Week 7 in the Big Ten didn’t just shake the conference - it rattled the whole national picture. Five top-10 teams went down across the sport, and that chaos helped create a fresh opening at the top of the league standings, where UCLA now stands alone as the Big Ten’s last unbeaten team.
The biggest headline came in the league’s marquee matchup, where Ohio State knocked off Indiana 19-15 and snapped the Hoosiers’ 22-game winning streak. It was the kind of low-scoring, high-pressure game that felt like a statement win right up until the injuries started piling up for the Buckeyes.
Quarterback Julian Sayin hurt his right arm and was spotted in a sling on the sideline in the second half. He is reportedly expected to miss several weeks.
Still, Ohio State found just enough offense to finish the job. Sayin connected with Jeremiah Smith for a 38-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, stretching the lead at a crucial moment. Indiana had one last shot to steal it, with Josh Hoover finding Nick Marsh on a late throw with 1:02 left, but Marsh had a foot out of bounds on what would have been the go-ahead touchdown.
UCLA, meanwhile, kept its perfect record intact with a 17-7 win over Wisconsin in Pasadena. The Bruins did it without starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava and despite a quiet night from Big Ten-leading rusher Wayne Knight.
Ty Dieffenbach stepped in and delivered 264 passing yards in a backup-turned-starter role, while UCLA’s defense controlled the game and held Wisconsin to 214 total yards. Colton Joseph was limited to 66 passing yards for the Badgers, and Wisconsin managed only 3-of-10 on third down.
Even with two turnovers, UCLA controlled possession for 37 minutes.
Oregon needed a late burst to escape Nebraska 17-14 in Autzen Stadium. Nebraska took a 14-6 lead into the fourth quarter and looked poised for a road win, but the Ducks finished stronger, outscoring the Huskers 11-0 over the final period.
Former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola ended up being the difference for Oregon after entering for a struggling Brock Thomas. Raiola completed 11 of 18 passes for 59 yards in the fourth quarter and threw the game-winning touchdown with 28 seconds left.
Michigan also authored a second-half comeback, edging Penn State 21-18 after a turnover-filled afternoon for the Nittany Lions. Penn State went into halftime with a 3-0 lead, helped by two interceptions against Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood.
Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham turned to Tommy Carr to start the second half, and the Wolverines’ offense found life from there. The defining stretch belonged to Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht, who was intercepted twice in the third quarter and then lost a fumble in the fourth, handing Michigan three touchdowns.
Matt Campbell said after the game that he is not considering a change at quarterback, even as Penn State dropped its fourth straight.
The rest of the league had its own share of drama. Washington snapped a three-game skid with a 38-26 win over Purdue behind Elijah Brown’s 302 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Northwestern beat Michigan State 24-21 on a game-winning field goal with two seconds left after a blocked Spartan attempt set up the finish, and it came in Pat Fitzgerald’s first game against his alma mater and former employer. Rutgers rallied in the second half to beat Maryland 37-30 for its first Big Ten win, with Dylan Lonergan throwing three touchdown passes and KJ Duff catching two of them for 113 yards.
Maryland’s Malik Washington finished with 263 passing yards and added a team-high 56 rushing yards.
After all that movement, the updated Big Ten standings show UCLA and Ohio State at the top, both 4-0 in league play. Indiana and USC sit just behind at 3-1. Oregon, Wisconsin, Iowa and Northwestern are clustered in the chase, while Penn State, Maryland and Michigan State remain winless in conference play.
Here’s how the standings look after Week 7:
UCLA 4-0, 6-0
Ohio State 4-0, 6-1
Indiana 3-1, 6-1
USC 3-1, 6-1
Iowa 2-1, 5-1
Northwestern 2-1, 5-1
Minnesota 2-1, 4-2
Oregon 2-1, 4-2
Wisconsin 2-1, 4-2
Nebraska 2-2, 5-2
Purdue 2-2, 3-4
Michigan 1-2, 4-2
Illinois 1-2, 3-3
Rutgers 1-2, 2-4
Washington 1-3, 4-3
Penn State 0-4, 3-4
Maryland 0-4, 2-5
Michigan State 0-4, 2-5
Week 8 is next, and several Big Ten teams are set to sit out, including Penn State. The full Saturday slate is set for Oct. 24, with home teams listed first and all times Eastern.
In Other News...
Penn States Big Ten Position Just Got Much More Uncomfortable
Week 7 of the 2026 college football season shook up the national picture in a hurry, and the ripple effects reached well beyond the biggest headlines. With half of the AP Top 10 going down, including Georgia and Notre Dame, the sport suddenly feels a lot less predictable, and the Big Tens pecking order got harder to read by the hour. A weekend full of upsets and quarterback absences turned what had looked like a fairly stable race into something much messier.
Ohio State now has its own concern after Julian Sayin was sidelined for several weeks, a development that changes the leagues balance in a hurry. Around the conference, teams such as Rutgers, Minnesota, UCLA and Oregon posted notable results while also dealing with the growing reality of backup quarterbacks being forced into bigger roles. For Penn State, the broader takeaway is obvious: the path through the Big Ten just got more crowded, more unpredictable and a lot less comfortable. [Read more 🡒]
Rocco Becht Faces A Penn State Question Fans Can't Ignore
Rocco Bechts season has become one of the biggest reasons Penn States offense has stalled during a four-game losing streak. Through seven games, the quarterback has dealt with turnovers and uneven play, even as his completion percentage has climbed from last season. The bigger concern is that the improvement has not translated into cleaner overall production, especially on the short throws that are supposed to keep an offense on schedule.
Penn State has not done him many favors either. The running game has been weak, and injuries to key receivers have left Becht operating with less margin for error than he would like. Even so, the questions around him are growing because the underlying issues are showing up in the same places week after week, and the Nittany Lions still need a way to turn a frustrating stretch into something more sustainable. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States QB Faces Mounting Pressure After Painful Michigan Loss
Rocco Bechts latest outing left Penn State with plenty to sort through after a 21-18 loss to Michigan, a game in which the quarterbacks mistakes helped tilt the second half. Becht was part of a messy afternoon that featured two interceptions and a lost fumble, the kind of turnover-heavy performance that can linger after a tight road loss and raise questions about how a team moves forward.
Matt Campbell, though, did not sound ready to shift away from his starter. He pointed to Bechts competitiveness and the room he still has to grow, while Becht acknowledged the challenge and said he believes in himself and in the work ahead. For Penn State, the storyline now is less about one bad night than whether its quarterback can steady things quickly enough to keep the season from slipping into something more complicated. [Read more 🡒]