After a fairly drama-free Week 3 in the Big Ten, things got a little wild over the weekend in Week 4. Oregon took down USC on the road, and both Iowa and Wisconsin pulled off stunning road upsets that really shake things up in the Big Ten's power rankings. The Indiana Hoosiers moved to 4-0 with a hard-fought 29-23 win over Northwestern.
Every Big Ten team has now played a conference game, and we already have plenty of wild storylines on our hands. Heading into Week 5, here is how the Big Ten's 18 teams stack up against one another.
Week 5 Big Ten Football Power Rankings
18. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-3, 0-1)
17. Purdue Boilermakers (1-3, 0-1)
16. Maryland Terrapins (2-2, 0-1)
15. Michigan State Spartans (2-2, 0-1)
Rutgers defeated Howard 58-7 on Saturday. Unfortunately for Greg Schiano and company, that's not enough to move them from the bottom spot in this week's Big Ten power rankings. That's what losing to UMass in Week 1 gets you. Indiana's next matchup comes against Rutgers in Week 5.
Purdue took a 49-10 beating at the hands of No. 3 Notre Dame. The Boilermakers are now 1-3 with their lone win coming against Indiana State in Week 1. Barry Odom still has plenty of work to do get Purdue out of the cellar of the Big Ten.
Mike Locksley's seat is getting hotter and hotter at Maryland. The Terps got blown out to the tune of a 54-3 defeat to upstart UCLA over the weekend, which comes one week after losing to Virginia Tech at home.
Michigan State put up a fight against Notre Dame last week, but then fell flat with a 31-13 home loss to Nebraska on Saturday. Pat Fitzgerald is now 2-2 in his first season in East Lansing.
14. Illinois Fighting Illini (2-2, 0-1)
13. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-1, 0-1)
12. Wisconsin Badgers (3-1, 1-0)
11. Washington Huskies (3-1, 0-1)
Illinois fell to 7th-ranked Ohio State 42-19 in a game that was never in doubt. Things got so bad for the Fighting Illini that they fired defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck shortly after leaving Columbus.
Matt Campbell's first loss at Penn State is a brutal one, as the Nittany Lions lost a stunner to Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon in Happy Valley. PSU will have to regroup quickly, as they face a short week with a Friday night matchup at Northwestern at the end of the week.
Luke Fickell may have just found the signature win he's been looking for. The Badgers were trailing 20-10 with less than five minutes to play against Penn State, but rallied for two touchdowns in the closing minutes to shock the Nittany Lion faithful at Beaver Stadium. The win moves Wisconsin up from No. 14 to No. 12, while also dropping Penn State from No. 6 to No. 13.
Washington has put forth some uninspiring performances to start the 2026 season. The Huskies struggled past Washington State 24-10, beat Utah State by just two points, and have now lost to Minnesota as a 10-point favorite at home.
10. Michigan Wolverines (3-1, 0-1)
9. Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-0, 1-0)
8. Northwestern Wildcats (2-1, 0-1)
7. Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-1, 0-1)
6. UCLA Bruins (4-0, 2-0)
Michigan's roller coaster of a season continued on Saturday with a last-second loss to No. 17. Kyle Whittingham's first month in Ann Arbor has seen a little bit of everything.
Nebraska is quietly flying under the radar with a 4-0 record after beating Michigan State by 18 points in Week 4. With a home matchup against Maryland on the docket for this coming Saturday, the Cornhuskers seem to be in a good spot to move to 5-0 before hosting Indiana on October 10.
Northwestern put up a strong fight against Indiana on Friday night in Bloomington. The Wildcats gave the Hoosiers all they could handle, and narrowing missed pulling off the upset. There's a lot to like about Northwestern moving froward, as Chip Kelly's leadership and creative play-calling seems to be helping advance Aidan Chiles' development in a major way.
Minnesota went on the road and beat Washington 27-24. Winning at Husky Stadium is never easy, but PJ Fleck and company found a way in a tough environment. A very intriguing matchup awaits the Golden Gophers in Week 5, as the Michigan Wolverines make their way to the Twin Cities.
UCLA continued to turn heads this season with an emphatic 54-3 win over Maryland on Saturday. Bob Chesney certainly has the Bruins moving in the right directon.
5. USC Trojans (4-1, 0-1)
4. Iowa Hawkeyes (4-0, 1-0)
3. Oregon Ducks (3-1, 0-1)
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (3-1, 1-0)
1. Indiana Hoosiers (4-0, 1-0)
Lincoln Riley is still looking for his signature win at USC after falling to No. 20 Oregon by a score of 41-27 in Week 4. A rivalry game against Washington awaits the Trojans this weekend. If USC loses that game as well, Riley will start to feel the heat even more.
Iowa is for real. The Hawkeyes are 4-0 after their miracle win at The Big House, and Kirk Ferentz continues to show that he is an elite head coach. This week's matchup against Ohio State is must-watch TV for all college football fans.
Oregon got back on track with a huge 41-27 win on the road at USC in Week 4. The Ducks may now be without Dante Moore, but Dylan Raiola looked great by completing 19 of his 25 pass attempts for 289 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Ohio State dismantled Illinois 42-19 on Saturday at The Horseshoe. The Buckeyes have now won back-to-back games by a combined score of 101-22 since losing to Texas a few weeks ago.
Indiana was heavily tested for the first time this season, and responded with a 29-23 win over Northwestern. It wasn't pretty, but the Hoosiers dug deep when they needed to. Now riding a 20-game winning streak, Indiana stays at No. 1.
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