Week 5 of the 2026 college football season is now in the books! And while USC went on the road and took down Penn State, there were numerous other Big Ten games played over the weekend as well.
So what did we learn from the rest of the conference? Here are a few non-USC takeaways from Week 6 in the Big Ten:
UCLA is for real
The Bruins just went into Eugene and took down Oregon—a program that Lincoln Riley has infamously yet to beat—in Bob Chesney’s first year. As much as USC fans might hate to admit it, UCLA looks like the real deal.
Indiana still knows how to win (and Nebraska still knows how to lose)
For a while Saturday, it looked as though the defending national champions were in serious danger of losing to Nebraska. When the game came down to the wire, however, it became quite clear which program knows how to win, and which one
has continuously found excruciating ways to lose.
Jedd Fisch’s seat is red hot
Washington’s ugly loss to Iowa Friday night dropped the Huskies to 0-3 in Big Ten play. Washington’s offense has been a disaster, and it feels as though head coach Jedd Fisch’s days in Seattle are numbered.
It is a rebuilding year in Happy Valley
As massive as USC’s victory over Penn State was for the Trojans, the loss was equally demoralizing for the Nittany Lions. With Penn State now 0-3 in conference play, this is clearly a rebuilding year in Happy Valley.
Purdue is on a winning streak?
Prior to last week, Purdue had not won a Big Ten game in nearly three years. After dominating Minnesota (the same Gophers team that beat Michigan the week prior), however, the Boilermakers have now won two in a row!
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: What we learned from Week 6 of college football in the Big Ten
