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September in the Big Ten saw plenty of big things.
There was a Hail Mary victory in The Big House by the home team, and there was a walk-off loss in The Big House suffered by the home team. In between, Michigan took out Oklahoma, also in The Big House.
While the Wolverines lived both extremes of the last-second drama, Oregon somehow got manhandled at Oklahoma State and Ohio State somehow blew a 20-point, 4th-quarter lead at Texas, knocking it from No. 1.
We’ve learned a lot so far in the Big Ten, but by Halloween we’ll know so much more. October brings a bevy of things to watch in the league, and here are 5 of those big things to focus on during the month:
1. Ohio State’s got Iowa, Indiana and USC, all on the road
The Buckeyes had 3 layup games at home in September, and they blasted Ball State and Kent State accordingly before reminding Illinois that there are indeed levels in the Big Ten. But Ohio State lost its 1 showdown game of the month, and it happened in horrific fashion, with that massive 4th-quarter meltdown in Austin in Week 2.
That means Ohio State, which is always under the microscope anyway, is really worth watching closely, because rarely do the Buckeyes have a loss so early in the season. Adding to the intrigue is an October minefield of a schedule that Ohio State will be fortunate to navigate without losing a second game.
It starts Saturday with a trip to Iowa City to face Hank Brown and those surging Hawkeyes, who are coming off that last-second victory at Michigan. The 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff against Iowa is on CBS and is only the beginning for Ryan Day‘s team, which after a supposed breather at home against Maryland in Week 6 will finish the month with grudge matches at Indiana (Oct. 17) and at USC (Oct. 31).
As brutal as this sounds for the Buckeyes, and it is, at least they get a break, literally, with a bye week in between the trips to Bloomington and Los Angeles. Watching Jeremiah Smith and Co. try to carve out what right now is 3 Big Ten ranked road games will be must-see stuff in October.
2. Can Penn State avoid another complete collapse?
Nittany Lions fans had to be having James Franklin flashbacks during that late collapse in Week 4 against Wisconsin, which came at home no less. With all due respect to Franklin, it wasn’t even one of those “big games” that Franklin usually flopped in. This was only Wisconsin, and Penn State had a 20-10 lead deep into the 4th quarter that wasn’t impressive but seemed safe.
It wasn’t, and the 24-20 loss might have been the beginning of the end of Penn State’s College Football Playoff hopes. Because on Friday night, in front of a national TV audience on FOX and inside its new $875 million Ryan Field, Northwestern took the Nittany Lions to the woodshed in a 34-13 stomping that sent Year 1 of the Matt Campbell era into a bit of disarray.
Speaking of those Franklin flashbacks, these 2 ugly losses in a 6-day span must have the Penn State faithful recalling the 6-game skid that obliterated the 2025 season and cost Franklin his job. With a new coach and all those new players, the same old meltdown can’t happen again in 2026, can it?
USC visits Beaver Stadium next Saturday night, then Penn State heads to The Big House to meet Michigan in Week 7, so it’s up to Campbell to make sure that Wisconsin collapse doesn’t turn into a 4-game collapse. With those Playoff dreams all but gone, the Nittany Lions are in pure survival mode now.
3. Will Lincoln Riley still be USC’s coach after Halloween?
Paul Finebaum tore into Lincoln Riley after the Trojans came up empty at the finish line against Oregon in Week 4, calling for USC to fire the head coach he called a “fraud” even if it has to eat the huge buyout. If Riley’s seat wasn’t hot enough coming into 2026, it’s probably blazing right now as USC tries to pick up the pieces after a 4-0 start disintegrated into a loss to the Ducks that came with the controversial hit that knocked out Dante Moore with a concussion.
USC not only suffered a crucial loss on the field. The Trojans are getting crushed amid the fallout from that hit on Moore by linebacker Desman Stephens II. He was suspended by USC the following day but losing to Oregon in a winnable situation and doing it like the Trojans did was a bad combination for Riley.
The rumblings about Riley’s future at USC are rampant. The Los Angeles Times reported earlier this week that a person familiar with Riley’s situation who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly said that “all options are on the table” with the former Oklahoma coach who just hasn’t transferred his success from Norman to LA.
Riley was in damage control mode this week in the aftermath of the Oregon loss that had so many unfortunate layers to it. Can he avoid more losses this month? After Saturday night’s home game against Washington, which isn’t exactly a layup, USC hits the road for potentially tough games against Penn State and Wisconsin, with a bye week in between. And if the Trojans survive that trip unscathed, Ohio State will be waiting for them at the Coliseum on Halloween to finish off the month.
The question is, will Riley be finished at USC by then?
4. UCLA’s trip to Eugene on Oct. 10 will be fascinating
UCLA might end up being the best team in Los Angeles this season. Yes, better than USC, because as unsettled as the Trojans’ coaching situation is right now, things couldn’t be going any better for Bob Chesney so far in Westwood. The Bruins are 4-0 and they’ve busted into the AP rankings at No. 23 after busting up Maryland, 54-3, on the road in Week 4.
Beating Maryland might not be the best indicator of sustained success, but there’s something to be said about a 51-point road victory in conference play. You don’t see that very often, and it speaks to the way Chesney has already changed things at UCLA so early in Year 1. The Bruins are one of the best stories in college football, which is what makes that Week 6 clash with Oregon in Eugene so darn intriguing.
Oregon already has that loss at Oklahoma State, so it’s in desperation mode as the month begins. When UCLA comes to town on Oct. 10 for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff, the Bruins will get the spotlight treatment on CBS. The first edition of the Chesney Bruins will be displayed on national TV, and who knows who’ll be playing quarterback for the Ducks as Dylan Raiola filled in wonderfully for the injured Dante Moore in the Week 4 win at USC.
The oddsmakers aren’t giving UCLA much of a shot, no matter who’s under center for Oregon. The Ducks are about a 2-touchdown favorite right now, although the line has plenty of time to move either way next week in the leadup to the game. These Bruins have already surpassed last season’s win total. All the pressure will be on Oregon, and that alone makes this matchup a must-watch.
5. Is Nebraska for real? October will help define that
Speaking of pressure, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule came into this season with a heavy dose of it. He was 19-19 in his first 3 seasons in Lincoln coming into 2026, and that kind of mediocre pace couldn’t be tolerated for much longer, one would think. September brought some needed relief with a 4-0 start, capped by a nice road victory over Michigan State to finish the month and start the Big Ten campaign.
Those other wins over Ohio, Bowling Green and North Dakota aren’t going to move the needle, but they are wins, and the perfect start sets up an October reckoning with a potential twist in Week 7. That’s when Nebraska makes its way out to Eugene to play Oregon and just imagine if Dylan Raiola is starting at quarterback for the Ducks that day with Dante Moore on the mend after his concussion in Week 4.
Raiola vs. Rhule could happen on Oct. 17, though Moore should theoretically be back by then, but wouldn’t that just be must-see TV for the Cornhusker faithful during a month-long test as Nebraska tries to make that September be the start of something real. A home game against Maryland on Saturday is a prime chance to get to 5-0, and then it gets serious, with defending national champion Indiana storming into Lincoln on Oct. 10 in the prime noon ET kickoff window on FOX.
Then comes that trip to Oregon to possibly face the former Nebraska quarterback who bolted for greener Big Ten pastures. After what will be a much-needed bye week, the Huskers are back in Lincoln against Washington to end their crazy month, but those mega matchups against Indiana and Oregon will either set Rhule up for a breakout season in Lincoln or set Nebraska back to the state of mediocrity that’s defined Rhule’s brief tenure.
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