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College football’s new-age conference of champions has endured some September slip-ups early in its quest to conquer the sport for the 4th straight season.
But with the final college football Saturday of the month already here, the Big Ten also has some things to boast about as 2 of its powers try to turn their stunning losses into footnotes by season’s end. Oregon and Ohio State have time on their side to do just that, and nobody else in the Big Ten will exactly be crying for them in the meantime.
This conference that was once 10 teams has grown into a deep, 18-team ocean of possibility, and with it still being September there is plenty of possibility left in the 2026 season. But what about what’s already gone down through Week 3 in the Big Ten, the good and the not so good, the intriguing surprises and, yes, the curious disappointments.
Here are 3 of those big-time September surprises and 3 of those really big disappointments so far in the conference that just doesn’t want to stop winning in January:
3 big surprises
Yes, it’s a small sample size, but this trio is off and running in 2026.
1. UCLA, where the Bob Chesney Way is already on display
Chesney has won everywhere he’s been, including a 21-6 record and a College Football Playoff berth during his 2 years at James Madison. But this is the big time. This is the Big Ten, and this is also UCLA, which limped to a 3-9 record last season and turned to Chesney to lead a revival in Pasadena.
So far, so good — how about really good? Sure, the 3-0 Bruins needed huge 4th quarters to outlast California and San Diego State, and they gave up 38 points to Purdue, surviving only because they put up 52. It hasn’t been close to perfect, and it hasn’t been close to smooth, but who cares right now? UCLA has already matched its win total from last season, with the Chesney Way already taking effect.
We’ll know a lot more about this UCLA team after Saturday’s road game against Maryland, and especially after a showdown at Oregon on Oct. 10. Chesney’s Bruins will eventually lose a game and probably a few more, but there’s already no denying that UCLA football is in much better hands.
2. Hank Brown, the ex-Auburn QB who’s seized the job at Iowa
When the 17th-ranked Hawkeyes travel to The Big House on Saturday afternoon to face No. 18 Michigan in the Big Ten opener for both teams, it’ll be with Brown under center, as Iowa has put its faith in the former Auburn signal-caller. The quarterback situation was far from clear in Iowa City when the season began, but Brown has done more than enough in his nonconference trial run while leading Iowa to a 3-0 start.
He’s completed 72.6% of his passes, thrown for 473 yards and 3 touchdowns while not being intercepted once. Brown firmed up his status as the starter in last Saturday’s 55-0 rout of Northern Iowa, completing all 12 of his passes for 153 yards with 2 touchdowns and, of course, 0 interceptions. After Brown’s big test in Ann Arbor will come another huge one the following week at home against Ohio State.
Things just didn’t work out for Brown in his 2 years at Auburn, whether it was because Payton Thorne was in the way or because Brown’s poor play when he did get a chance ultimately got in the way. After 1 season of mostly watching at Iowa, Brown is getting another chance to play, this time in the Big Ten. His rise to the top of Iowa’s quarterback depth chart has been a pleasant surprise.
Now, all he has to do is prove himself all over again through an intense Big Ten gauntlet.
3. Aidan Chiles, who’s thriving under Chip Kelly at Northwestern
Chiles spent 2 seasons spinning his wheels at Michigan State, going a combined 8-12 while throwing 23 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions. He did run for 9 touchdowns while playing in East Lansing, but Chiles wanted a change of scenery and decided to leave Michigan State while staying in the Big Ten.
His timing in landing at Northwestern couldn’t have been better, with the offensive mastermind Kelly taking over the Wildcats’ offense. First, Chiles had to win the starting job in Evanston against the likes of Ryan Boe and another transfer in Nicco Marchiol. Chiles checked that box and now he’s checked the boxes next to Northwestern’s first 2 games, leading the Wildcats to wins over South Dakota State and Colorado.
Chiles has thrown for 514 yards with 4 touchdowns and, most importantly, 0 interceptions, and he’s also rushed for 3 TDs. The primetime stage will be his on Friday night when Northwestern heads to Bloomington to face defending national champion Indiana (8 p.m. ET, FOX). Chiles might not win the game, but he won’t be intimidated with it being his 3rd season in the Big Ten and with his strong early play under Kelly, whose presence should prove crucial for Chiles in this spot and in other tough spots this season.
3 big disappointments
It’s still early, but September hasn’t exactly gone smoothly for this trio of teams.
1. Oregon, because 2026 was supposed to be The Year
The Ducks started the season ranked 2nd in the AP Poll and are playing their final game of September as the No. 20 team in the land. That tells you all you need to know about what the first month has been like in Eugene. Oregon’s clash at No. 12 USC on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC) brings a golden opportunity to charge into October with a renewed vengeance — or it could be the beginning of the end.
If these Ducks are who most analysts thought they were going into 2026, then they’ll rise up and take down the Trojans at the Coliseum. They’re a slight road favorite over a team ranked ahead of them for a reason. The oddsmakers still think this Oregon team can accomplish what many thought, which is to finally win the program’s first national championship.
This is the fork in the road for the Ducks. The chance to leave that lackluster season-opening victory over Boise State behind, and the chance to (somewhat) forget that embarrassing loss at Oklahoma State in Week 2, the one in which Oregon allowed 554 total yards and only held the ball for slightly over 23 minutes. The Ducks took their frustrations out in last week’s 84-0 whitewashing of poor Portland State. Now, they can either get back in the fight by beating USC or be all but forgotten in the national title picture.
2. Ohio State, because the Buckeyes’ standard is so high
Yes, Ohio State is one of the few places where you can be ranked 7th in the country in late September and even be in consideration as a “disappointment.” But we’ll nitpick here and put the Buckeyes in this category, simply because of that one awful 4th quarter during Week 2 in Austin, when Ryan Day‘s defense melted down against Texas and turned an impressive 23-3 lead into a shocking 24-23 loss.
The Buckeyes had smothered the Longhorns all night, in their house, in primetime, until Arch Manning and Co. turned the tables with drives of 15 plays (for 91 yards), 13 plays (for 72 yards) and 12 plays (for 73 yards). It was stunning, if only because it was Ohio State allowing this to happen. The defeat cost the Buckeyes their No. 1 ranking and elevated Texas into the No. 1 spot, but the loss also stripped this Ohio State team of any sort of invincibility, not after what went down in Austin and how the Buckeyes were defenseless to stop it.
Those blowout wins over Ball State and Kent State aside, Ohio State has a real chance to build itself back up to being, well, itself starting on Saturday (noon ET, FOX) at home against a solid Illinois team. It’s just the start of a grueling Big Ten gauntlet, when Ohio State can push the early Texas loss aside and still get where it needs to get in 2026.
3. Rutgers, because it couldn’t even beat UMass at home
Losing by a touchdown at Boston College wasn’t something to be totally ashamed of, and pushing a ranked USC team to the brink last week at home before losing by a touchdown was actually a compliment to these Scarlet Knights. If those results had simply been accompanied by a victory over UMass in the season opener, then Rutgers wouldn’t be anywhere near this “disappointments” category.
But Rutgers didn’t beat UMass — at home, no less — in that Thursday night shocker in early September. This was a UMass program that had lost 16 games in a row coming in, and this is a Rutgers team that doesn’t have many spots on the schedule to call a “sure win.” UMass hadn’t beaten an FBS school since defeating Army in 2023, so the Scarlet Knights made the wrong kind of history to start a season that’s likely headed the wrong way.
The coaching seat for Greg Schiano couldn’t be any hotter right now, and the Brian Kelly rumors have started about him replacing Schiano should he get fired. This is what happens when you don’t beat UMass at home.