Big Ten football scores after rowdy Week 5, look ahead to Week 6
Big Ten football is always an interesting environment because so many of the teams have known each other for so long, while on the flipside it feels like there’s so many newcomers, including the Nebraska football team. With the addition of the four former Pac-12 schools this year it can be hard to feel like you’re staying abreast of all the happenings in the conference from one week to another.
That’s why we’ve got you covered with a recap of what happened this weekend, where things stand and what to expect in the coming week. Without divisions to more easily delineate who is in the chase for the Big Ten title and who isn’t, things get even more chaotic as the season ramps up.
Big Ten football Week 5 scores featured one mini-upset
By and large, what was supposed to happen did in Week 5. Much to the chagrin of a couple of teams hoping to pull off upsets.
Nebraska 28, Rugers 10
The Nebraska football team of course, logged a 28-10 win over the Purdue Boilermakers. The loss was so painful for the team over in West Lafayette they fired their offensive coordinator the day after.
Rutgers 21, Washington 18
This game was an interesting one because the Huskies looked like the better team for most of the game, but couldn’t execute once they got onto the Scarlet Knights’ side of the field. Greg Schiano has his team playing very well with wins over Virginia Tech and UW being victories they don’t get in previous seasons.
Ohio State 38, MIchigan State 7
The Spartans have arguably been one of the surprise teams in the Big Ten this year after getting off to a 3-1 start. But they couldn’t handle the Buckeyes. OSU hasn’t been tested yet this season as this game marked the smallest margin of victory so far in 2024.
Oregon 34, UCLA 13
The Ducks continue to do enough to win, but they still don’t have a really impressive victory under their belts as the supposed newcomer power in the Big Ten. UCLA, on the other hand, looks like it could be hard pressed to win a conference game.
Penn State 21, Illinois 7
This was the game that looked like it might provide an upset for long stretches of Saturday night. In the end, the Illinis couldn’t overcome Penn State’s defense. The Illini did look for real though and could be a problem for the rest of the teams on its schedule.
Michigan 27, Minnesota 24
This game was a blowout until the fourth quarter when the Gophers tried to rally from being down 27-3. They did score 3 TDs in the fourth quarter but it’s hard to know how much of that was due to the Wolverines simply thinking they had the game in the bag.
USC 38, Wisconsin 21
Like Nebraska football’s game against Purdue, this was a tale of two halves. Unlike the Huskers, USC looked like it might be on the ropes for a while. The Badgers actually held a 21-10 halftime lead before being outscored 28-0 in the second half.
Indiana 42, Maryland 28
On the one hand, the Indiana Hoosiers’ offense looks scary good and they’ll come to Lincoln with the potential to be 6-0 one week after the Huskers take on Rutgers. On the other hand, it’s still hard to know just how much of IU’s success is smoke and mirrors considering the strength of their schedule.
Big Ten football’s biggest games on tap for Week 6
The biggest games in the conference aside from the Scarlet Knights coming to Lincoln for an afternoon tilt are probably Iowa at Ohio State and Michigan at Washington.
The Wolverines have been good but played almost exclusively at home, but a win in Husky stadium would send a message they can still win tough games on the road.