Big Ten Football Roundup, Week 10: Indiana-UCLA CFP Debate, Ohio State Without Julian Sayin, and Maryland's Coaching Search
By Owain Jones
November has arrived, the first College Football Playoff rankings are out, and the Big Ten has given us plenty to argue about.
Indiana sits fourth despite struggling through much of the past month, while unbeaten UCLA finds itself four places lower. It raises familiar questions about the CFP committee’s judgment and whether its rankings truly reflect the college football landscape.
Elsewhere, Ohio State is learning to live without Julian Sayin, Wisconsin remains one of the conference’s most unpredictable teams, and Maryland is beginning to contemplate life under a new head coach.
Here are five of the biggest conversations around the Big Ten heading into Week 10.
Why Is Indiana Ranked Four Spots Above Unbeaten UCLA in First CFP Rankings?
BREAKING: Initial College Football Playoff Ranking🚨 https://t.co/npzr5xzpwV
— On3 (@On3) November 4, 2026
The first College Football Playoff rankings have arrived, and the committee has already given us plenty of reasons to question its judgment.
Indiana sits fourth, four places above an unbeaten UCLA team that has arguably played better football over the past month. It’s a remarkable gap, particularly when the Hoosiers have been scraping through ugly games in which they were heavily favored and should have won comfortably.
Yes, Indiana deserves credit for finding ways to win. Curt Cignetti’s team has beaten Nebraska by three points, survived overtime against Michigan, and needed a 60-yard field goal just to force overtime against Minnesota. But there is no doubt that the offense has struggled, Josh Hoover hasn’t been fully healthy, and the Hoosiers haven’t looked particularly convincing. Indiana also has no victory over a currently ranked opponent.
Of course, the Hoosiers have played the tougher schedule. Its strength of schedule ranks 31st nationally compared with UCLA’s 77th, which provides a legitimate argument for the committee’s ordering.
And UCLA isn’t without questions. Its only victory over a currently ranked opponent came against an Oregon team missing Dante Moore, while the Bruins’ scoring average has fallen from 39.2 to 24 points since losing Nico Iamaleava.
Yet UCLA remains 8-0, boasts one of the country’s best defenses, and has continued winning despite its quarterback injury. It too has shown the same resilience and ability to win under adversity that Cignetti’s team has.
The committee can justify putting Indiana ahead, but it is hard to defend.
And with UCLA travelling to Minnesota this weekend, we’ll soon have an intriguing comparison against the team that pushed Indiana to overtime.
Why Is Wisconsin So Inconsistent?
Wisconsin might be the most unpredictable team in the Big Ten, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to know what to expect from Luke Fickell’s side.
The Badgers have beaten Penn State, demolished Michigan State, and held USC to just seven points. Yet they were completely dismantled 30-0 by Iowa last weekend.
How can a team capable of those performances produce such wildly inconsistent results?
The answer might lie in an offense that hasn’t been particularly convincing even when Wisconsin wins.
Against USC, the Badgers managed just 200 yards and 3.5 yards per play, with quarterback Colton Joseph throwing for only 58 yards. Wisconsin won 24-7 because its defense dominated, recording five sacks and two interceptions.
Against Iowa, Wisconsin actually gained more yards (235), but the defense couldn’t rescue it. The Hawkeyes put together touchdown drives of 75, 98, and 71 yards, exposing just how little Wisconsin could offer offensively.
There is also a quarterback dilemma. Joseph has thrown for fewer than 100 yards in three consecutive games, and when opponents contain his mobility, Wisconsin has struggled to find another way to move the football.
True freshman Ryan Hopkins replaced him against Iowa, completing eight of 13 passes for 93 yards, but entered the game when the result was already beyond Wisconsin. Fickell now faces a difficult decision ahead of Rutgers, having stopped short of confirming that Joseph will remain his starting quarterback.
Can Ohio State Still Win a National Championship Without Julian Sayin?
We knew Ohio State’s national championship ambitions would become considerably more complicated without Julian Sayin, and that USC was a potential banana skin. But Saturday’s 30-18 defeat to USC gave us our first real indication of what life without their starting quarterback might look like.
But despite the loss, there were reasons for encouragement.
The Buckeyes gained 464 yards, rushed for 204, and controlled possession for almost 40 minutes. True freshman Luke Fahey completed 21 of 38 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown without throwing an interception, while Jeremiah Smith caught 10 passes for 83 yards and a score.
Ohio State could move the football. The frustration was turning that production into points, settling for four field goals and scoring just one touchdown.
But expecting Fahey to immediately replicate Sayin’s efficiency was unrealistic, particularly in his first career start on the road against a ranked opponent.
If Ohio State is going to remain a championship contender, the rest of the team needs to step up, and that starts with the defense.
USC gained only 338 yards but scored 30 points, producing explosive passes of 69 and 70 yards. The Buckeyes also committed 11 penalties and lost a fumble. Those mistakes become considerably more costly when you’re relying on a freshman quarterback.
Now comes Oregon, whose offense showed signs of life under new play-caller Jay Johnson, with Dylan Raiola throwing for 336 yards and three touchdowns against a classy Northwestern side.
Fahey will need to become more efficient, but Ohio State cannot expect him to carry its championship ambitions. The defense must return to its usual standards, starting against the Ducks.
Has Iowa Finally Found an Offense to Match Its Defense?
Iowa has spent years relying on its defense to win games, but there are encouraging signs that the Hawkeyes might finally have a passing attack capable of pulling its weight.
We’ve spent much of the offseason and the early weeks of 2026 asking whether Iowa could find that balance.
Saturday gave us more evidence. Hank Brown was outstanding in Iowa’s 30-0 demolition of Wisconsin, completing 20 of 24 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns. The Hawkeyes scored on six of their first seven possessions, including a 98-yard touchdown drive, demonstrating that they can now win games in different ways.
And the improvement extends beyond one performance.
Iowa is averaging 209.4 passing yards per game, a remarkable 46% increase from last season’s 143.2. Its overall offensive production has climbed from 320.1 to 383.6 yards per game, showcasing genuine progress.
But there is a catch. Despite moving the football more effectively, Iowa’s scoring average has actually fallen slightly, from 29.3 points last season to 28.3 this year. And only a week before dismantling Wisconsin, the Hawkeyes managed just 10 points in defeat to Minnesota.
So we’re not suddenly looking at a consistently explosive offense that is capable of carrying Iowa to a Big Ten championship.
But perhaps it doesn’t need to be.
The Hawkeyes are allowing just 12.5 points per game, have surrendered only 79 rushing yards per contest, and have already recorded three shutouts. With a defense that dominant, even a consistently competent passing game is making Iowa considerably more dangerous.
Saturday’s trip to Northwestern provides another fascinating test. The Wildcats are averaging 33.6 points per game, with Aidan Chiles looking excellent, and Iowa might need more from Brown than simply avoiding mistakes. If the Hawkeyes can produce another balanced offensive performance against a quality Big Ten opponent, we’ll have more reason to believe.
What Does Maryland Need From Its Next Head Coach?
Mike Locksley’s departure has left Maryland facing a familiar question. How does a program with access to one of the country’s richest recruiting regions become consistently competitive in the Big Ten?
Locksley deserves credit for what he achieved in his tenure. Maryland won three consecutive bowl games between 2021 and 2023, recruited talented players like Malik Washington and Zion Elee, and developed numerous NFL Draft picks.
But the Terrapins lost 20 of their final 22 Big Ten games under Locksley. Recruiting talent wasn’t the biggest problem; it was turning it into sustained success.
That’s what athletic director Jim Smith must address with his next appointment. And the potential candidates offer some intriguing possibilities.
Jake Dickert has demonstrated his program-building credentials at Wake Forest, while Charles Huff combines Maryland recruiting connections with a track record of improving teams at Marshall, Southern Miss, and now Memphis. Huff might be particularly appealing given his ability to bridge Maryland’s regional strengths with the need for a different approach.
An alternative is Dan Mullen, who offers proven Power Four experience and a history of developing quarterbacks, although his recruiting reputation raises questions. Meanwhile, interim coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim could preserve Maryland’s regional relationships, but would need to demonstrate how his approach would differ from Locksley’s.
None of the external names are confirmed candidates, but they illustrate the different directions Maryland could take.
Maryland doesn’t have the resources to compete financially with the Big Ten’s biggest programs, but it still has to recruit against them, particularly for talent in its own backyard
Locksley showed Maryland can recruit and produce NFL players. His successor needs to do what he couldn’t consistently, which is use those ingredients to deliver something more than occasional bowl appearances.
OWAIN JONES
COLLEGE FOOTBALL & NFL DRAFT ANALYST
OWAIN jones COVERS EVERYTHING college football & NFL DRAFT. COMING WITH PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE, OWAIN was PREVIOUSLY a writer for pfsn, and WAS THE NFL DRAFT EDITOR AT NINETY-NINE YARDS, WHERE HE CREATED DRAFT TALK. YOU CAN FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER @OwainJonesCFB.
