Another week of non-conference games has come and gone within The Big Ten. A few exceptions remain, but for the most part, Big Ten teams will now begin to focus their attention and energies on playing and defeating their conference brethren.
Blowouts Were Still A Theme: Indiana 73, Indiana State 0; Maryland 44, Towson 17; Nebraska 59, HCU 7; Michigan 63, Central Michigan 3; Penn State 52, Villanova 6; Illinois 38, Western Michigan 0; Iowa 47, UMass 7; Rutgers 60, Norfolk State 10. Congratulations to Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, as he earned his 206th victory to become The Big Ten’s winningest football coach in history.
Costly Win For Sparty?: Michigan State defeated Youngstown State, 41-24. The Spartans had offensive linemen Luka Vincic and Conner Moore, running back Makhi Frazier, and wide receiver Nick Marsh all leave the game due to injuries. Michigan State begins Big Ten conference play next week with a game at USC that will kick off at 11pm ET/8pm PT on September 20th.
First Conference Wins Of 2025 For Ducks & Trojans: Oregon 34, Northwestern 14; USC 33, Purdue 17. The Ducks will have a non-conference game against their longtime rivals in the Oregon State Beavers on September 20th, while USC will be welcoming in Michigan State, as written up above.
Sluggish Yet Still Victorious: Ohio State defeated Ohio University 37-9, after only leading the Bobcats 13-3 at the half. Give credit to Ohio University for playing tough against the Buckeyes, but I believe Ohio State head coach Ryan Day will have plenty to work on in the upcoming bye week, especially as the Buckeyes struggled in the red zone repeatedly Saturday evening.
The First Cut Is The Deepest: Alabama 38, Wisconsin 14; California 27, Minnesota 14. Both the Badgers and Golden Gophers fell from the ranks of the unbeaten, as both were defeated in non-conference play.
DeShaun Foster Is The First Coaching Casualty In The Big Ten: UCLA was dominated by New Mexico 35-10, leaving the Bruins at 0-3 on the season. UCLA decided to pull the plug on Foster’s coaching tenure, appointing Tim Skipper as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2025 season. “I want to extend my sincere appreciation to DeShaun for his contributions to UCLA Football over the course of many years, first as a Hall of Fame student-athlete, then as an assistant coach and finally as head coach,” said UCLA AD Martin Jarmond. Speculation on who the Bruins may target for their next head coach has already begun in earnest, but UCLA will want to take their time and make sure they have the right man in place to rebuild the UCLA program.
