Big Ten Football Power Rankings 10/07/24

18. Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue is awful and there are no positives for this team as of now. My bet is they will finish the season at this spot, also.

17. UCLA Bruins

UCLA may be 1-4 on the season, but they’ve shown at least some level of competitive fight in losses to LSU, Oregon and Penn State. They do not have the coaching or talent to compete in the Big Ten.

16. Northwestern Wildcats

Northwestern gave Indiana a good fight, but ultimately didn’t possess enough offensive firepower to overcome them.

15. Michigan State Spartans

After starting off 3-0, the Spartans have seen their win streak halted after dropping three consecutive contests. There’s been very little consistency on both sides of the ball recently; competition won’t get any easier either, with Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Rutgers remaining on their schedules.

14. Maryland Terrapins

What will Maryland show after taking another week to prepare for Northwestern’s defense? While they still possess a potent offense, there remain questions regarding their defense.

13. Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin certainly had an effective comeback win on Saturday against Purdue after suffering back-to-back losses to Alabama and USC. Led by Trech Kekahuna’s impressive day with six receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns led to an impressive win by the Badgers. Saturday’s victory should serve as a morale-booster as we approach midseason of their 2024 campaign.

12. USC Trojans

Perhaps USC isn’t ready to compete at the top of the Big Ten just yet, after three turnovers proved the difference against Minnesota on Saturday. While their defense played well throughout, its effectiveness wasn’t enough in the fourth quarter—Pwnn State visits the Trojans next..

11. Minnesota Golden Gophers

Max Brosmer had an impressive evening, leading Minnesota to an upset win against USC with an outstanding performance by their quarterback. He amassed 169 yards and scored three touchdowns on offense—more than enough to lead Coach P.J. Fleck and his Gophers past their rival.

10. Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa was not expected to give Ohio State much of a fight, yet its defense managed to keep Ohio State at bay for the first two quarters. After that point, though, chaos ensued, with quarterback Cade McNamara responsible for all three Iowa turnovers and running back Kaleb Johnson limited to just 86 yards on 15 carries.

9. Michigan Wolverines

Michigan lost because it could not throw the football. Its defense is good, and it can run the ball, but it is limited offensively.

8. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers’ defense played well enough to claim victory against Nebraska, but their offense couldn’t make much headway against strong winds and an equally formidable Nebraska defense. Rutgers had come close to disaster a few times this season, but this was their momentous undoing.

7. Washington Huskies

Jedd Fisch earned his first major win in Washington. Although nothing spectacular happened, Washington was able to stop Michigan from moving the ball through the air, holding them to just 115 passing yards and two touchdowns through Will Rogers. This added momentum for their success as the season unfolded.

6. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska’s Blackshirt Defense came through in Saturday’s win against Rutgers, holding running back Kyle Monangai to just 78 yards on 19 carries and recording four sacks and five tackles for loss from James Williams, Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher’s defensive line combination.

5. Illinois Fighting Illini

After their loss to Penn State, Illinois took advantage of an extra week off for rest and recovery before facing Purdue at home in a game this weekend. How will Bret Bielema’s squad fare after getting more rest?

4. Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State was without running back Nick Singleton. Quarterback Drew Allar helped pick up some of the slack, completing 17-of-24 passes for 237 yards with one touchdown. Defensively, though, Penn State played well enough; although they got their victory, they hope to play even better next week against USC.

3. Indiana Hoosiers

Curt Cignetti has Indiana on an impressive run, particularly on offense. Indiana has scored at least 41 points in its last five games and is one of the most efficient offensive units in the Big Ten thus far. Bowl eligibility awaits Indiana, but this team could challenge some top teams. Indiana gets to enjoy its perfect 6-0 start before entering an even more challenging portion of its schedule.

2. Oregon Ducks

Oregon appears to have finally found its offensive line rhythm. After struggling in their initial two games against Idaho and Boise State, Oregon has won each of its last three by at least three touchdowns. The Dillon Gabriel-Tez Johnson combination in the passing game has worked well, and Jordan James has amassed over 550 yards rushing. We will know more when Ohio State visits Eugene this weekend!

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State had some early struggles against Iowa on Saturday night before eventually taking an 7-0 advantage into halftime. But an incredible third-quarter performance outscored Iowa 21-0 and propelled Ohio State to an easy 35-7 victory, led by Emeka Egbuka, who caught nine passes for 71 yards and three touchdowns while also holding another opponent to seven points or less on defense. Now Ryan Day will travel to Oregon and face his toughest test yet, the Oregon Ducks!