The page has quickly turned to Week 5 of the college football season, marking the second formal week of Big Ten play (excluding Oregon's game against Northwestern in Week 3).
After the then-No. 19-ranked Indiana Hoosiers defeated the then-No. 9-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini in a convincing 63-10 win, the schedule ramps up to an even greater level this coming week.
Opening the Saturday slate is a return to Champaign for Illinois as it welcomes the No. 25 USC Trojans for a cross-country Big Noon Kickoff contest. The Trojans are off to a 4-0 start under coach Lincoln Riley. Riley was under scrutiny this offseason for having yet to deliver a championship team in Southern California. Still, things appear to be changing thanks to an offense that averages 52.5 points per game, led by quarterback Jayden Maiava and an explosive receiving core.
Meanwhile, No. 23 Illinois returns much of last year's 10-win team but has been decimated by injuries in recent weeks. It still has quarterback Luke Altmyer, who turned down lucrative opportunities to leave Champaign this offseason in search of NIL growth, valuation, and a return to the SEC.
At press time, the Trojans are favored to earn a road win, which would more than likely knock Bret Bielema and company out of the College Football Playoff conversation.
Elsewhere around the league, the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes head to the West Coast to play a Washington Huskies team attempting to pull off the biggest upset of the conference season thus far. Washington defeated the Washington State Cougars, 59-24, in the Apple Cup game this past Saturday.
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Other matchups include the Rutgers Scarlet Knights traveling to play a Minnesota Golden Gophers team seeking a win after a bye week. The Northwestern Wildcats attempt to do the same when they host the UCLA Bruins, while the Iowa Hawkeyes will try to spring an upset against the Hoosiers in the same 3:30 p.m. ET window.
Of course, in the nightcap game on NBC, the No. 6 Oregon Ducks rematch the No. 3-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions, as the Ducks and coach Dan Lanning attempt to seize momentum toward a conference title and College Football Playoff berth by season's end.
Regardless of how the matchups play out, one thing is certain: the league's parity is alive and well.