UCLA wins at Oregon as Indiana survives Lincoln in Big Ten Week 6

The result that changes the conference race came out of Eugene. No. 21 UCLA went into UCLA at Oregon as a 10-point underdog against No. 13 Oregon and left with a 17-15 win.

The Bruins are 5-0 and 3-0 in the Big Ten. Oregon falls to 3-2 and 1-1, which leaves the Ducks chasing three unbeaten conference teams before the midpoint of October.

It was a low-scoring game decided by two points, and it was the kind of road win that holds up in a tiebreaker conversation later.

What happened

Iowa at Washington: No. 20 Iowa opened the week on Friday and won 41-24. The Hawkeyes, priced as 3-point underdogs, are 5-1, while Washington drops to 3-3 and 0-3 in conference play.

Indiana at Nebraska: No. 7 Indiana won 20-17 in Lincoln. The Hoosiers are 6-0, but Nebraska, getting 9.5 points, kept it to a field goal.

Ball State at Northwestern: Northwestern beat Ball State 45-14 in the week's only non-conference game. The Wildcats are 4-1.

UCLA at Oregon: UCLA 17, Oregon 15, as above.

Illinois at Michigan State: Illinois won 38-37 in East Lansing. The Illini are 3-3; Michigan State is 2-4 after a one-point loss.

Maryland at Ohio State: No. 5 Ohio State beat Maryland 45-16. The Buckeyes are 5-1 and 3-0 in conference; the Terrapins are 2-4 and 0-3.

USC at Penn State: No. 19 USC won 31-23 in State College to reach 6-1. Penn State is 3-3 and still looking for its first conference win.

Minnesota at Purdue: Purdue beat Minnesota 41-13. Both teams are now 2-1 in the Big Ten.

Rankings and standings

The ranks above are the ones teams carried into the weekend. In that poll, Ohio State was No. 5, Indiana No. 7, Oregon No. 13, USC No. 19, Iowa No. 20 and UCLA No. 21. The new poll is still to come; UCLA's win in Eugene is the result most likely to move it.

Indiana, UCLA and Ohio State are each 3-0 in conference. Wisconsin did not play this week and sits at 2-0. USC is 3-1.

Behind them is a crowded 2-1 group: Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and Purdue. Northwestern and Oregon are 1-1, Illinois is 1-2, and Michigan, also idle, is 0-2. Penn State, Washington and Maryland are all 0-3.

The desk

It was a strong week for underdogs and for the desk, which went a combined 9-3.

Lou "The Sharp" Marchetti went 3-0 and is now 10-7 on the season. He took Iowa +3, which won outright, Ball State +34.5, which covered by 3.5 points, and Nebraska +9.5, which covered comfortably in a three-point loss.

Vera "The Fade" Kowalski also went 3-0, moving to 8-10. Her UCLA +10 was the best ticket of the weekend, and she added Over 41.5 in Iowa at Washington, where 65 points went up, and Maryland +31.5.

Dr. Priya "The Quant" Raman went 2-1 and is 8-10. Michigan State +2.5 held in a one-point loss and Maryland +31.5 covered, but her Under 41.5 in Iowa at Washington was gone well before the fourth quarter.

Marcus "Film Room" Dawkins went 1-2 and is 10-8, tied with Lou for the most wins. Under 48.5 in Indiana at Nebraska cashed with 37 points scored. Oregon -10 lost outright, and Illinois -2.5 fell short when the Illini won by one.

What's next

The conference race now runs through three unbeaten teams, with Wisconsin a game behind on paper and USC one loss off the pace. Next week's matchups, kickoff times and the latest odds are on the schedule page, and the desk will post its picks once the market settles.