Big Ten football Week 1 recap: Final scores and highlights

Big Ten football is back, and so are the questionable officiating decisions in the replay booth! The Big Ten will be under some severe scrutiny after what happened at the end of Michigan's season opener against Western Michigan. Elsewhere, Oregona nd Nebraska were among the Big Ten teams managing to

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What is the story about?

Big Ten football is back, and so are the questionable officiating decisions in the replay booth! The Big Ten will be under some severe scrutiny after what happened at the end of Michigan's season opener against Western Michigan. Elsewhere, Oregona nd Nebraska were among the Big Ten teams managing to pull away for wins at home against their opponents, and Ohio State, Indiana, Penn State, and Iowa were among the schools that had little problem taking care of business in Week 1/

Here is a quick rundown of everything that happened in the Big Ten in Week 1.

No. 1 Ohio State 56, Ball State 3

The preseason No. 1 team in the country looked the part at home against Ball State. Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin passed for 320 yards and 3 touchdowns and rushed for a short touchdown, and star

receiver Jeremiah Smith caught 8 passes for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns pace the high-powered Buckeyes offense to an easy win. Collectively, Ohio State rushed for 237 yards, with Bo Jackson ripping off a 65-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter to cap a fast 4-play, 94-yard drive. Ohio State out-gained Ball State 671-165. Ohio State had three touchdown drives spanning at least 90 yards and five touchdown drives traveling over 75 yards.

The degree of difficulty will ramp up next week when Ohio State travels to Texas.

No. 2 Oregon 34, Boise State 27

This one turned out to be a bit too close for comfort for Oregon fans. Boise State led the Ducks 17-7 late in the first half before the Ducks strung together a 17-0 run to take the lead in the third quarter. Dante Moore had two touchdown passes in that stretch, including a 27-yard pass to Jamari Johnson with 19 seconds remaining in the second quarter to bring the home team within three points. Boise State would not go away easily though, tying the game at 24-24 late in the third period. After the teams exchanged field goals in the fourth quarter, Oregon scored the eventual game-winning touchdown when Moore completed a 62-yard pass to Dakorien Moore, who made a guy miss on his way to the end zone in the open field.

No. 6 Indiana 52, North Texas 16

The defending champions sure didn't take their foot off the gas pedal in their seaosn opener. Indiana got right back to work on offense under the direction of new starting quarterback Josh Hoover, who proved nothing would stop him from getting the job done. Not even a bloody nose. Hoover passed for 231 yards and four touchdowns in his Indiana debut as the Hoosiers managed to drill North Texas despite losing the yardage battle (North Texas gained 367 yards to Indiana's 365).

No. 14 USC 42, Fresno State 26

The final score makes this in-state battle look a little closer than it really was. USC gave up 23 points in the fourth quarter, which started with the Trojans leading 35-3. USC led 42-11 following a Shahn Alston touchdown run. The star of the game, of course, was USC quarterback Jayden Maiava, who passed for 286 yards and 2 touchdowns and ran for another score. The Trojans racked up 505 yards of offense and 29 first downs while converting 9-of-13 third-down situations.

No. 16 Michigan 13, Western Michigan 12

This is the one that will be the major talking point in college football circles, and perhaps beyond.

Michigan scored a touchdown on the game's first possession with quarterback Bryce Underwood up the middle for a score following a video replay overturning what appeared to be a touchdown one play prior. But then the Wolverines went silent on offense for f the night, and Michigan needed a controversial Big Ten official ruling to receive one extra second to avoid a massive upset in Ann Arbor.

Western Michigan kicked four field goals to slowly build a 12-7 lead on the Wolverines with just 35 seconds remaining in the game (or 36 as it turned out to be). After Underwood threw a Hail Mary passto the back of the end zone, it appeared that time had expired before the football had even been touched on its way down to the mass of players in the end zone. The game seemingly was over, but a Big Ten video review inexplicably determined there was one second remaining on the clock.

And then, a stroke of magic for the Wolverines.

Underwood, given a chance for redemption after a rough night, course-corrected on his Hail Mary pass to throw a bit shorter to the front of the end zone, and JJ Buchanan played it perfectly. Buchanan caught the ball at the high point and held on tightly on his way to the ground just across the goal line. It is an ending you truly have to watch to believe.

The mind-blowing, controversial Western Michigan-Michigan finish.

Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge, and rules analyst Terry McAulay have the commentary on the stunning scene for NBC. 🏈🦓🎙️ pic.twitter.com/n9YE3OpXde
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 6, 2026

No. 17 Penn State 45, Marshall 0

Penn State head coach Matt Campbell had an impressive debut in Happy Valley. Campbell's Nittany Lions set the tone early with a 17-0 burst in the first quarter, and the defense suffocated the Marshall offense all game long. Koby Howard caught 6 passes for 161 yards, already eclipsing his receiving yardage total for the entire 2025 season. New starting quarterback Rocco Becht, as experienced as they could be from his days at Iowa State, threw a career-high four touchdowns.

No. 22 Iowa vs. Northern Illinois

Iowa hit the ground running against Northern Illinois, which was to be expected. Kamaru Moulton ended the game with a team-high 183 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. That alone was enough to out-gain Northern Illinois in this one. The Huskies were limited to just 113 total yards of offense by the stingy Iowa defense. Joseph Anderson had 1.5 sacks. Cam Buffington led the Iowa defense with 6 total tackles.

In scores of other games...

UMass 37, Rutgers 21
Minnesota 59, Eastern Illinois 7
Illinois 42, UAB 23
Purdue 44, Indiana State 19
Michigan State 30, Toledo 20
Nebraska 49, Ohio 21
Maryland 62, Hampton 0
Northwestern 34, South Dakota State 18
UCLA at California

Still to be played in Week 1

The Big Ten still has two teams remaining on the schedule for the first full weekend of college football. Both teams, Washington and Wisconsin, will be in action on Sunday.

Washington continues its Apple Cup rivalry with in-state rival Washington State on Sunday afternoon. The Huskies dominated the Cougars a season ago and are a big favorite at home again Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. ET on NBC.

The Big Ten slate in Week 1 wraps up on Sunday night when Wisconsin plays a big underdog role against Notre Dame. The Badgers are facing the national title-contending Fighting Irish in Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, but this will be a neutral-site game with a good percentage of Irish fans in the stands. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. ET start time on NBC.

Up next for the Big Ten in Week 2

Week 2 of the college football schedule will see a number of Big Ten teams hitting the road. The highlight will be Ohio State's road trip to Texas to face the Longhorns, but Oregon traveling to Oklahoma State is also noteworthy. Michigan will host Oklahoma in a fun matchup to complete a home-and-home series with the Sooners. Here is the complete Week 2 schedule for Big Ten teams.

All games are scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026 unless noted otherwise. All times are Eastern.