Five weeks into the college football season, the Big Ten remains one of the most unpredictable conferences in the country. Illinois (2-3), Rutgers (1-4) and Maryland (2-3) have struggled, while Ohio State lost to Texas after dominating for three quarters. Oregon fell to Oklahoma State before upsetting USC, and Penn State has dropped well below its early ranking as high as No. 13. Purdue has won just one game.
Defending champion Indiana has largely flown under the radar, aided by a schedule that includes Northwestern, Rutgers and three nonconference games against weaker opponents. Meanwhile, Nebraska and UCLA are both undefeated, though Nebraska has played the 126th-ranked schedule and UCLA the 113th. Minnesota has beaten Washington and Michigan in consecutive weeks, Wisconsin is showing renewed life, and Northwestern has developed a surprising offense under Chip Kelly that has turned quarterback Aiden Chiles into a rising star.
Week 6 should bring more clarity. Indiana visits Lincoln to face Nebraska in arguably the biggest Huskers game in a generation, a first real road test for the Hoosiers since last year's title game. A Nebraska win would move the program to 6-0 for the first time in a decade. Matt Rhule, who is 0-9 against AP top-25 teams at Nebraska, has a chance to land a signature victory. Nebraska has also gone 10 years without a ranked win.
UCLA travels to Oregon with a chance to silence doubters. The Bruins' wins over Cal, Purdue and Maryland have not been impressive, but a victory over the Ducks would strengthen their playoff case. USC and Penn State, meanwhile, are both trying to avoid disaster in Happy Valley, where Lincoln Riley's Trojans look for a way out of their recent slide.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing