Around the Big Ten: Week Four

Week Four saw a lot of action all across the board. In the Big Ten, two quarterbacks have emerged as arguably the top three guys in the country. Safe to say, the Big Ten could easily have a Heisman winner this season. Here’s what happened in the conference this week:

Bye Weeks:

No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Penn State, Minnesota, Northwestern, UCLA

Friday

Iowa 38 @ Rutgers 28

Friday night football is always a welcome sight. Mark Gronowski has been improving every week as the starter for Iowa, as he helped his Hawkeyes get a win on the road. He completed 12 passes for 186 yards while carrying the ball 13 times for 55 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Iowa’s special teams also came up big with a 100-yard kick-return touchdown courtesy of Kaden Wetjen. For Rutgers, Athan Kaliakmanis still leads the Big Ten in passing yards, but he failed to throw a touchdown pass as the Hawkeyes took over in the final quarter, outscoring the Scarlet Knights 17-7 in the fourth.

Saturday

Maryland 27 @ Wisconsin 10

Malik Washington is the real deal. As crazy as it may sound, he might be the best true freshman quarterback this season. His connection with Shaleak Knotts is very real as he is tied for the most receiving touchdowns in the conference and second most in the country (five). Maryland’s defense took over in this game with six sacks and an interception as the Terrapins held Wisconsin scoreless in the first half. The Badgers had four different players throw a pass, three of those being quarterbacks. It was just a bad day at Camp Randall for the home team, as Maryland looks to continue its momentum with Washington coming to College Park after a bye week.

Oregon State 7 @ No. 6 Oregon 41

Dante Moore is the best quarterback in the country. Right now, he’d be my pick for No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. While the competition faced by the Ducks hasn’t been of the highest caliber, Moore has been nothing but magical. The game started with the in-state rivals trading touchdowns, followed by Oregon scoring 34 unanswered. The Ducks are still at No. 6 nationally in the Week Five AP Poll, but they will have to travel to face now-No. 3 Penn State and its signature whiteout crowd at Beaver Stadium.

No. 21 Michigan 30 @ Nebraska 27

Michigan is back to its roots: defense wins games. While Bryce Underwood played fairly well, rushing for 61 of the Wolverines’ 290 yards, it was the pass rush that decided the game. Justice Haynes had 149 rushing yards and a touchdown of his own, including his second 75-yard rushing touchdown of the season. He has the most rushing yards in the Big Ten with 537, more than 100 yards ahead of second place. This mark also ties him for third in the country. Despite this, it was a very back-and-forth contest throughout as Dylan Raiola showed what he can do in the air, throwing for 308 yards and three touchdowns. Yet, that wasn’t enough, as Michigan took the lead to start and never gave it up (apart from two times the game was tied). It was the seven total sacks by the Wolverines that helped them get the victory on the road. The season is definitely not over for the Cornhuskers, though, as this may be their only loss of the season. The elusive win over a ranked team still haunts them, with the streak now extended to 29 straight losses.

Purdue 30 @ No. 24 Notre Dame 56: Shillelagh Trophy

Dating back to 1957, the battle for the Shillelagh Trophy has been played yearly. As the first team ranked with a 0-2 record since Michigan in 1988, Notre Dame got its first win and bragging rights at home. This game last season, which came after the Fighting Irish lost to Northern Illinois, saw Notre Dame route Purdue 59-0. While the Boilermakers couldn’t get the win this year, they at least put up a fight. Ryan Browne continues to flash his potential, including a receiving touchdown in this one. After a bye week, Purdue continues its tough schedule as Illinois comes to West Lafayette.

No. 9 Illinois 10 @ No. 19 Indiana 63

What was supposed to be one of the better Week Four games turned into a massacre. Illinois had been sitting pretty at 3-0 with a solid win over Duke two weeks prior. When the Illini traveled to Bloomington, the Hoosiers scored their second-most points of the season in a 63-10 victory. Indiana has scored the most points in the country this season, is averaging the second-most yards-per-game (588.5) and is holding teams to just 8.3 points-per-game (fifth-best in FBS). Safe to say, everything that could have gone right for the Hoosiers has gone right this season.

It’s officially Fernando Mendoza country as he is now second in Heisman Trophy odds behind Oklahoma’s John Mateer. Mendoza threw five touchdown passes, putting him atop that statistic in the country with 14. He has yet to throw an interception as well, as both Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. are tied for second in the country with five receiving touchdowns each. The Hoosiers travel to Iowa City to take on Iowa next week, followed by a trip to Eugene to face Oregon.

Washington 59 @ Washington State 24: Apple Cup

The in-state battle for the Apple Cup between former Pac-12 rivals saw Washington score on its first drive and hold the lead all the way. Demond Williams Jr. has looked like the real deal and could even be a dark horse Heisman guy if the Huskies can make some noise. He threw four touchdown passes and ran one in, while Jonah Coleman ran two in. Coleman leads the FBS in rushing touchdowns with nine, and Washington has only played three games. The Huskies are looking to shock the world Saturday as they welcome the reigning National Champions: No. 1 Ohio State.

Michigan State 31 @ No. 25 USC 45

Aidan Chiles has been incredible this season. He had four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) and was turnover-free, but Jayden Maiava is playing like a Heisman-type quarterback. Maiava was 20-of-26 for 234 yards and three touchdowns through the air, plus four carries for 31 yards and two rushing scores. Makai Lemon was USC’s leading receiver, going for over 100 yards and two touchdowns with co-star Ja’Kobi Lane out. Lincoln Riley shouldn’t have much to complain about as his Trojans face their biggest test yet on the road against Illinois next week.