Well, the college football season is finally here, and every B1G team has completed its first game of the year!

Around the league, there were not too many surprises in terms of the nonconference games. Fresno State did roll into West Lafayette and spoil Ryan Walters’ head coaching debut, but Fresno State is a solid program when it’s all said and done.

Within the conference, Nebraska dropped a nail-biter to Minnesota as the Gophers spoiled Matt Rhule’s first game with the Huskers. Northwestern also looked disastrous in its first game since the offseason firing of Pat Fitzgerald while losing to Rutgers.

In the end, there are not many changes to the Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 1 with a lot of chalk at the top of the board. Here is how the league stacks up entering Week 2:

14. Northwestern (0-1)

Last week: at Rutgers, L 24-7

The Wildcats avoided getting shut out in their first game since Pat Fitzgerald’s offseason firing. With all that’s gone on over the past year plus, you might as well call this one a win for Northwestern.

13. Indiana (0-1)

Last week: vs. Ohio State, L 23-3

Indiana held Ohio State to 23 points. That says a lot. Unfortunately, the Hoosiers were unable to (or too afraid to) try and stress the Buckeye defense.

12. Rutgers (1-0)

Last week: vs. Northwestern, W 24-7

This might have been the easiest game on Rutgers’ schedule. (Yes, I know Wagner is on the schedule.) Gavin Wimsatt was solid and the defense did what it needed to.

11. Purdue (0-1)

Last week: vs. Fresno State, L 39-35

Ryan Walters made some nice moves by getting QB Hudson Card out of the transfer portal. Card did throw for 254 yards and 2 touchdowns, but the Boilermakers could not get enough juice out of its running game. And for a DC turned head coach, there’s no way Walters can feel good about Purdue allowing Fresno State to convert 11-of-17 3rd downs.

10. Nebraska (0-1)

Last week: at Minnesota, L 13-10

It’s not often you lose and rise on these power rankings, but Matt Rhule’s squad deserves the nod here. The Huskers held Minnesota to 251 yards of total offense and 2.2 yards per carry. Unfortunately, 4 turnovers (3 interceptions by Jeff Sims) led to another late-game collapse.

9. Michigan State (1-0)

Last week: vs. Central Michigan, W 31-7

Noah Kim shook off some early jitters to complete 18 passes to 9 different receivers in a win for the Spartans. Nathan Carter led the backfield with 18 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, the Spartans looked like they should have, holding CMU to 219 total yards and a 3-for-16 performance on 3rd downs.

8. Wisconsin (1-0)

Last week: vs. Buffalo, W 38-17

Wisconsin left things close for a while against Buffalo before the ground attack of Chez Mellusi and Braelon Allen took over. Tanner Mordecai had some jitters in an up-and-down performance, but the good news is the Badgers still have the dominant backfield to lean on. If Mordecai progresses as the season goes along, Wisconsin should stay in the B1G West hunt.

7. Minnesota (1-0)

Last week: vs. Nebraska, W 13-10

It wasn’t pretty, but a wins a win, especially when it comes in a season-opening league game. Athan Kaliakmanis has all the tools for the Gophers to build around at QB and an opportunistic secondary on defense. The ceiling for PJ Fleck’s squad is debatable, but 1-0 is way better than 0-1.

6. Maryland (1-0)

Last week: vs. Towson, W 38-6

Taulia Tagovailoa began 2023 the way he left off in 2022, continuing to re-write the record books at Maryland. He scored 4 total touchdowns in the opener and eclipsed 8,000 yards of offense in his career. The Terrapins have a great shot to get off to a hot start this season.

5. Illinois (1-0)

Last week: vs. Toledo, W 30-28

The Illini let fans sweat this one out before a game-winning field goal with 5 seconds remaining. The good news: Illinois has a legitimate QB to build around in Luke Altmyer. The bad news: The defense is indeed bound to suffer a hangover with Ryan Walters now at Purdue.

4. Iowa (1-0)

Last week: vs. Utah State, W 24-14

Okay, it wasn’t a flawless performance by any means, but Cade McNamara showed glimpses of what the offense can do with a functioning QB. The offensive line did allow McNamara to get hit a few too many times, and the health of his leg moving forward remains a topic to watch. Either way, the Hawkeyes have a more complete roster this season.

3. Penn State (1-0)

Last week: vs. West Virginia, W 38-15

Drew Allar had a successful debut, looking as anticipated for the former 5-star prospect. Penn State’s defense made enough plays, and the ground game is no cause for concern. The biggest question marks came on special teams with a pair of missed field goals early on.

2. Ohio State (1-0)

Last week: at Indiana, W 23-3

Kyle McCord did struggle at times, but his arm flashed at certain moments. McCord had a touchdown pass called back which probably changed the overall perception of his outing more than it should have. Of bigger importance, Ohio State’s defense looked like the dominant force it should have against an overmatched Indiana team.

1. Michigan (1-0)

Last week: vs. East Carolina, W 30-3

How dominant was Michigan in Week 1? If not for a timeout and field goal try as time expired, the Wolverines would have shut out the Pirates. JJ McCarthy also led the offensive onslaught while attempting 30 passes in the big win.