Big Ten Football Roundup, Week 4: Oregon-USC Stakes, Iowa-Michigan's Offensive Test, and Jeremiah Smith's Record
By Owain Jones
The first full weekend of Big Ten play has arrived, and with it comes the opportunity to start separating genuine contenders from September pretenders.
Oregon’s response to its first defeat gets considerably more difficult against unbeaten USC, while Iowa and Michigan are about to discover whether their questionable offenses can survive two of the best defenses in the conference.
Elsewhere, Penn State finally gets an opponent capable of asking Matt Campbell’s team some more interesting questions, UCLA takes its suddenly explosive rushing attack on the road, and Jeremiah Smith is already rewriting an Ohio State record book filled with NFL receivers.
Conference play has arrived, and there is still plenty for the Big Ten to prove from top to bottom.
Is Oregon’s Season Already On the Line Against USC?
It might only be September, but it is difficult not to view Oregon’s trip to USC as one of the first major College Football Playoff sorting games of the Big Ten season.
The Ducks are 2-1 after losing to Oklahoma State, and another defeat would feel close to terminal. While there would still be a mathematical route into the playoff at 2-2, Oregon would have almost no margin for error with the bulk of its Big Ten schedule still ahead. More importantly, there will be teams building stronger résumés.
USC has a very different opportunity. The Trojans are 4-0, Jayden Maiava has thrown for 1,173 yards and 12 touchdowns, and they are on the verge of turning an unbeaten start into a genuine playoff push. PFN currently gives them a 57.4% chance of reaching the playoff, but beat Oregon and that rises to 73%.
But they are far from flawless. Rutgers produced 460 yards against the Trojans last weekend, including 292 through the air and 168 on the ground. That should interest an Oregon offense with enough pass-catching talent to challenge USC’s secondary, despite Jeremiah McClellan’s injury, and a running game that desperately needs to rediscover the efficiency it showed last season.
Beating Portland State 84-0 told us very little about whether Oregon actually fixed the problems exposed by Oklahoma State. But USC will.
For the Trojans, victory would turn an exciting start into genuine playoff credibility. For Oregon, another defeat might not officially end its season, but it would certainly feel like it.
Also Read: 2026 Big Ten Football Predictions: Projecting Every Team’s Record
Iowa-Michigan Might Be Exactly As Ugly As Everyone Expects
If you enjoy offensive football, look away now.
The points total for Iowa’s trip to Michigan currently sits at just 37.5, and while that feels almost comically low in modern college football, there is plenty of reason to believe the market has this one right.
Both teams enter 3-0 with excellent defenses, physical running games, and considerably more uncertainty about what happens when they have to throw the football. Iowa ranks sixth nationally in adjusted defensive EPA per play and fifth in net starting field position, while Michigan has allowed opponents to generate successful rushing plays on only 40% of their attempts.
Yet both offenses have given us reasons for optimism.
Hank Brown is officially Iowa’s starting quarterback after completing 72.6% of his passes and leading seven consecutive scoring drives dating back to the fourth quarter against Iowa State. The Hawkeyes also rushed for 422 yards against Northern Iowa, including 151 yards and three touchdowns from Xavier Williams on only six carries.
Meanwhile, Michigan finally found some offensive rhythm against UTEP, with Bryce Underwood completing 19 of 25 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. But neither Northern Iowa nor UTEP provides anything close to the defensive test coming on Saturday.
So this is a prove-it game for both offenses, and the difference might ultimately be Underwood. His ability to create with his legs gives Michigan an element Iowa does not naturally possess, particularly in a game where two or three explosive plays could decide everything.
But if this becomes the defensive, field-position battle everyone expects, Iowa has spent years proving it knows exactly how to win those types of games.
Jeremiah Smith Is Rewriting Ohio State’s Record Book At a Ridiculous Pace
Jeremiah Smith is now Ohio State’s all-time leader in receiving yards. Let that sink in for a moment. The Buckeyes have produced an almost ridiculous collection of receivers over the years. Cris Carter, David Boston, Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Emeka Egbuka have all come through Columbus. Yet Smith has already surpassed them all with 2,958 career receiving yards.
And he has needed only 33 games to do it. It is a remarkable feat for a remarkable player.
Michael Jenkins previously held the Ohio State record with 2,898 yards across four seasons. Smith has broken it before September of his junior year is even over.
Of course, the modern era helps. Expanded playoffs create more opportunities to play, offenses throw the football more frequently, and elite freshmen are expected to contribute immediately. But Smith is accumulating yardage through elite play, averaging 89.6 receiving yards per game across his entire college career.
And he isn’t finished.
Smith already has 184 career receptions, putting him only 22 away from breaking Egbuka’s Ohio State record of 205. That record is already firmly within reach. The Big Ten receiving-yardage record is also beginning to enter the conversation. Purdue’s John Standeford owns that mark with 3,788 yards, leaving Smith 830 yards away.
Whether he gets there this season remains to be seen. But Smith has already rewritten one of college football’s deepest receiver record books faster than anyone before him.
Penn State Finally Gets an Opportunity To Prove Something
Matt Campbell could hardly have asked for a smoother start to life at Penn State.
The Nittany Lions are 3-0, have outscored their opponents by 102 points, and Rocco Becht has completed 70.3% of his passes for 751 yards, nine touchdowns and zero interceptions. Bringing his former Iowa State quarterback with him has clearly helped Campbell install a new offense without the usual learning curve at the most important position.
But let’s not pretend Penn State has played anyone close to the level it expects to compete at. The Nittany Lions should be 3-0.
With respect, Marshall, Temple and Buffalo haven’t provided much resistance, and an extremely favourable schedule means the Nittany Lions will spend much of this season being judged by how convincingly they take care of teams they are firmly expected to beat.
Wisconsin is another one of those teams in Week 4, but the Badgers might finally ask Penn State some different questions.
Their overall offensive profile remains ugly, ranking 102nd nationally in adjusted offensive EPA per play, but Colton Joseph has shown enough to cause problems. He threw for 362 yards and three touchdowns against Eastern Michigan, while Tyrell Henry set a Wisconsin record with 14 receptions for 160 yards.
Joseph’s mobility also gives Penn State something different to solve. Campbell described him as a “dynamic quarterback” with the ability to stress defenses in the run game, potentially forcing the Nittany Lions to defend an extra rushing number while respecting Wisconsin’s improving passing attack.
Beating Wisconsin won’t prove Penn State is ready to compete for a Big Ten championship. They are 9.5-point favorites at the time of writing. What it can tell us is how Penn State handles a quarterback capable of creating outside structure and an offense with enough talent to punish mistakes. Another comfortable, controlled performance would be the first real evidence that Campbell’s impressive start can carry into conference play.
UCLA Is Finally Fun Again. Can Maryland Stop Them?
UCLA fans finally have something to get excited about. The Bruins are 3-0 under first-year head coach Bob Chesney, but it is the way they are winning that should be most encouraging.
UCLA has rushed for at least 200 yards in every game, exploded for 369 against Purdue last weekend, and currently leads the country with a 63.4% rushing success rate.
Wayne Knight has understandably received much of the attention. He already has 345 yards and eight touchdowns on only 39 carries, breaking UCLA’s record for rushing touchdowns through the opening three games. But this rushing attack is much bigger than Knight
Anthony Woods is averaging 8.2 yards per carry, Jaivian Thomas 6.5, and Nico Iamaleava 7.4. All four are producing successful rushing plays on more than half of their attempts. UCLA has quickly developed an offensive identity in Year 1 under Chesney, and now Maryland gets the challenge of trying to take it away.
That might be easier said than done.
Virginia Tech didn’t destroy Maryland on the ground last weekend, rushing for only 131 yards. Instead, the Hokies repeatedly stayed on schedule, converting 10 of 16 third downs and producing five touchdown drives of at least 67 yards. Four of those possessions lasted at least 11 plays. That inability to disrupt sustained offense could be a major problem against a UCLA rushing attack built on consistently creating successful plays.
However, the Bruins still give away far too many penalties, and three games are not enough to declare Chesney’s rebuild complete. But UCLA suddenly has an identity, an explosive offense, and some genuine excitement around the program.
Big Ten Football Roundup is published every week throughout the 2026 college football season, breaking down five of the biggest stories shaping the conference.
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.
