Week 5 turned the Big Ten power rankings upside down.
Penn State and Michigan both tumbled out of the top 10 after ugly losses, while Northwestern crashed the party with the kind of win that changes how people look at a team. USC also survived a scare, Purdue delivered a stunner, and Ohio State kept rolling on the road in Iowa City.
Here’s where the conference stands after the dust settled.
Rutgers sits at No. 18 after a 1-4 start and an 0-2 mark in Big Ten play. Michigan State is right above them at No. 17 at 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the league.
Maryland checks in at No. 16, also 2-3 and 0-2. Illinois lands at No. 15 after another setback, with Purdue just ahead of the Fighting Illini at No.
- Penn State drops to No.
13, Michigan falls to No. 12, and Washington rounds out the bottom half of the top 10 at No. 11.
Northwestern is the new face inside the top 10, debuting there for the first time this season after a 34-13 win over Penn State in the first game at the new Ryan Field. The Wildcats controlled the game on the ground, piling up more than 400 rushing yards.
Caleb Komolafe and Joseph Himon II each topped 150 yards rushing, and the pair combined for three touchdowns. Northwestern is 3-1 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play, up from No. 13 last week.
Iowa falls to No. 10 after a 31-14 loss to Ohio State. The Hawkeyes were held to just 39 rushing yards, and quarterback Hank Brown never found a rhythm through the air against the Buckeyes’ front.
Minnesota moves back into the top 10 at No. 9 after knocking off Michigan 20-14 at home to win the Little Brown Jug for the first time in more than a decade. The Golden Gophers picked off Bryce Underwood twice, and the defense carried the day in a game that still left some quarterback questions unresolved. Minnesota has won three straight and is now 4-1 overall, 2-0 in conference play.
Wisconsin comes in at No. 8 after a 31-3 win over Michigan State. Since opening with a loss to No.
3 Notre Dame, Luke Fickell’s team has won four straight. Colton Joseph threw three touchdown passes, and the Badgers rushed for more than 200 yards.
USC sits at No. 7 after holding off Washington 25-21. The Trojans needed the win after last week’s loss to No.
13 Oregon, and they got it despite a rough start from Jayden Maiava. Washington had one last chance, but USC’s defense stopped the final drive.
Jahkeem Stewart’s scoop and score helped flip the game back in the Trojans’ favor, and Lincoln Riley got the kind of result his team badly needed.
UCLA is No. 6 after a bye week. The Bruins are 4-0 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play, and the break gives Bob Chesney’s team time to prepare for a road trip to Oregon. That matchup is shaping up as their first real test.
Nebraska climbs to No. 5 after a 48-23 win over Maryland. The Cornhuskers fell behind early, then ripped off 41 unanswered points across the next three quarters.
Anthony Colandrea threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for more than 100 yards. Nebraska is still unbeaten at 5-0, even with some questions hanging over the defense.
Oregon is No. 4 after its bye week. The Ducks are coming off their road win over USC and now turn their attention to UCLA. Dante Moore’s return for Saturday remains unclear, so Dylan Raiola is expected to keep handling the job for now.
Indiana checks in at No. 3 after a 47-15 win at Rutgers. The Hoosiers looked far sharper than they did a week earlier against Northwestern, putting up nearly 600 total yards.
Josh Hoover threw for 250 yards and four touchdowns, and Turbo Richard ran for more than 200 yards. Indiana is 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten.
Ohio State remains at No. 1 after beating Iowa 31-14 in Kinnick Stadium. Jeremiah Smith once again did Jeremiah Smith things, finishing with two touchdowns and more than 200 receiving yards. The Buckeyes have Maryland left before heading to Bloomington for a rematch of last season’s Big Ten Championship Game against Indiana.
In Other News...
USC Fans Have Plenty To Debate After That Gritty Washington Win
The heat was no joke, and neither was USCs defense in a 25-21 win over Washington that gave the Trojans plenty to feel good about and even more to debate. Against the kind of grind-it-out test that can expose a team in September, USCs pass rush came through with four sacks, multiple tackles for loss and a sack-fumble recovery that turned into a touchdown, the sort of sequence that can swing a close game and change the feel of a night.
For a team ranked No. 18, the result mattered just as much as the details, and there were enough of both to keep fans talking well after the final whistle. The game offered a useful look at individual performances and how USCs defensive plan held up in tough conditions, but it also left room for questions about which players are emerging, which adjustments are working and how sustainable this kind of gritty win might be as the schedule moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Maiava's Rough Start Put USC's Offense Under A Harsh Spotlight
Jayden Maiavas afternoon against Washington put USCs offense under a harsh spotlight, as the Trojans spent much of the first half searching for any kind of rhythm. The quarterbacks decision-making and mechanics were both under scrutiny, and a series of poor throws, long holds in the pocket and drive-killing penalties left the offense looking flat when it needed to be sharp.
Maiava finished the half 12 of 19 for 143 yards, but the numbers only told part of the story as USC went to the locker room trailing 14-10. The Trojans still had time to settle in, but the opening half raised real questions about whether the offense could clean itself up quickly enough to change the tone of the game. [Read more 🡒]
USC Defense Escaped Washington After One Brutal Breakdown
USCs defense came out of Washington with a win, but not without a few uneasy moments that will linger in the film room. In a 25-21 victory over the Huskies, the Trojans had the kind of mixed outing that can leave a staff thankful for the result and still frustrated by the details, from a costly missed-tackle sequence that opened the door for a long touchdown to the kind of timely response that kept the game from slipping away.
Jahkeem Stewarts fumble return for a score gave USC a huge lift, and Kameryn Crawford made key defensive plays late to help secure the finish. Even so, Washington had chances behind Demond Williams Jr. and Chris Lawson, and the combination of injuries and breakdowns made this one feel closer than the Trojans would have preferred, with one brutal lapse standing out in a game they still managed to escape. [Read more 🡒]