Big Ten Power Rankings following Week 10
Big Ten Power Rankings are ready to be updated as we wrap up Week 10 of the regular season! We are also now hitting the heart of November with just 4 more regular-season Saturdays to the season!
As we hit Week 11, the B1G still has a pair of undefeated teams, even as Penn State fell to a dominant Ohio State defense. Oregon, in a road blowout of Michigan, and Indiana, after thoroughly dispatching Michigan State, are 9-0 and riding high.
As for the underperforming teams in the country, Purdue continues to barrel toward a potential 1-11 season after falling to Northwestern in overtime. It’s tough to see where the Boilermakers might be able to find another win down the stretch.
USC also continues to underwhelm under Lincoln Riley, falling to 0-4 in road games this season. Making matters worse, the Trojans were favored — and held fourth-quarter leads — in every game.
Now, let’s get to some updated B1G Power Rankings!
18. Purdue (1-7)
Last week: vs. Northwestern, L 26-20 (OT)
This may have been Purdue’s best shot at another win this season. Is a 1-11 season truly possible? To make matters worse, Purdue is having to watch its in-state rival have a resurgence of massive proportions.
17. Northwestern (4-5)
Last week: at Purdue, W 26-20 (OT)
If it weren’t for the end of the season schedule, Northwestern might have a serious shot at a bowl game. Don’t rule out matchups vs. Michigan and Illinois just yet, but they will be tough.
16. Rutgers (4-4)
Last week: BYE
15. UCLA (3-5)
Last week: at Nebraska, W 27-20
In one of the biggest surprises of the weekend, UCLA rolled into Lincoln and controlled the game against Nebraska on both sides of the ball. The Huskers had a chance to keep things even coming out of halftime, but a quick pick-6 put the team back behind the 8-ball. Props to DeShaun Foster and his staff for keeping his team fighting.
14. USC (4-5)
Last week: at Washington, L 26-21
It’s hard to do what USC has done on the road this season. The Trojans are 0-4 and were favored in every road game and even led in the fourth quarter of every road game. The chance to re-take the lead was there, twice, in the final quarter but Lincoln Riley’s squad could not get it done. A -3 mark in turnovers doesn’t help.
13. Maryland (4-4)
Last week: BYE
12. Michigan State (4-5)
Last week: vs. Indiana, L 47-10
Sometimes you just run into a buzzsaw. After scoring the first 10 points of the game, the Spartans gave up the final 47 as Indiana gets to 9-0. Aidan Chiles was also injured in this one, so keep an eye on his status moving forward.
11. Nebraska (5-4)
Last week: vs. UCLA, L 27-20
This is the kind of loss that sends you screaming down these rankings. Nebraska’s other losses were not egregious. Losing this one — at home — to this Bruin squad? It’s indefensible, and now Matt Rhule has to pray he can find another win somewhere in November.
10. Michigan (5-4)
Last week: vs. Oregon, L 38-17
Without Jyaire Hill and Will Johnson, Michigan was unable to cover Oregon at all in this one. The Wolverines were actually competitive into the fourth quarter which is a win. But that’s not the kind of moral victory you’d expect from a program coming off a national championship.
9. Wisconsin (5-4)
Last week: at Iowa, L 42-10
How do you bounce back from this one? Luke Fickell’s squad was outclassed in every facet, and the Badgers have now lost 3 straight in this series for the first time since the early 2000s. Some games mean more than others, and it’s not a good sign Fickell is 0-2 against the Hawkeyes.
8. Illinois (6-3)
Last week: vs. Minnesota, L 25-17
Bret Bielema had never lost to Minnesota at Illinois. Until now. Between some self-inflicted wounds and general inefficiency, this one just seemed doomed from the start. But the feel-good start to the Illini’s season is long gone now.
7. Washington (5-4)
Last week: vs. USC, W 26-21
Jedd Fisch’s program has a real shot at a bowl game, and that would be a nice building block for his time with the Huskies. This one ultimately came down to Washington’s defense, and the unit delivered 2 crucial stops for the win.
6. Minnesota (6-3)
Last week: at Illinois, W 25-17
PJ Fleck finally has some revenge. After going winless against Bret Bielema’s Illinois program (including 2 losses at home), Fleck’s unit flipped the script this season. Darius Taylor remains one of the best all-around players in the conference with another game of over 100 yards of offense, a key factor for the Gophers.
5. Iowa (6-3)
Last week: vs. Wisconsin, W 42-10
Talk about a statement. This one goes down as one of Iowa’s biggest wins ever in the Heartland Trophy series. Brendan Sullivan was an efficient dual-threat at QB, but Cade McNamara could also be healthy in Week 11. While the QB picture might be complicated, Kaleb Johnson continues to power the offense.
4. Penn State (7-1)
Last week: vs. Ohio State, L 20-13
A new season, same old questions for James Franklin. While it’s likely this loss keeps Penn State out of the B1G Championship Game, other goals exist if they do not let this loss linger. Unfortunately, any first-round Playoff game likely means a matchup against a top-10 team, and that’s… not great for Franklin’s history.
3. Indiana (9-0)
Last week: at Michigan State, W 47-10
It’s time to bump Indiana to the 3rd spot. After surviving the loss of Kurtis Rourke last week, he returned to throw 4 touchdowns in a rout of the Spartans. Somehow, IU’s defense even stole the spotlight after a monster road win in East Lansing.
2. Ohio State (7-1)
Last week: at Penn State, W 20-13
For the past few weeks, all we’ve heard is about the problems on Ohio State’s offense line. For one week, the Buckeyes answered that by moving Donovan Jackson to left tackle. It’s something they’ll have to consider for the rest of the season as it allowed the ground game to put the Nittany Lions away.
1. Oregon (9-0)
Last week: at Michigan, W 38-17
Based on what we’ve seen, it’s hard to find the flaws in Oregon’s make up. The defense is strong, the running game is efficient, and Dillon Gabriel continues to spin it at an elite level. I don’t see a path to Oregon getting upset by an unranked opponent under Dan Lanning.