Big Ten Weekend Review — October 2–3, 2026

The Big Ten produced a fascinating weekend, highlighted by major upsets, impressive performances from several undefeated teams, and difficult losses for two of the conference’s traditional powers.

Northwestern 34, Penn State 13
Northwestern delivered one of the weekend’s biggest surprises, dominating Penn State behind 506 yards of offense. The Wildcats were especially impressive on the ground, with Caleb Komolafe rushing for 188 yards and Joseph Himon II adding 162. Penn State managed only 291 total yards and fell to 0–2 in Big Ten play.

Minnesota 20, Michigan 14
Minnesota reclaimed the Little Brown Jug with an important home victory. Michigan led 14–7 at halftime, but the Golden Gophers shut out the Wolverines in the second half and scored 13 unanswered points. Michigan finished with only 180 yards of offense and committed three turnovers.

Wisconsin 31, Michigan State 3
Wisconsin controlled this game from beginning to end. Quarterback Colton Joseph was the difference-maker, rushing for 141 yards and a touchdown while also throwing three touchdown passes. The Badgers improved to 4–1 overall.

Ohio State 31, Iowa 14
In a matchup between two ranked teams, Ohio State produced one of its strongest performances of the season. Quarterback Julian Sayin threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns, while Jeremiah Smith caught 11 passes for 206 yards and two scores. Ohio State outgained Iowa 484–238 and committed no turnovers.

Nebraska 48, Maryland 23
Maryland jumped out to a 16–7 first-quarter lead, but Nebraska responded in impressive fashion. The Cornhuskers scored 21 points in the second quarter and 20 more in the fourth. Anthony Colandrea threw three touchdown passes and rushed for 108 yards as Nebraska improved to 5–0.

Purdue 24, Illinois 17
Purdue earned an important road victory in a remarkably even game. Both teams finished with exactly 345 yards of offense, but Purdue avoided turnovers while Illinois committed one. Ryan Browne threw for 255 yards and a touchdown, and Purdue held off a late Illinois comeback attempt.

USC 25, Washington 21
Washington led 21–10 early in the third quarter, but USC rallied. One of the game's biggest moments came when USC recovered a Washington fumble and returned it for a touchdown. The Trojans then added a fourth-quarter field goal and stopped Washington's final drive to preserve the four-point victory.

Indiana 47, Rutgers 15
Indiana continued its outstanding start with another dominant performance. The Hoosiers accumulated 593 yards of offense, including 333 rushing yards. Josh Hoover threw four touchdown passes, while Turbo Richard rushed for 204 yards and a touchdown. Indiana improved to 5–0.

Weekend Takeaway

Three results particularly stand out: Northwestern’s 34–13 upset of Penn State, Minnesota’s victory over Michigan, and Ohio State’s convincing road win over Iowa. Meanwhile, undefeated Indiana and Nebraska continued building momentum.

Perhaps the most surprising development is the early trouble for Michigan and Penn State, both of which have now lost their first two Big Ten conference games. At the same time, several other programs are emerging as serious factors in what is becoming a very interesting Big Ten race.

Absolutely. I’ll put the full Big Ten weekend review in a clean write-up on the page. It'll cover all eight conference games in a simple copy-and-paste format. Let me know if you'd like it shorter or more headline driven.

BIG 12 WEEKEND REVIEW

Texas Tech Stays Perfect, Baylor Explodes and Iowa State Survives a Shootout

TEXAS TECH STAYS UNBEATEN, BEATS COLORADO 29–7
No. 12 Texas Tech improved to 5–0 with a strong road victory at Colorado. The Buffaloes actually led 7–3 at halftime, but the Red Raiders took over after the break, scoring 26 unanswered points. Colorado committed four turnovers, including a fourth-quarter interception that Texas Tech returned for a touchdown.

IOWA STATE SURVIVES WEST VIRGINIA, 45–42
This was the Big 12’s wildest game of the weekend. The teams combined for 1,095 yards of offense and traded scores throughout the second half. Iowa State’s Aiden Flora was sensational, rushing for 212 yards and three touchdowns. His two-yard touchdown with two minutes remaining gave Iowa State the lead, and the Cyclones recovered a West Virginia fumble on the Mountaineers’ final possession to preserve the victory.

HOUSTON RALLIES PAST UCF, 27–17
UCF appeared to be in control after building a 17–0 third-quarter lead, but No. 20 Houston completely reversed the game. The Cougars scored the final 27 points. Quarterback Conner Weigman rushed for three touchdowns as Houston improved to 4–1.

BYU WINS DEFENSIVE BATTLE AT TCU, 17–10
No. 10 BYU remained unbeaten with a hard-earned road victory in Fort Worth. Neither offense reached 300 total yards, but BYU protected the football and Bear Bachmeier rushed for two touchdowns. His 21-yard touchdown run with just over two minutes remaining gave BYU the decisive score.

BAYLOR BLOWS OUT ARIZONA STATE, 55–19
Baylor produced one of the weekend’s most impressive offensive performances. The Bears rolled up 564 yards, committed no turnovers and scored at least 10 points in every quarter. DJ Lagway threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns without an interception as Baylor improved to 4–1.

ARIZONA DOMINATES CINCINNATI, 34–7
Arizona controlled Cincinnati from beginning to end, building a 34–0 advantage before the Bearcats finally scored in the closing minutes. The Wildcats amassed 522 yards while holding Cincinnati to 227. Noah Fifita threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns as Arizona moved to 4–1.

KANSAS CRUSHES MIDDLE TENNESSEE, 55–0
Kansas delivered the Big 12’s most dominant victory of the weekend. The Jayhawks piled up an extraordinary 706 yards while holding Middle Tennessee to only 136. Dylan Edwards rushed for 137 yards and three touchdowns, and Kansas did not commit a turnover.

BIG 12 WEEKEND HEADLINE

TEXAS TECH AND BYU STAY PERFECT AS BAYLOR MAKES A STATEMENT

The biggest conference developments came from Texas Tech and BYU, which both protected unbeaten records with road victories. Texas Tech’s second-half domination at Colorado was particularly impressive, while BYU showed it could win a low-scoring, physical game away from home.

But the most explosive performance belonged to Baylor. The Bears’ 55–19 victory at Arizona State, fueled by 564 yards and six offensive touchdowns, was one of the strongest performances anywhere in the Big 12 this weekend.

And for pure excitement, nothing topped Iowa State’s 45–42 victory over West Virginia. With nearly 1,100 combined yards and the outcome hanging in the balance during the final minute, it was the Big 12 game of the weekend.

Yes, I'll put the Big 12 review directly on the page, headline driven just like the Big Ten version. It'll be ready for you to copy and paste once you close out of this.

SEC WEEKEND HEADLINE

ALABAMA AND GEORGIA REMAIN PERFECT AS MISSOURI MAKES ITS MOVE

Alabama and Georgia emerged from Saturday still unbeaten, but Missouri produced perhaps the most eye-catching result by defeating No. 8 Florida by 28 points. The Tigers combined a 340-yard passing performance from Austin Simmons with 211 rushing yards from Jamal Roberts.

Kentucky supplied the weekend's drama, overcoming a 17-point deficit and gambling on a two-point conversion in overtime to defeat South Carolina.

And Alabama may have delivered the strongest overall performance. The Crimson Tide went on the road against an unbeaten, 16th-ranked Mississippi State team and scored 56 points while forcing four turnovers.

The SEC now turns toward a major October 10 showdown: No. 2 Georgia at No. 7 Alabama, with both teams entering the matchup at 5–0.