Big Ten Football Power Rankings 09/30/24

18. Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue’s defence played well enough for three quarters to beat Nebraska, but their offence continues to struggle; at one point in the fourth quarter, they had more penalty yards (165) than offensive yards (146). Now, Purdue travels to Madison where they hope to beat a team they haven’t defeated since 2003.

17. Northwestern Wildcats

Will Northwestern use its extra week of preparation to counter Indiana’s explosive offense and implement any offensive changes during their bye week? These are among the many questions for David Braun’s squad upon returning from their bye week.

16. UCLA Bruins

UCLA still has not reached 100 yards on the ground this season and struggled to rush again on Saturday against Oregon, totalling only 47 yards on 24 carries and losing by only 21 points despite feeling more like an overwhelming result.

15. Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota deserves praise for battling until the very end. They could have easily folded after trailing 24-3, but instead decided to keep fighting and had an opportunity late to win. Even though their defense conceded 27 points, Minnesota held strong in the second half – especially considering their opponent.

14. Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin looked promising in the first half against USC before things turned sour in the second half. Now, it’s difficult to assess Wisconsin’s standing within the Big Ten since their only wins are against Western Michigan and South Dakota, while their two losses came against ranked opponents such as Alabama and USC. Luke Fickell’s team simply isn’t close to competing at the top level of competition in conference play.

13. Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State learned the hard way that it is difficult to rely on explosive plays alone to beat Ohio State on Saturday, as their offense struggled mightily against an explosive Buckeyes defense. Their weekend won’t get any easier when they travel to Eugene for their match against Oregon on Friday night.

12. Maryland Terrapins

Maryland’s offense still boasts many positives; Billy Edwards Jr.’s 289-yard throwing with three touchdowns to eight different receivers showed this off nicely against Indiana. Unfortunately, Maryland needs to address some defensive issues if they hope to reach another bowl game; having an off week could prove invaluable.

11. Washinton Huskies

Washington was able to move the football against Rutgers’ defense, yet failed to convert that success into points. Only one of their four field goal attempts was successful, resulting in a three-point loss at Piscataway. Washington has struggled mightily in the red zone this season, scoring points on 13 out of 18 visits, with only nine leading to touchdowns; it must significantly improve in this area for its success to continue.

10. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Sometimes, just scraping out a win is enough. Nebraska managed to score against Purdue on the road while only converting one-of-eight third-down opportunities, missing three field goals, and going 42 minutes without scoring a point without ever finding its rhythm offensively or defensively—enough to move to 4-1 overall on the year. This wasn’t a pretty performance by Nebraska, but they won a game they would have found a way to lose in the past.

9. Iowa Hawkeyes

After taking a week off to regroup and prepare, Iowa will travel to Columbus for their most daunting test yet – facing Ohio State at Ohio Stadium on Saturday. Iowa needs stellar defensive play from Kaleb Johnson as well as production from the running game in order to pull off an upset win at Ohio State.

8. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Given their disparate stats, assuming you know how Rutgers defeated Washington is difficult: the Husky’s 521 total yards compared to Rutgers’ 299. What made Rutgers stand out was its special teams play; Greg Schiano’s squad forced Washington into numerous field goal attempts that they failed to convert, leading to Rutgers coming away victorious but playing poorly overall on Friday night; next up against Nebraska,  their defense will need to play much stronger between the 20s.

7. Illinois Fighting Illini

It didn’t end the way Illinois would’ve liked, but Bret Bielema’s team rose to the challenge in Happy Valley on Saturday. The Fighting Illini had plenty of chances to upset Penn State in Beaver Stadium but just couldn’t make enough plays offensively. A bye week comes at an advantageous time, with Purdue, Michigan and Oregon occupying the next three Saturdays on Illinois’ schedule.

6. USC Trojans

USC experienced an unforgettable second half on Saturday. Trailing Wisconsin 21-10 at halftime, they outscored them 28-0 over the final 30 minutes to secure their first Big Ten conference win since joining. Their run defense fared much better this time around, allowing only 106 yards on the ground, while Ja’Kobi Lane made waves by hauling in 10 passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns en route to an impressive performance overall.

5. Michigan Wolverines

For three quarters, Michigan looked like Michigan. Then, the fourth quarter happened. The Wolverines benefited from a fortuitous offsides penalty on an onside kick attempt to secure a 27-24 victory over Minnesota. For the most part, Michigan’s defense played well, but the offense was a problem, totalling just 241 yards. Coach Sherrone Moore will have to find a way to get more balance on that side of the football. A lot of questions still exist about this Wolverines team.

4. Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana is undefeated and could clinch its bowl berth in the first week of October, thanks to quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns during Indiana’s 42-28 win against Maryland. Although Indiana may not yet be considered a title-level contender, coach Curt Cignetti has quickly changed the culture in Bloomington.

3. Oregon Ducks

How much do we know about Oregon? Yes, they’re good, but are they championship-level good? Dan Lanning’s team has played much better recently in its victories against Oregon State and UCLA, but these shouldn’t be taken as definitive measures of their ability. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel continues his remarkable performance by throwing for 278 yards and three touchdowns against UCLA last weekend in an emphatic win for Dan’s squad.

2. Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State’s decision to move defensive coordinator Tom Allen into the press box appeared to pay dividends on Saturday. Their defense was virtually unstoppable, recording seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss in their win over the Illini. Abdul Carter and Zane Durant stood out, while Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton led a 241-yard rush that resulted in three touchdowns- making their performance stand out. It truly was impressive, and many believe Penn State is the real deal.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State had no problem defeating Michigan State on Saturday. They averaged more than five yards per carry while receiving great production from Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka as receivers. Defensively, Ohio State recorded four sacks and seven tackles for loss and forced three turnovers to cruise to another victory easily. They made the Spartans look like an ordinary MAC team.