College Football Big Ten power rankings entering Week 2

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The Big Ten officials became the hottest topic in college football after the ending to Michigan/Western Michigan Saturday night. Naturally, conspiracy theories floated all around the internet. The most fun hypothetical of all now is “what if Western Michigan ends up 11-1 with that game as their only loss?”

They would have a great case to make the CFP as the Group of 6 representative if that is the case, as long as Michigan ends up being somewhat decent. The obvious point, as well, is that the Big 10 could have saved themselves from a lot of headache if they had the level of transparency with replay reviews that the ACC does. Now, how in the world do we rank Michigan?

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10. Wisconsin

Even though the final score was 41-13, I thought Wisconsin represented themselves well against Notre Dame. Colton Joseph looks like the best QB the Badgers have had in a decade (which isn’t saying much), and both the offensive and defensive lines held up well against Notre Dame’s units. Look for this team to win 7 or 8 games this season.

9. Michigan

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood (19), center, exits the field with Director of Player Personnel Ron Bellamy after 13-12 win over Western Michigan at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

This is probably the fairest position that Michigan can be ranked. After all, they do sit at 1-0, and were still one of the preseason top-25 teams from the league. But they played 59 minutes and 59 seconds (or 60 minutes, depending on who you ask) of bad football Saturday night.

The offensive line failed to generate a push against WMU’s front, and Bryce Underwood looked like a high school senior, not a sophomore with a full year of starting experience. The defense held it down, though, and we’ll have a better sense of where the Wolverines stand after we see how they respond and match up against Oklahoma.

8. Iowa

Iowa did what Iowa does on Saturday against Northern Illinois, winning 50-0. The defense was excellent, the run game was explosive, with Kamari Moulton running for 183 yards, and the QB play was mediocre at best. Neither Hank Brown nor Jeremy Hecklinski impressed, with the two totaling 205 passing yards and Hecklinski throwing an interception. Same old Iowa.

7. UCLA

While they did not get an A game from Nico Iamaleava, the Bruins were able to use a big 4th quarter to defeat Cal, 45-24. The run game looked outstanding, with Anthony Woods and Wayne Knight both averaging over 8 yards per carry. Bob Chesney is just like DJ Khaled – all he does is win.

6. Washington

Sep 6, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch talks with quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (1) against the Washington State Cougars during the fourth quarter at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

The Huskies were a little underwhelming in a 24-10 victory over Washington State on Sunday. The game really felt like it turned when the Cougars held Washington on a goal-line stand right before halftime – if Washington had those 7 points, the game could have turned into a rout. The more concerning sign for the Huskies is that Demond Williams Jr appears to have taken no steps forward from last year.

5. Penn State

The Nittany Lions were properly whelming in a 45-0 victory over Marshall on Saturday. They modeled what should be expected from them this season – an efficient, but not overly explosive offense with multiple playmakers, and a solid defense that is where it is supposed to be. We’ll learn more about them when the schedule gets tougher – which will be a while.

4. USC

It was another solid victory for the Trojans as they dominated Fresno State 39-0 at the Coliseum Friday night. At this point, Jayden Maiava is deserving of some Heisman hype – he threw for an efficient 349 yards and 3 TDs against Fresno. If we’re not giving him that hype, then we need to give flowers to the freshman WRs Trent Mosley and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, who both topped 100 yards in this one.

3. Oregon

The Ducks were on upset alert for most of Saturday afternoon before going up for good 34-27 in the 4th quarter. Dante Moore was great – but he shouldn’t have to do that much for them to beat an honestly average Boise team. All of the offseason hype around Oregon centered on their experienced offensive and defensive lines, and they did not dominate in this game. The Ducks should not be considered National Title contenders at this very moment, and need to show more.

2. Indiana

Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti questions a call during the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

It looks like Cignetti is doing it again – Josh Hoover looked really good in his Indiana debut. It begs the question of whether Cignetti just has an eye for QB talent out of the portal, or does he do a really good job of coaching them up once they’re in Bloomington? We’ll have to find out once Indiana plays some real competition, which is a little while away.

1. Ohio State

It was a thoroughly “business as usual” performance in the Buckeyes’ 56-3 victory over Ball State. Jeremiah Smith dominated, and the Buckeyes played a total of 88 players in order to load-manage the starters and get snaps from young, talented players like RB Legend Bey. We’ll find out a lot more about the Buckeyes when they take on Texas in the game of the season this week.

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