Week 8 didn’t just shake up the Big Ten - it split the league into clear tiers, with Ohio State still sitting on top and several teams making cases in completely different directions. USC, meanwhile, took a step backward that changes the feel of its season, while Wisconsin and UCLA keep pushing upward.
At the top, the Buckeyes remain the team to beat in the conference. Even with Julian Sayin out, Ohio State still holds the No. 1 spot after a wild week around the league.
Right behind them, UCLA keeps on winning. The Bruins are still undefeated at 7-0, and the path to a special season remains open. Backup quarterback Ty Dieffenbach is also settling in and finding his rhythm at the right time.
Indiana stays in the mix at No. 3 after another win, but the warning sign is still there: at some point, a team like Ohio State is expected to expose the limits of Josh Hoover. That might not happen until the College Football Playoff.
Northwestern has climbed into the top four by staying hot, and Aidan Chiles is playing as well as any quarterback in the country right now. If the Wildcats can keep getting the kind of production they had Saturday, their ceiling stays high.
Wisconsin made one of the loudest statements of the week by beating a more talented USC team 24-7 on Saturday. That kind of win can change the direction of a season, and the Badgers now look like a team whose defense will keep them in every game. With Colton Joseph and a run game that is impossible to ignore, Wisconsin has a real path toward the top of the conference.
USC falls to No. 6 after losing the chance to turn this season into something more. Instead of finishing the week at 7-1, the Trojans left it with Lincoln Riley under increasing pressure.
Iowa sits just behind them, and the profile is familiar: a talented team with a defense that belongs. The problem remains the same one that can wreck the season - quarterback play. Saturday showed exactly how that can derail things, and the Hawkeyes still look like an 8-4 team until that issue gets solved.
Oregon’s place in the rankings took a hit after another loss, and this one lands hard for Dan Lanning. Dante Moore’s injury for the next few weeks is a major blow, but the third loss also made it clear the Ducks have more problems than just quarterback.
Nebraska comes out of its bye week with a chance to regroup and a very manageable stretch ahead. The Cornhuskers have three winnable games coming up and a real opportunity to get back on track.
Minnesota has been inconsistent, but the Gophers have still collected two rivalry trophies. P.J. Fleck and his team also have the chance to make the season mean a lot more if they can beat Wisconsin at the end of the year.
Washington has a higher ceiling with Emmett Brown at quarterback, and that move gives the Huskies a better shot at making the rest of the season more competitive. There’s still a chance for Jedd Fisch to build some momentum late.
Michigan checks in at No. 12 after another week where coaching cost the Wolverines again. The team’s only flaw is not quarterback play, and the Kyle Whittingham era has not delivered much reason for optimism.
Illinois is right behind them, and Michael Clayton’s debut start turned heads. The Fighting Illini are playing with the future in mind, and their true freshman quarterback showed plenty of poise while leading them to victory.
Penn State has gone from one of the Big Ten’s most exciting teams to one of its most disappointing. Even with a favorable schedule ahead, there does not seem to be much hope for a major turnaround.
Purdue is moving in a better direction, even if it’s still a slow climb. The Boilermakers are no longer living at the bottom of the league, and next season could bring more relevance.
Rutgers gets a boost from the talent of KJ Duff and Antwan Raymond, even after losing its starting quarterback. Raymond and the ground game continue to help cover for the absence.
Michigan State’s season looks like a rebuilding year in every sense, especially with the injuries piling up. Still, the Spartans have been more competitive than Maryland in most of their games.
At the bottom, Maryland’s struggles finally reached a breaking point. The Terrapins have established themselves as the worst team in the Big Ten, and Mike Locksley lost his job as a result. The next question is whether the program can keep Malik Washington.
In Other News...
USC Blew A Showcase Chance Fans Have Wanted For Years
USCs latest loss to Wisconsin did more than knock the Trojans back in the standings. It also took some shine off a game that had been carrying real national-stage buzz, the kind of spotlight fans around the program have been waiting years to see return to the Coliseum. Instead of lining up for a possible ESPN College GameDay visit, USC is watching that show head to Minnesota for the Indiana game.
The drought is the bigger backdrop here. College GameDay has not been to USC since 2013, and this was shaping up as one of the cleaner chances for that streak to end. Now, with that window closed again, the wait only gets longer, and the possibility of that long-awaited return may end up being tied to a different head coach entirely. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Rileys USC Future Just Became A Real Trojans Debate
Lincoln Rileys long-term future at USC has become the kind of topic that can hang around a program whenever expectations and results start to drift apart. The latest discussion around the Trojans is not about a firing or an immediate move, but about the possibility of a negotiated separation if another school comes calling and Riley himself is open to a fresh start. In that scenario, the conversation has naturally turned toward possible landing spots, with Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech all mentioned as programs that could fit.
For USC, the issue is as much financial as it is football-related, since any exit would have to account for Rileys buyout and the structure of a deal that would not be simple for either side. There have been no reported negotiations or agreement, and the idea remains speculative for now, but the comparison to a previous USC basketball coaching departure shows how these situations can move from rumor to reality quickly. For a fan base watching closely, the real question is whether this becomes just another offseason talking point or the start of a much bigger reset. [Read more 🡒]
No. 2 USC Women Face A Major Early Test At East Lake
The No. 2 USC women are getting an early barometer at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, where the East Lake Cup runs Oct. 26-28 and brings together a compact field with real postseason feel. The event mixes stroke play and match play, and the Trojans will see familiar high-end opposition in Arkansas, Eastern Michigan and Oklahoma State while carrying four of the five players from last years lineup into the week.
It is the kind of setup that can tell a lot about where a team stands before the heart of the season really arrives. With the competition set to be nationally televised on Golf Channel, USC gets a chance to measure its depth, steadiness and match-play chops on a stage that rarely feels like an ordinary fall event. [Read more 🡒]