Oregon, Iowa, & USC take massive falls in Big Ten power rankings entering Week 9 in college football

If you ever needed to show someone what “Big Ten football” is all about, show them the box scores from Week 8 of the 2026 college football season.

There were 6 Big Ten games played this weekend. Only one of them featured more than 40 total points scored. Big Ten Football! Defense, ball control, weird trophies- that’s what Big Ten football is all about!

MORE:Biggest risers in College Football after Week 8

Ranks 10-6

10. Nebraska

This is a difficult team to evaluate because of their schedule. They haven’t beaten anyone above them on this list. But they also haven’t lost to anyone below them either. And on a neutral field, they probably should be favored over anyone not listed. So, they sit here at #10 with opportunities to prove their worth ahead.

9. Iowa

Same old Iowa. The QB change from Hank Brown to Jeremy Hecklinski appeared to be a good one last week. Not this week. Starting RB Kamari Moulton being forced to leave the game with injury didn’t help, either. Only 13 points allowed, only 10 points scored.

8. Oregon

The Ducks paid a hefty amount of money in the offseason for Dylan Raiola to come over for Nebraska to back up Dante Moore. He was not only an insurance policy in case Moore got hurt, but also the future at the position. The Ducks are not getting their money’s worth with that one. They’ve also fired their offensive coordinator. This is the season from hell for a team who had legitimate National Championship aspirations in the preseason.

7. Minnesota

Is PJ Fleck the King of weird trophies? After the win over Iowa, the Golden Gophers now hold the Bronze Pig, Paul Bunyan’s Axe, and the Broken Chair. That’s quite the collection.

6. USC

We’ve now got a Hot Seat in the Big Ten. Sitting at 6-2, with games remaining against Ohio State, Indiana, and UCLA, the USC administration may not stand for a 7-5 season from Lincoln Riley. The Trojans have no bad losses, and likely will not end with any, but the lack of defense and lack of urgency to fix it have to frustrate the USC brass.

Top 5

5. Northwestern

Who would have thought that in 2026 a college football team would be winning games running the Wing T? Or that Aidan Chiles would turn out to be a good college quarterback? Both of these anomalies are the product of a vintage coordinating job by Chip Kelly, and this offense is going to be one to watch the rest of the season.

4. Wisconsin

It’s time to admit that Wisconsin is good. They might not be the most aesthetically-pleasing team, but they’re good. They win the line of scrimmage on both sides, and Colton Joseph is doing a great job taking care of the football. That combination makes a team that is tough to beat.

3. UCLA

This team is still unbeaten, but it doesn’t feel great right now. The offense isn’t quite the same since Nico Iamaleava’s injury, as Ty Dieffenbach is clearly not as talented. But the defense continues to be staunch. Bob Chesney is just like DJ Khaled – all he does is win.

2. Indiana

We can officially declare that this Indiana team is not of the same quality as last year’s title team. Josh Hoover may be banged up, but that’s no reason to be caught in an overtime game against Michigan. This team is probably much closer in quality to the 2024 Hoosier team that lost to Notre Dame in the CFP.

1. Ohio State

The Buckeyes’ Week 8 Bye could not have come at a better time. After Julian Sayin’s injury against Indiana, they got a full week to prepare Luke Fahey (or maybe Tavien St. Clair?) to start. And his first start will be a big one, as the Buckeyes travel to the LA Coliseum to take on USC.

MORE:Biggest fallers in College Football after Week 8

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