2026 College Football Watch Guide – Week 5
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I still haven’t come down from the high of Iowa’s walk off touchdown win against the Wolverines last week. So this week I’m going to have a little fun with the Watch Guide intro. We’re going to rank the retro logos of all 18 Big Ten teams. Purely unscientific, purely subjective, purely for fun. Let’s get started. For the record, here’s the list I’ll be using. Obviously logos change over time so schools have multiple ones to choose from, but I liked the variety in this group.
#18 – Indiana
The IU cactus may be iconic, but the addition of a drop shadow just doesn’t do much.
#17 – Rutgers
Does early 2000’s count as retro? Not in my mind.
#16 – Purdue
See above.
#15 – Northwestern
Sleep paralysis demon.
#14 – Minnesota
Sleep paralysis demon with more character.
#13 – Maryland
A turtle as a running back? That’ll never work.
#12 – Penn State
The lion as the horizontal line in the S is a nice touch but just too simple.
#11 – UCLA
Looks more at home in a Berenstain Bears book but at least they wear pants.
#10 – Nebraska
Herbie Husker helpfully shows us how many people outside Nebraska care about their teams from the 90’s.
#9 – Washington
This logo just screams old school from the simple serif W to the hilariously simple Huskie.
#8 – Michigan
A good retro logo that’s only held back by the sheer number of other schools that use the “Grumpy Animal Wearing a sailor hat” look.
#7 – USC
The Trojan logo is iconic and the border wrap from the U to C adds a great touch.
#6 – Ohio State
There’s only so much you can do with a letter, but this works, especially with the Buckeye leaf.
#5 – Wisconsin
Grumpy Animal Wearing a Sweater is better than a sailor hat.
#4 – Michigan State
I had to put this one high on the list because Sparty looks like he’d kick my ass if I hadn’t.
#3 – Oregon
Grumpy Animal in a Sailor Hat but with added action and block O. Oregon’s color scheme just pops so well.
#2 – Illinois
Instantly iconic
#1 – Iowa
What else could it be? Detailed, striking, and instantly pulls you back in time. I would love to see this incorporated more in Iowa’s uniforms now and then.
Got any favorite retro logos of your own? How about some favorite games this week? Let’s check them out. Schedule graphics are courtesy of Projection Sports by Tyler Markley.
Thursday night offers some mid-major action with Western Kentucky @ New Mexico State in Conference USA and North Texas @ Tulsa in the American. Friday gets spicier with Pittsburgh @ Virginia Tech but after last Friday the big draw will be Penn State @ Northwestern. The Wildcats appear much better than I anticipated, pushing Indiana to the wire last Friday. This will be Matt Campbell’s first road game in B1G. It’ll also be the first game played in the new Ryan Field.
Had College Gameday not chosen to come to Iowa City you bet they’d be in Starkville for #7 Alabama @ #16 Mississippi State. It’s one of the highest profile games of the weekend and Davis Wade Stadium will be rocking with the ringing of cowbells all game long.
But it’s not the only draw in the morning. West Virginia @ Iowa State brings the Mountaineers potent offense and the Cyclone’s tough defense together and UCF @ #20 Houston should provide more Big XII fun. In the other Big conference, we get the battle for the Little Brown Jug in Michigan @ Minnesota. The Gophers haven’t claimed the jug since 2014 but they’re coming off a big win over Washington.
Also in the Big Ten is Michigan State @ Wisconsin. The Badgers are also coming off a huge win, toppling then-#13 Penn State last Saturday in what may have saved Luke Fickell’s job. This will be their opportunity to build on that momentum before a three-week gauntlet of their own at#23 UCLA, #18 USC, and at #14 Iowa.
Speaking of Iowa, we have #5 Ohio State @ #14 Iowa which will bring College Gameday to Iowa City for the first time in twenty years. I was a student at Iowa at the time and remember waking up at 3:00 am to go down to Hubbard Park where the line to get in was already down the block. This Buckeyes team is as scary as the one back in 2006, so hopefully the Michigan win will have given the Hawkeyes the confidence to believe they can succeed where Drew Tate and company failed.
In the SEC there are two games to keep an eye on starting with #8 Florida @ #25 Missouri. The Gators are red hot, skyrocketing up to the top ten after beating Ole Miss last week. They bring a scintillating offense but only an average defense to Columbia, where a wounded Tigers team waits to spoil their ascension. There’s also #24 Kentucky @ South Carolina, featuring the newly ranked Wildcats. On the other side, Shane Beamer’s group of roosters is at risk of dropping to 0-2 in SEC play with a difficult back half of the schedule to play.
After a promising beginning to the season, the Louisville Cardinals have dropped out of the top 25 following their loss to Wake Forest. In Louisville @ NC State, Jeff Brohm will try to get his team back on track and back in the national spotlight. Finally, end your night with Washington @ #18 USC. Both teams are coming off conference losses but USC has more to lose should they drop a second. It would almost certainly snuff out any playoff hopes they have. The Huskies are essentially playing with house money.
Cap your night off with Cincinnati @ Arizona and say goodbye to week 5. But don’t worry, beginning Thursday, there is football on every night until late November.
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