Big Ten Football Power Rankings following an ugly Week 1
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Now that games have been played on the field, it’s much easier to rank the Big Ten teams. Despite the conference’s relatively strong weekly record, there’s quite a bit of movement that needed to be made in our rankings. Here’s what we’ve got headed into Week 2:
10. Illinois Fighting Illini: 1-0, Def. UAB 42-23
Illinois took care of a plucky UAB squad despite gaining 81 fewer yards from scrimmage than the Blazers. QB Katin Houser was efficient and led the Illini offense in an inspiring way. We’ll learn more about Illinois in the coming weeks, but this was a promising start.
9. Nebraska Cornhuskers: 1-0, Def. Ohio 49-21
Anthony Colandrea far exceeded expectations in his Cornhusker debut. He threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 23 yards and an additional score. The defense or lack thereof against Ohio is a bit of a concern moving forward, but this was a great opener for Matt Rhule’s offense.
8. Washington Huskies: 1-0, Def. Washington State 24-10
The Huskies took care of their rivals in a non-conference, Week 1 matchup. Despite the offseason drama surrounding Demond Williams, he played well as he was Washington’s leading passer (268 yards) and rusher (61 yards).
7. Minnesota Golden Gophers: 1-0, Def. Eastern Illinois 59-7
Eastern Illinois is admittedly a bad opponent. However, P.J. Fleck’s squad looked very impressive in their season opener. Darius Taylor rushed for three touchdowns while Drake Lindsey threw for 264 yards and a score. In a recurring theme you’ll see throughout these rankings, tougher tests are ahead.
6. Iowa Hawkeyes: 1-0, Def. Northern Illinois 40-0
In our Betting the Big Ten series, we picked Northern Illinois to cover because I didn’t think the Hawkeye offense could score 35 points. They not only proved me wrong, but pitched a shutout as well. Iowa split reps at quarterback which they’ll need to figure out later but so far so good.
5. USC Trojans: 2-0, Def. Fresno State 39-0
While USC’s fanbase didn’t entirely redeem themselves, the Trojans’ play on the field certainly did. Jayden Maiava looked dominant, and the Trojan defense pitched a shutout. USC continues to be a CFP dark horse.
4. Penn State Nittany Lions: 1-0, Def. Marshall 45-0
Matt Campbell and company obliterated a vastly overmatched Marshall squad in Campbell’s debut as head coach in Happy Valley. Rocco Becht threw four touchdown passes as the Nittany Lions outgained the Thundering Herd, 487-147.
3. Oregon Ducks: 1-0, Def. Boise State 34-27
Make no mistake: Boise State is a very solid program, and this was a solid win for the Ducks. However, Oregon appeared truly on the ropes for parts of this game, so I had to drop them down from No. 1. Oregon is very much still in the thick of the Big Ten title race.
2. Indiana Hoosiers: 1-0, Def. North Texas 52-16
Somewhat surprisingly, Indiana’s defense showed signs of vulnerability while the offense fired on all cylinders. Many would have expected the opposite heading into the season. However, Curt Cignetti’s squad still appears to be a juggernaut this year.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes: 1-0, Def. Ball State 56-3
As expected, Ohio State had no trouble with their weak Week 1 foe. The Buckeyes routinely thrash their weaker non-conference opponents, so this came as no surprise. 671 yards from scrimmage was certainly impressive, however.
Everybody else:
- 11. Michigan Wolverines
- 12. UCLA Bruins
- 13. Wisconsin Badgers
- 14. Northwestern Wildcats
- 15. Maryland Terrapins
- 16. Michigan State Spartans
- 17. Purdue Boilermakers
- 18. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
You may have noticed that the Michigan Wolverines are no longer in the top 10. I just can’t include them there given how bad the Michigan offense looked. The offense was out of sync, sloppy, and unorganized. Major changes will be needed for the Wolverines to jump back into the upper echelon.
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