In three weeks of college football, the Big Ten Conference has done its job to entertain fans with multiple dominant performances, but a few conference members have endured tough losses.
The Big Ten has shown that it is one of the most powerful conferences in college football to start the 2025 season; this reality continued through Week 3. Out of 18 teams, only five lost this week with two of them losing to conference opponents (Purdue, Northwestern).
See which Big Ten teams dominated and which ones flopped in this week’s Big Ten Roundup.
73-0 Indiana vs Indiana State
The Hoosiers put on a show with their dominating win against Sycamores. Junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza put on an absolute clinic completing 19-of-20 passes for 270 yards and 5 touchdowns.
35-10 New Mexico vs UCLA
UCLA continues to disappoint as the Bruins fall into despair as they were once again blown out by a Mountain West team. The Bruins were a mess all game with penalties, bad clock management, terrible defense and offense. They fall to 0-3 and now they are looking for a new head coach as they move on from DeShaun Foster on Sunday.
37-9 Ohio State vs Ohio
What more is there to say about USA TODAYS’ US LBM Coaches Poll No. 1 ranked Buckeyes? They continued to sling the ball and put up 13 points in the first half and 14 in the second all while their defense held the Bobcats to a touchdown and a field goal. The Bobcats did get their chances with two interceptions off of sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin, but the Buckeyes appear to be inevitable and they have their eyes set on the National Championship once again.
52-6 Penn State vs Villanova
Were the Wildcats supposed to be much of a battle against the Nittany Lions? No and Penn State bullied them with three rushing touchdowns, two receiving touchdowns and a defensive pick-six for the cherry on top. The Wildcats backfield was under constant fire as the Nittany Lions pounced on their prey for three sacks and 11 tackles-for-loss to protect their den from the invading Wildcats.
34-14 Oregon vs Northwestern
In this Big Ten matchup, the Ducks dominated the Wildcats through the first three quarters as Northwestern was held scoreless. The Wildcats pass attack was shutdown with Oregon getting their hands on the ball for two interceptions and holding them under 200 air yards.
38-0 Illinois vs Western Michigan
Without any turnovers, the Fighting Illini shutout the Broncos. In fact, Illinois only allowed Western Michigan to get in field goal range once and it became a 46-yard missed field goal for the Broncos. A masterful performance by ‘USA TODAYS’ US LBM Coaches Poll’s No. 8 ranked team as Illinois cruised to victory.
38-14 Alabama vs Wisconsin
The Crimson Tide mangled the Badgers with their pass attack with junior quarterback Ty Simpson throwing for 382 yards and four touchdowns as he completed 24-of-29 pass attempts. Alabama kept the Badgers in check as junior defensive back Bray Hubbard was able to snag two interceptions and allow Wisconsin to return to Camp Randall Stadium with a 2-1 record.
63-3 Michigan vs Central Michigan
The Wolverines freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood dictated the game masterfully as he threw for 235 yards and a touchdown as well as led for Michigan in rushing yards with 114 yards and two touchdowns. His only mistake was an interception but the Wolverines’ potent defense defended their leader by holding the Chippewas offense under 150-total yards.
59-7 Nebraska vs Houston Christian
The Cornhuskers were in complete control of the Huskies from the start of the game to the final whistle. They could pass, rush and get defensive touchdowns and all Houston Christian was unable to perform much of anything successfully.
44-17 Maryland vs Towson
The Tigers had given up a fumble and six-consecutive scoring drives from the Terrapins in the first half. However, things went bad to worse for the Tigers to start the second half. Terrapins sophomore defensive back La’khi Roland snagged himself a 100-yard pick six right after Towson had just stole an interception from Maryland to start the second half. The Tigers were able to put together a couple scoring drives afterwards, but it was all for naught.
60-10 Rutgers vs Norfolk State
The Scarlet Knights made their presence known from the first drive. The Spartans offense went three-and-out, forcing their punt team to go onto the field. Rutgers blocked the punt and returned it for a touchdown. The Scarlet Knights never looked back and pulverized the Spartans from the start to the end.
41-24 Michigan State vs Youngstown State
Both teams started off with long drives that ended in points, but the difference was the Penguins secured a field goal and the Spartans ran for a touchdown. That helped Michigan State strong and enter halftime with the lead. The lead increased when senior punt returner Omari Kelly had an 83-yard return that set up an easy 4-yard rushing touchdown. The Penguins weren’t able to make up the two-score lead and the Spartans locked up the win.
33-17 USC vs Purdue
The Trojans’ defense made things difficult for Purdue sophomore quarterback Ryan Browne with three interceptions. What hurt Purdue the most was a pick-six. It wasn’t secured by a defensive back. It was 360-pound sophomore defensive tackle Jamaal Jarrett who hauled in the batted pass and ran 70 yards for a touchdown.
47-7 Iowa vs Massachusetts
The Hawkeyes’ defense smothered the Minutemen’s chances of getting anything on offense going. Iowa held Massachusetts under 120-total yards of offense, while they ended the first quarter up three scores. The game was doomed from the start for the Minutemen.
27-14 California vs Minnesota
The Golden Gophers’ usually stout defense did their best to stop the Golden Bears and were able to keep it a close game until the fourth quarter. Minnesota was unable to gain points with a missed field goal and two turnover on downs compared to California’s touchdown and field goal locked in the win for the Golden Bears.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Big Ten Roundup — Week 3 college football scores for 2025 season
Reporting by Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
