Ohio State got its signature win of the 2026 season in Week 5, starting a potentially rough month of October in style with a 31-14 blowout of Iowa at Kinnick Stadium.
The Buckeyes' blood rival, TTUN, is continuing a downward spiral in year one(-and-done?) of the Kyle Whittingham era. The Wolverines lost 20-14 to Minnesota in Minneapolis, extending their losing streak to two.
How does the Big Ten stack up after another riveting week of conference play?
Let's take a look:
No. 1: Ohio State
That Texas loss continues to fade away. Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith is clearly the best player in the sport and had another Heisman-worthy performance against the Hawkeyes.
With Maryland coming to Columbus next week, the Buckeyes cannot get overzealous and turn it into a trap game with a trip to Bloomington the following week.
No. 2: Indiana
Indiana predictably handled Rutgers 47-15 in Piscataway on Saturday, but what happened the night before gave the Hoosiers their first good win retroactively. Northwestern beating Penn State makes that 29-23 IU win over NU look better in hindsight.
The Hoosiers beating Nebraska in Husker country would give Indiana more legitimacy heading into their Big Ten Championship Game rematch against Ohio State.
No. 3: Oregon
Oregon had a bye in Week 5.
The Ducks have a major prove-it test against UCLA at Autzen Stadium next weekend that could move them closer, if not back into, the top 10.
No. 4: UCLA
The Bruins were also on their bye this weekend.
UCLA's Bob Chesney era is off and running and could really kick it into high gear with an upset of Dan Lanning and Oregon next Saturday.
No. 5: USC
USC barely survived Washington but took a 25-21 win at LA Memorial Coliseum to save Lincoln Riley's job.
The Trojans have the chance to keep the momentum going against the Nittany Lions during the White Out game.
No. 6: Iowa
Iowa was dominated pretty thoroughly, but the Hawkeyes can't be down for too long after losing to perhaps the most talented team in the country.
A trip to Seattle for some Friday Night action awaits the Hawkeyes this coming week.
No. 7: Wisconsin
Luke Fickell's program is on the cusp of the B1G's upper echelon. Wisconsin blew the doors off Michigan State in a 31-3 statement at Camp Randall Stadium.
The Badgers get a bye before heading to Westwood for a chance to stamp their arrival against the Bruins in Week 7.
No. 8: Nebraska
Nebraska is right there with Wisconsin. The Huskers continue beating up on bad teams, but they have the defending champions in Lincoln next weekend.
Beat Indiana, and Big Red will be respected as a potential conference contender.
No. 9: Minnesota
P.J. Fleck sure knows how to celebrate. After crowdsurfing with the fans on the Big Noon Kickoff pregame show, Fleck's Golden Gophers knocked off TTUN and crowd-surfed afterward in the locker room.
Minnesota may be more serious than we all thought after the Gophers were gashed by Mississippi State a few weeks ago.
No. 10: Northwestern
Opening up Ryan Field in style Friday night against Penn State, the Wildcats proved that taking the Hoosiers to the limit wasn't a fluke.
Northwestern won't be tested until Halloween night in Eugene. The Wildcats could be bowl-eligible by then.
No. 11: Purdue
As a substantial underdog, Purdue knocked off Illinois 24-17 in Champaign.
The Boilermakers still have a losing record, but Purdue is moving in the right direction compared to other Big Ten programs.
No. 12: Washington
The Huskies at least lost respectfully.
Nearly knocking off USC on the road is better than what most of the other Week 5 losers accomplished.
No. 13: Michigan
Bryce Underwood doesn't appear to be the guy to bring the Maize and Blue to the next level. TTUN looked lost again offensively and is now 0-2 in conference play and should be 2-3 overall, if not for the extra second added to the clock against Western Michigan.
Karma is striking in Ann Arbor from prior administrations' sins.
No. 14: Penn State
Matt Campbell had it a lot easier at Iowa State. Thus far, his tenure in Happy Valley has been anything but happy, now that conference play has begun.
Northwestern and Wisconsin are good teams. Still, the Nittany Lions were hoping to be a sneaky CFP dark horse. That dream is probably dead now.
No. 15: Michigan State
Being dominated in Madison completes a brutal three-week stretch for MSU that started with Notre Dame beating them by three scores, was followed by Nebraska doing the same, and concluded with Wisconsin surprisingly looking the most dominant of the three.
The bleeding may stop against the Fighting Illini. No guarantees, though.
No. 16: Illinois
Illinois has officially jumped the shark under Bret Bielema, who had a fun, plucky underdog team that competed hard for two years but now owns a Big Ten bottom-feeder through five games.
The Fighting Illini need to fight like hell not to be the Spartans' slump-buster next Saturday.
No. 17: Maryland
Mike Locksley's press conferences could continue to grow more unhinged until the Terps remove him.
A third straight loss to Nebraska heading into Ohio State week means this only gets worse.
No. 18: Rutgers
Finding five wins left on the 1-4 Scarlet Knights' schedule is practically impossible.
RU's season is basically already over. The Bergen County native Greg Schiano may not be coaching his home team for much longer.
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