Big Ten rankings · National FBS rankings · All teams
| Date | H/A | Opponent | Tier:Conf | Result | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/3 | A | Rutgers (6-6) | [P4:Big Ten] | L | 7-24 | |
| 9/9 | H | UTEP (3-9) | [G5:CUSA] | W | 38-7 | |
| 9/16 | A | Duke (7-5) | [P4:ACC] | L | 14-38 | |
| 9/23 | H | Minnesota (5-7) | [P4:Big Ten] | W | 37-34 | |
| 9/30 | H | Penn State (10-2) | [P4:Big Ten] | L | 13-41 | |
| 10/7 | H | Howard (6-5) | [FCS:MEAC] | W | 23-20 | |
| 10/21 | A | Nebraska (5-7) | [P4:Big Ten] | L | 9-17 | |
| 10/28 | H | Maryland (7-5) | [P4:Big Ten] | W | 33-27 | |
| 11/4 | N | Iowa (10-3) | [P4:Big Ten] | L | 7-10 | |
| 11/11 | A | Wisconsin (7-5) | [P4:Big Ten] | W | 24-10 | |
| 11/18 | H | Purdue (4-8) | [P4:Big Ten] | W | 23-15 | |
| 11/25 | A | Illinois (5-7) | [P4:Big Ten] | W | 45-43 | |
| 12/23 | N | Utah (8-4) | [P4:Pac-12] | W | 14-7 | SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl * |
* game does not count in Harbin ratings