapins 45-16, but the win came with enough messiness to feel instructive rather than purely routine.
The pass protection was shaky at times, turnovers popped up and the penalties piled up, giving the coaching staff a clear list of fixes before Indiana arrives next. For a team that has spent the season aiming higher, this kind of sloppy stretch can be annoying, but it also gives Day and his assistants something concrete to correct before the next step in the schedule. [Read more 🡒]