Big Ten Report Card: September grades for each program

September is wrapping up so there’s no better time to take a look across the Power Four conferences and grade eachh teams on how they performed both on the field and in recruiting. We start with the Big Ten.

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ILLINOIS (No. 18 in Big Ten, No. 63 overall)

FULL LIST: ILLINOIS’ 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

The start of the season could not have gone much better for Illinois as the Illini was 4-0 before losing in a tight game at Penn State. Coach Bret Bielema was confident enough to talk some smack about the Penn State White Out experience and even though Illinois lost, 21-7, the team battled and clearly has improved.

There are some major challenges ahead but a nine-win season or more is not off the table. As for recruiting, the Illini have landed a commitment from in-state tight end Grant Smith in September but more importantly they’ve hosted some elite players especially in the 2026 class and many have loved what they’ve seen in Champaign. There is excitement in the program again.

Grade: A-

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INDIANA (No. 13 in Big Ten, No. 44 overall)

FULL LIST: INDIANA’S 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

Indiana has played five games, won all of them by double digits, scored 42 points in comfortable wins over Big Ten opponents UCLA and Maryland and is outscoring opponents 49-13. This is Indiana football we’re talking about as first-year coach Curt Cignetti has brought the program back to life with the Hoosiers being 5-0 for the first time since 1967. It could not be going much better in Bloomington right now.

Capitalizing with commitments has not occurred yet as Indiana has not had any pledges since early July but it continues to stay in touch with five-star quarterback Julian Lewis, who has a long relationship with position coach Tino Sunseri, and it at least feels like there’s a chance now with the Hoosiers’ success that a flip isn’t out of the question.

Grade: A+

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IOWA (No. 15 in Big Ten, No. 58 overall)

FULL LIST: IOWA’S 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

Iowa scored in the 40s once all of the 2023 season and never in the 30s and already this season the Hawkeyes put up 40 against Illinois State and then 38 and 31 in their wins over Troy and Minnesota, respectively. A one-point loss to rival Iowa State does hurt though. The offense is not setting the world on fire but it does have a pulse now as a date with Ohio State awaits. It wouldn’t be a total shock if Iowa won out from there.

The lone commitment in the month of September has come from high three-star receiver Terrence Smith, who picked Iowa over Iowa State, Purdue, Minnesota and others. Getting playmakers is key for the Hawkeyes’ offense even if they’re not totally changing their run-first identity.

Grade: B

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MARYLAND (No. 10 in Big Ten, No. 29 overall)

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FULL LIST: MARYLAND’S 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

Maryland could be 5-0 right now but losses to Michigan State and a 14-point defeat to Indiana over the weekend has handed the Terrapins a 3-2 record instead. USC, Oregon, Iowa and Penn State remain on the schedule so nothing will come easy for coach Mike Locksley and his team who have been fine, but nothing spectacular, yet this season.

The Terrapins did a lot of work to land 21 commitments (and boast a top-30 recruiting class nationally) over the summer but recruiting has been quiet through September with no commitments.

Grade: C+

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MICHIGAN (No. 5 in Big Ten, No.16 overall)

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FULL LIST: MICHIGAN’S 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

The defending national champs are 4-1 with their only loss coming in The Big House against Texas, the top team in the country, but two 27-24 wins over USC and Minnesota at home in the last two weeks have some people antsy as well. The dominant and devastating wins late in the coach Jim Harbaugh era have not been seen yet under first-year coach Sherrone Moore as Oregon, Ohio State and others are still on the schedule.

A lot of elite prospects have been through Ann Arbor so far this fall although some recruiting lists have not been as big. But Michigan still has the No. 16 recruiting class in the country. That’s good but not elite status as many of Harbaugh’s classes hovered around the top 10. The Wolverines have no pledges in September.

Grade: B

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MICHIGAN STATE (No. 14 in Big Ten, No. 55 overall)

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FULL LIST: MICHIGAN STATE’S 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

Michigan State won its first three games – not pretty, not blowouts (other than beating Prairie View A&M, 40-0) but the last two weeks have been a struggle losing by four at Boston College and then getting blown out by Ohio State over the weekend. Quarterback Aidan Chiles has thrown too many interceptions (five touchdowns, eight picks so far) in a season that was supposed to put Chiles in the national conversation but certainly has not yet. A visit to Oregon greets them this weekend.

Recruiting has been slow since the summer as well with the last pledge coming in late July from four-star cornerback LaRue Zamorano, as the Spartans have the No. 55 class nationally. Heading into October, Michigan State needs some kind of spark.

Grade: C+

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MINNESOTA (No. 12 in Big Ten, No. 43 overall)

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FULL LIST: MINNESOTA’S 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

The Golden Gophers fought valiantly to get back into the game against Michigan this past weekend but came up three points short in The Big House. They also have a two-point loss to North Carolina to start the season and they got whipped by Iowa, 31-14, in a game that was expected to be closer and lower scoring. A 2-3 start is not ideal especially as Minnesota hosts USC this weekend. New Hampshire QB transfer Max Brosmer was brought in to spark the offense but through five games he has just five TDS and three picks.

Recruiting has been quiet as well. Minnesota has the No. 43 class nationally but has not received a pledge since late July. Three of the top five players in the state, including No. 1 Emmanuel Karmo, are committed to the Golden Gophers though.

Grade: C

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NEBRASKA (No. 9 in Big Ten, No. 25 overall)

FULL LIST: NEBRASKA’S 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

Second-year coach Matt Rhule – and first-year five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola – have renewed Nebraska into an exciting, interesting college football storyline again and other than an overtime loss to Illinois, the Huskers are perfect this season. Nebraska soundly beat Colorado in one of the best CFB environments this season and Raiola is putting up impressive numbers.

Nebraska also struck gold beating out Oklahoma and others for four-star linebacker Christian Jones from Omaha (Neb.) Westside in September, a pledge the Huskers needed since he’s such a talented local prospect that they couldn’t lose. Everything is pointing up but things do get much tougher from mid-October on.

Grade: A-

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NORTHWESTERN (No. 16 in Big Ten, No. 59 overall)

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FULL LIST: NORTHWESTERN’S 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

So far, Northwestern has had a ho-hum, nondescript season void of any major storylines as the Wildcats have beaten Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Illinois and lost to Duke in double overtime and Washington, as they scored only five points. Quick: Name Northwestern’s starting quarterback. Exactly. It’s been that quiet, plodding September for the program.

On the same note, recruiting has been similar. Northwestern has no commitments since early July and rank No. 59 nationally. Indiana comes to town this weekend which used to feel like a very winnable game but now feels like it might be a blowout for the Hoosiers.

Grade: C

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OHIO STATE (No. 1 in Big Ten, No. 1 overall)

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FULL LIST: OHIO STATE’S 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

The measure of a successful Ohio State season is not whipping Akron, Western Michigan, Marshall and Michigan State to start September but beating That Team Up North, getting to the College Football Playoff and winning it. Former coach Urban Meyer and others have said this is one of the best rosters ever in college football so the pressure is on coach Ryan Day to win big.

So far, so good. The Buckeyes have looked unstoppable against weak competition and while the schedule does get tougher, there have been some great storylines, mainly with five-star WR Jeremiah Smith playing so well.

There have been no commitments in September as Ohio State’s class is pretty much filled and it’s the top-ranked class nationally at this point in the recruiting cycle.

Grade: A+

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OREGON (No. 2 in Big Ten, No. 12 overall)

FULL LIST: OREGON’S 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

The Ducks did not look dominant – and sometimes downright lousy – in close wins over Idaho and Boise State to start the season but Oregon blew out Oregon State and UCLA in recent weeks as it looks back on track. Quarterback transfer Dillon Gabriel is putting up big numbers as the Ducks have some serious weapons although they will be tested by Ohio State, Michigan and others by early November.

One of the biggest flips nationally happened in Oregon’s favor in September when five-star offensive lineman Douglas Utu from Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman flipped from Tennessee to the Ducks, who have the No. 12 class nationally.

Grade: A

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PENN STATE (No. 4 in Big Ten, No. 14 overall)

FULL LIST: PENN STATE’S 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

In a game that was interrupted by a lengthy weather delay, Penn State looked sharp in a 35-12 win over West Virginia to start the season but in a much-closer-than-expected game against Bowling Green and in a 21-7 win over Illinois on Saturday night, the Nittany Lions have not been clicking on all cylinders. Trips to USC and Wisconsin come up in October and then Ohio State visits Happy Valley as we’ll learn much more then.

By comparison, Penn State has had a busy month on the recruiting trail landing two pledges led by four-star offensive lineman Malachi Goodman along with three-star Matthew Outten as the Nittany Lions are No. 14 overall in the team rankings.

Grade: A

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PURDUE (No. 17 in Big Ten, No. 60 overall)

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FULL LIST: PURDUE’S 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

Purdue started the season with a 49-0 win over Indiana State. Since then it’s been one butt-kicking after another as Notre Dame ran it up on them, Oregon State won by 17 in Corvallis and Nebraska came in over the weekend and convincingly won, 28-10. In former coach Jeff Brohm’s final two seasons, Purdue won 17 games and played in the 2022 Big Ten Championship Game but the Boilermakers look very far off from that now. Wisconsin, Illinois and Oregon are Purdue’s October opponents and it will face them with an interim offensive coordinator as Ryan Walters dismissed Graham Harrell on Sunday.

With just 15 commitments and none in September, Purdue is sitting at No. 60 in the 2025 class as the Boilermakers are second-to-last in the conference rankings.

Grade: D

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RUTGERS (No. 8 in Big Ten, No. 22 overall)

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FULL LIST: RUTGERS’ 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

Upon coach Greg Schiano’s return to Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights had three-straight losing seasons including winning just four games total in 2022. To start this season, Rutgers is 4-0 and it’s coming off three-point wins over Virginia Tech and Washington. Things are definitely looking up for Rutgers on the field and recruiting is also going very well.

The Scarlet Knights have 29 pledges, rank No. 22 nationally in the team rankings, have four four-star commitments and then 10 high three-stars who are one notch away from four-star status. No longer is it a cupcake win to play Rutgers.

Grade: A

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UCLA (No. 11 in Big Ten, No. 40 overall)

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FULL LIST: UCLA’S 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

UCLA is 1-3 with its only win coming during an ugly performance against Hawaii in the season opener and the Bruins got whipped by Indiana in the Rose Bowl. Despite losing to LSU and Oregon the last two weeks, UCLA battled in those contests. This is Big Ten football now so the schedule doesn’t get easy but there are some winnable games coming up as the team is fighting but needs more firepower.

The good news on the recruiting front is that former coach Chip Kelly hardly tried so efforts made by new coach DeShaun Foster and his staff are paying off. An elite group of prospects were at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night and the Bruins are talked about a lot more by top players.

Grade: C-

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USC (No. 3 in Big Ten, No. 13 overall) 

FULL LIST: USC’S 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

There have been some major tests early on for USC and other than a three-point loss at Michigan, the Trojans have come through with wins over LSU, Utah State and Wisconsin. The Penn State game should be a battle but other than that, USC dodges Ohio State in Big Ten play and has a very winnable schedule.

Recruiting has been very strong this month with the commitment of four-star linebacker Ty Jackson out of Florida and even more importantly getting four-star receiver Jerome Myles’ commitment. The Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon standout will definitely be in the five-star discussion after this season after what he did to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy and others so far.

Grade: B+

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WASHINGTON (No. 7 in Big Ten, No. 21 overall)

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FULL LIST: WASHINGTON’S 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

Washington played for the national championship last season but lost its coach and many of its star players so the Huskies brought in former Arizona coach Jedd Fisch and have had some disappointing losses to start the season. The Huskies dropped the Apple Cup to Washington State and then went to Rutgers and lost on Friday night to fall to 3-2. The Big Ten schedule is pretty brutal in the second half of the season.

Still, Fisch and his staff are recruiting well with the No. 21 class nationally and in September the Huskies landed three-star OL Jack Shaffer, a former Iowa State commit, from Bismarck, N.D.

Grade: B-

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WISCONSIN (No. 6 in Big Ten, No. 18 overall)

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FULL LIST: WISCONSIN’S 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

Since the COVID season, Wisconsin has not had a 10-win season and the Badgers are coming off back-to-back 7-6 campaigns. They’re staring at a 2-2 record now after losses to Alabama and USC. This next stretch is crucial for the Badgers because there are many winnable games before things really ramp up in late October when they host Penn State.

Recruiting was quiet in September with no commitments but a lot of hay was already in the barn as Wisconsin has the No. 18 class nationally right now.

Grade: C+

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