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Big Ten Power Rankings are officially getting updated through Week 4 of the season!
Over the weekend, fans were treated to more conference games entering the landscape, including a marquee showdown between USC and Michigan that lived up to the hype. A Friday night meeting between Nebraska and Illinois was also fantastic and came down to overtime in Lincoln.
Moving into the final weekend of September, the B1G race continues to look like it will be dominated by a trio of true competitors with a handful of other programs that could carve out a spot in the race with an upset or two. For now, here is how the power rankings look moving forward!
18. Purdue (1-2)
Last week: at Oregon State, L 38-21
Purdue has lost its 2 games against quality opponents by a combined score of 104-28. Now, the Boilermakers must brace for a B1G schedule that currently features 4 teams ranked inside the top 20 on the AP Poll. Ryan Walters was a great DC for Illinois, but he might be in for a short tenure as the head coach in West Lafayette.
17. Northwestern (2-2)
Last week: at Washington, L 24-5
Northwestern is averaging just 17.2 points per game to start the season. That number drops all the way to 12.5 points per game in the 2 games against power conference teams. Neither Mike Wright or Jack Lausch has consistently looked like the answer at QB, and the Wildcats are running out of time to figure things out.
16. UCLA (1-2)
Last week: at LSU, L 34-17
Considering the Bruins were destroyed at home by Indiana, UCLA looked much better than I expected on the road vs. LSU. The moral victories won’t mean much, unfortunately, with 2 more games against ranked opponents coming up in Weeks 5 and 6. Things could get rough for UCLA before we even reach the middle of October.
15. Minnesota (2-2)
Last week: vs. Iowa, L 31-14
Minnesota was giving Iowa all sorts of fits in the first half with a pair of touchdown passes from Max Brosmer. Unfortunately, the Hawkeye defense got to him for 2 interceptions in the game and shut down Darius Taylor all game long. The Gophers are now 0-2 against power conference teams with 31 combined points in those losses. (Oh, and that loss to UNC looks disastrous after what happened to the Tar Heels over the weekend.)
14. Maryland (3-1)
Last week: vs. Villanova, W 38-20
Tai Felton is compiling a special season, delivering his 4th straight game with 100+ receiving yards while going for 14 catches and 157 yards. Billy Edwards Jr. continues to look sharp with the offense, and that’s what Mike Locksley will need to keep his Terps competitive in the new B1G. Next up is a road game against an undefeated Indiana program. This should be a great measuring stick week.
13. Wisconsin (2-1)
Last week: BYE
12. Washington (3-1)
Last week: vs. Northwestern, W 24-5
Washington might have had the best matchup for a B1G opener among all the newcomers from the Pac-12. Northwestern never posed a serious threat with the Huskies bouncing back quickly from the loss to Washington State. Jedd Fisch’s group still committed 7 penalties, but that was half of their total from Week 3, so count it as a win.
11. Michigan State (3-1)
Last week: at Boston College, L 23-19
Michigan State will go as far as Aidan Chiles’ arm can take it this season. However, Chiles needs to learn he doesn’t have to make the electrifying play on every snap. Once he protects the ball better, the Spartans will be that much tougher to defeat under Jonathan Smith.
10. Indiana (4-0)
Last week: vs. Charlotte, W 52-14
Curt Cignetti is now the first-ever Indiana head coach to begin his career 4-0, and the offense is firing at an ultra-elite pace. Competition is up for debate, but half of the struggle at a program like IU is simply looking dominant in the games you are supposed to win. That task has been completed impressively so far.
9. Iowa (3-1)
Last week: at Minnesota, W 31-14
Iowa has been a tale of 2 halves for 3 straight weeks, though it has been a positive 2nd-half push for the past two weeks. The Hawkeyes outscored Minnesota 24-0 after the break, and that’s more so what I expected from Kirk Ferentz’s program. There are some troubling inconsistencies for Iowa right no. But overall, that’s a solid win.
8. Nebraska (3-1)
Last week: vs. Illinois, L 31-24
For the first time this season, Nebraska looked outmatched at the line of scrimmage. The Huskers rushed for just 50 yards (1.6 YPC) against Illinois while the Illini ran for 168 yards (4.4 YPC). That’s how the Illini pulled off an overtime win with a -1 turnover margin. I don’t think there should be alarm bells going off in Lincoln, but there is plenty to clean up.
7. Rutgers (3-0)
Last week: at Virginia Tech, W 26-23
I’m not a fan of how Rutgers allowed VT to make this a big-time game in the 2nd half, but the Scarlet Knights were playing in a road game against a power conference opponent. The important thing is Rutgers moved to 3-0 with a perfect nonconference record. That will play a big role in the chances of the program returning to a bowl game.
6. Illinois (4-0)
Last week: at Nebraska, W 31-24
Don’t look now, but Illinois is 4-0 with a pair of wins over teams who were ranked at the time of the game. Regardless of the competition level outside of those 2 games, nothing about Illinois’ performance has been fluky. Luke Altmyer has taken major strides in taking control of the ball, and the Illini are tied for 3rd in the country with a +1.75 turnover margin per game.
5. USC (2-1)
Last week: at Michigan, L 27-24
USC is not in the business of moral victories. Still, there has to be some sense of a positive showing on the road in Ann Arbor, considering what was expected of the Trojans entering the season. Something to monitor is the health of the roster after Makai Lemon was transferred to the hospital and Lake McRee appeared to sustain a serious injury.
4. Michigan (3-1)
Last week: vs. USC, W 27-24
I’m not sure how they did it, but they did it. Alex Orji threw for exactly 32 yards in his first career start, but that was just the right (?) recipe for the Wolverines. Kalel Mullings was the hero of the day. Still, you have to figure Michigan needs more of a passing attack (with or without Colston Loveland) to win big games this fall. Right?
3. Penn State (3-0)
Last week: vs. Kent State, W 56-0
Penn State scored 8 touchdowns with 8 different players in a record-setting offensive performance. Not to throw any cold water on that kind of day, but it’s possible Kent State is the worst FBS team in the country. Still, it’s good the team looked as expected coming off the bye week.
2. Oregon (3-0)
Last week: BYE
1. Ohio State (3-0)
Last week: vs. Marshall, W 49-14
The longer I look at Marshall’s hot offensive start, the less worried I am about Ohio State’s defense. Charles Huff can get his team ready to play tough opponents, so it should not be surprising the Thundering Herd had some flashes this weekend. The positives? That’s what Ohio State wants the ground game to look like, and the passing attack playing off the ground game was clicking. Now, it’s time for some B1G football.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.