The third week of the 2026 Big Ten Roundup had 16 games with Big Ten Conference teams involved with 15 of them coming on Saturday.
This was the first week of the season with Big Ten opponents going against one another with the USC Trojans defeating the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the UCLA Bruins beating the Purdue Boilermakers
. Here was what happened in each of the 16 Big Ten Conference games that were played this week.Friday: 84-0 Oregon vs Portland State
The Ducks bounced back after their loss to Oklahoma State with a commanding win over the Vikings. Oregon's defense forced four turnovers while senior quarterback Dante Moore had four touchdowns, junior backup Dylan Raiola put up three more scores and the ground game added five more touchdown rushes.
Saturday: 27-10 Notre Dame vs Michigan State
The Spartans gave the Fighting
Irish a fight in the first half, but Notre Dame was able to take complete control in the second half. Notre Dame's defense gave Michigan State's offense struggles throughout the game though with their sophomore quarterback Alessio Mililvojevic throwing two interceptions and getting shutout in the second half.
Saturday: 38-0 Indiana vs Western Kentucky
The Hoosiers continued to blowout their competition with their defense picking off the Hilltoppers once and combining for seven tackles for loss. All of Indiana's points came after the first quarter, but they had over 200 yards through the air and on the ground to deliver another dominating performance ahead of conference play.
Saturday: 59-3 Ohio State vs Kent State
Ohio State bounced back from their fourth quarter stumbling against Texas adamantly as they gave Kent State no chance at an upset. The Buckeyes offense were able to do whatever they wanted against the Golden Flashes, but Kent State's defense managed two interceptions off of the Ohio State's backup quarterbacks.
Saturday: 42-35 USC vs Rutgers
The Trojans managed to get a win, but the Scarlet Knights put up a fight. Rutgers senior quarterback Dylan Lonergan had 252 passing yards and three touchdowns against USC. Unfortunately for Lonergan and the Scarlet Knights, he also threw two interceptions, which included a 99-yard pick-six by senior cornerback Prophet Brown.
Saturday: 55-13 Penn State vs Buffalo
The Nittany Lions remain fierce as they held the Bulls to just 173 total yards of offense, while Penn State put up a total of 573 yards. Penn State's run game had 304 of those yards and five touchdowns with sophomore running back Quinton Martin Jr. leading the backfield with 100 rushing yards on 10 carries.
Saturday: 55-0 Iowa vs Northern Iowa
The Panthers stood no chance as the Hawkeyes swept in and put up 42 points, while shutting them out in the first half of the game. Iowa had three rushers with over 100 yards on the ground for a combined total of six-rushing touchdowns as they flew past Northern Iowa for a 3-0 start to their season.
Saturday: 52-17 Michigan vs UTEP
The Wolverines had their first blowout win of the season as their defense made life difficult for the Miners offense to attempt an upset. Michigan limited UTEP to 150 total yards while snagging an interception, four sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
Saturday: 41-7 Minnesota vs Akron
The Golden Gophers continued to dig up ways to stop the Zips as they prevented Akron from scoring any points until the fourth quarter. Minnesota's defense recovered two forced fumbles, while the offense scored at least one touchdown in each of the four quarters as they pop their way into conference play with a 2-1 overall record.
Saturday: 54-10 Wisconsin vs Eastern Michigan
Wisconsin's blowout of Easter Michigan started with a 28-point second quarter to propel the Badgers past the Eagles. The Badgers defense also did their part to help Wisconsin leave no doubt in this win with a fumble recovery, two interceptions, two sacks and seven tackles for loss.
Saturday: 48-10 Illinois vs Southern Illinois
The Fighting Illini fought for multiple touchdowns in every quarter except for a scoreless third quarter. Illinois' senior quarterback Katin Houser put on a show with 305 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception with his favorite target being senior wide receiver Collin Dixon, who had eight receptions for 131 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Saturday: 34-7 Nebraska vs North Dakota
The Cornhuskers started the game strong against the Fighting Hawks, leading 17-0 in the first half. The only quarter Nebraska's defense allowed a score was in the third thanks to a defensive effort that ended the game with five sacks and six tackles for loss. The Cornhuskers had more than 270-rushing yards with freshman running back Jamal Rule leading the backfield with 119-rushing yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
Saturday: 48-16 Washington vs Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington gave Washington plenty of fight, but the Eagles chirped as the Huskies barked. The Eagles scored in every quarter, but they scored a touchdown in just one with field goals in the other three. Meanwhile, Huskies junior quarterback Demond Williams Jr. scored all four of his touchdowns in the first half to blowout Eastern Washington.
Saturday: 41-7 Northwestern vs Colorado
The Wildcats remain undefeated with their defense forcing four turnovers to stop the Buffaloes stampede. On top of that, Northwestern managed to put up five touchdowns in the first three quarters to dampen Colorado's chances of pulling out the win.
Saturday: 35-26 Virginia Tech vs Maryland
The Terrapins had a slow start against the Hokies and they were never able to catch up to Virginia Tech's 27 first half points. Despite Maryland's struggles on offense, sophomore quarterback Malik Washington managed to complete 30-of-43 pass attempts for 359-passing yards and three touchdowns.
Saturday: 52-38 UCLA vs Purdue
The Bruins and Boilermakers found themselves in a shootout, where defense appeared to be optional. Both teams managed to put up impressive offensive numbers, but UCLA's three-headed rushing attack was able to close out the game when the Bruins needed them to.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: 2026 Big Ten Roundup-- First two Big Ten games of the season
