Big Ten rankings · National FBS rankings · All teams
| Date | H/A | Opponent | Tier:Conf | Result | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/1 | H | Northern Iowa (5-6) | [FCS:MVFC] | W | 26-21 | |
| 9/8 | A | Oregon St (9-3) | [P4:Pac-12] | L | 7-10 | |
| 9/15 | H | Utah State (10-2) | [G5:WAC] | W | 16-14 | |
| 9/22 | H | UTEP (3-9) | [G5:CUSA] | W | 37-26 | |
| 9/29 | A | Nebraska (10-3) | [P4:Big Ten] | L | 27-30 | |
| 10/6 | H | Illinois (2-10) | [P4:Big Ten] | W | 31-14 | |
| 10/13 | A | Purdue (6-6) | [P4:Big Ten] | W | 38-14 | |
| 10/20 | H | Minnesota (6-6) | [P4:Big Ten] | W | 38-13 | |
| 10/27 | H | Michigan St (6-6) | [P4:Big Ten] | L | 13-16 | |
| 11/10 | A | Indiana (4-8) | [P4:Big Ten] | W | 62-14 | |
| 11/17 | H | Ohio State (12-0) | [P4:Big Ten] | L | 14-21 | |
| 11/24 | A | Penn State (8-4) | [P4:Big Ten] | L | 21-24 | |
| 12/1 | N | Nebraska (10-3) | [P4:Big Ten] | W | 70-31 | BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME |
| 1/1 | N | Stanford (11-2) | [P4:Pac-12] | L | 14-20 | ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO * |
* game does not count in Harbin ratings