Ohio State spent Week 8 exactly where it wanted to be: idle, unbothered, and watching the rest of the Big Ten spin itself into knots.
The Buckeyes kept the top spot in the conference power rankings after a bye week that brought them a little clarity around the league. Their main rival lost in overtime, the team they had just beaten kept making noise, and the Big Ten continued to sort itself out with five weeks left in the regular season. That was a much better outcome for Ohio State than the previous week, when quarterback Julian Sayin was potentially lost for the rest of the year.
At No. 2, UCLA keeps forcing people to pay attention.
The Bruins are still unbeaten after taking down Michigan State 28-10, and the Bob Chesney debut has turned into one of the more surprising storylines on the West Coast. They also look like the kind of team Ohio State could see again if the Buckeyes reach the final Big Ten Championship game in December.
Indiana sits third after its overtime win over TTUN at the "Big House." Even with that result, the Hoosiers are not the same dominant group they were last year with Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza. Quarterback Josh Hoover managed only 81 passing yards against TTUN.
Northwestern moves into the No. 4 spot after beating Rutgers. That kind of result doesn’t exactly light the world on fire in 2026, but it did separate the Wildcats from much of the Big Ten’s messy middle. They’ve climbed into the conference’s upper tier.
Wisconsin continues to cash in on its investment, and Week 8 brought another strong showing. The Badgers defended Camp Randall Stadium against a USC team that wasn’t ready, and now they’re sitting at 5-2 overall with one conference loss.
Minnesota follows right behind after an upset of Iowa on Luke Drzewiecki’s game-winning field goal. The Golden Gophers have suddenly landed in the same record neighborhood as Wisconsin, and they’re firmly in the mix.
Iowa drops just below Minnesota, but the Hawkeyes still have a chance to flip the script when they host Wisconsin on Halloween at Kinnick Stadium.
Illinois has every reason to feel better about itself after upsetting Oregon and shutting the Ducks out of their season. Bret Bielema’s team has won two straight, and that’s enough to give the Illini a real boost in these rankings.
Nebraska lands at No. 9 after a bye. The Cornhuskers started 5-0, but they were never ranked and may finish, at best, 3-4. There’s still a chance to end the schedule on a better note, but Week 8 didn’t change much.
USC slides into the 10 spot after the loss in Madison. Lincoln Riley can’t afford many more setbacks, and the Trojans are now one loss away from being eliminated from the CFP.
Washington stays put at No. 11 after its bye week and now turns its attention to a Halloween night trip to Lincoln, Nebraska.
Purdue nudges up to No. 12 despite losing last week. The Boilermakers get a chance to get back in the win column in Happy Valley on Saturday afternoon.
Michigan sits 13th, and the offensive picture remains ugly. Kyle Whittingham clearly isn’t the answer for the Maize and Blue, and the issues on that side of the ball are still not solving themselves for Tommy Carr, Bryce Underwood, or the inadequate running game.
Oregon tumbles to No. 14 after what may be its lowest point yet under Dan Lanning. Since he arrived in 2022, this has become his worst year in Eugene, and the loss to Illinois has the Ducks looking completely consumed by their own problems. It should be as low as it gets for Oregon, but this season keeps making that hard to trust.
Michigan State falls to No. 15 after the loss to UCLA. The Spartans are 0-5 in Big Ten play and haven’t won since mid-September, so there isn’t much to cling to in East Lansing.
Penn State remains at No. 16 during its bye week.
Rutgers stays ahead of the bottom spot at No. 17 after beating Maryland. That win keeps the Scarlet Knights from dropping any further, even if their schedule doesn’t offer much hope for another victory.
Maryland sits last, and the school finally fired head coach Mike Locksley. What that means for the rest of the season remains to be seen.
In Other News...
Ohio States Bye Week Boost Comes With A Serious New Concern
BYUs double-overtime loss to UCF shook up the AP Top 25 and opened the door for some movement near the top, but Ohio States bigger concern has little to do with the rankings. The Buckeyes are coming out of the bye week with questions attached to two key pieces of the offense, as injuries to quarterback Julian Sayin and running back JaKobi Jackson threaten to affect how much the team can lean on its usual rhythm.
Miami stayed at No. 1 after handling Pitt, while Ohio State is left sorting through the more immediate reality of how it will look in the games ahead. The Buckeyes have had enough stability to stay in the national conversation, but the timing of these injuries adds a real layer of uncertainty at a point in the season when every week starts to feel more consequential. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Faces A Complicated Ranking Drop After Costly Upset
Miami held onto the No. 1 spot in the AP college football rankings after a convincing win over Pittsburgh, with quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Malachi Toney leading the way. The bigger shift, at least for the teams chasing the top, came from BYUs upset loss to unranked UCF in double overtime, a result that is expected to send the Cougars sliding after they had been sitting at No. 2.
For Ohio State, the ripple effect could be significant. The Buckeyes are projected to move up to No. 2 as pollsters reshuffle the upper tier after a chaotic weekend, with several top teams now under closer scrutiny depending on how they handled their latest tests. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Faces A Season-Defining Test After Julian Sayin Injury
Julian Sayins injury has forced Ohio State into a different kind of stretch run, one that now hinges on how the Buckeyes handle a sudden change at quarterback. Luke Fahey is stepping in, and with the bye week arriving at a key moment, the staff has a little time to stabilize the offense and keep the season on track while the rest of the roster tries to carry the load.
There is still a path here for Ohio State to finish strong, make the College Football Playoff and stay in the national title conversation, but the margin for error is tighter now. The bigger picture also leaves room for long-term optimism, from Jeremiah Smiths Heisman-level ceiling to the idea that Sayin could eventually reclaim the job down the road, even if this season has already taken a sharp turn. [Read more 🡒]