Big Ten Power Rankings – Week 4
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Hello there and welcome to the Big Ten Power Rankings! Each week we’ll rank how the teams across the conference are playing, in the hopes of seeing just who is a contender, and who is a pretender over the course of the season.
The rules are few, but resolute:
Teams are ranked by how they’re playing at that time. Not body of work, not rankings in the polls, but simply how each team is playing at that point in the season.
The approach to the rankings is not necessarily on the field results (though those do count, as an obvious, tangible data point), but more generally if the two teams played at a neutral site 100 times, which team would win 51 times (or more).
These rankings are subjective. As the author I get to follow the rules as closely or loosely as I want to, and if you don’t like the rankings, you’re wrong.
Week 4 is in the books, and we’ve got upsets galore. Let’s get to it!
Tier 1: Playoff Locks
Teams that are all but guaranteed to make the playoffs, if they continue to play the way they have played thus far.
1. Indiana
The Hoosiers had their hands full with Northwestern, escaping with a 29-23 win. They’ll stay at the top but things definitely looked shaky. They’ll head east to play Rutgers next.
2. Ohio State
A workmanlike 42-19 win over Illinois keeps OSU second in the rankings. Next up is a suddenly interesting matchup at #14 Iowa.
Tier 2: Playoff Hopefuls
Teams that could very well end up in the playoffs, but need to continue to improve their resume and move up the rankings before they can make it.
3. Oregon
The Ducks blasted west coast rivals USC 41-27, and making a statement win after an embarrassing early season loss. The Ducks head to their BYE week next.
4. Iowa
After Iowa-ing for 58 minutes, Iowa decided to Iowa in the last 2 minutes, and came away with a 20-19 win over Michigan in a game for the ages. They’ll try to repeat that magic as #5 Ohio State comes to town.
5. Nebraska
The Cornhuskers mollywopped Michigan State 31-13, and are unblemished on the field so far this year. Time to put some respek on their name I guess. They’ll well come Maryland next.
6. USC
The game was back-and-forth for a bit, but ultimately the Trojans couldn’t hang with Oregon, losing 41-27. Another west coast game is next as Washington comes to visit.
Tier 3: High-Level Bowl Teams
Teams that likely won’t make the playoffs, but will represent the conference in quality bowls, including the Citrus Bowl and the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
7. Michigan
The Wolverines got Iowa’d in the most Iowa way possible, losing 20-19. Next up is Minnesota, who is coming in hot after a big win of their own.
8. UCLA
Speaking of putting respek on the name, the Bruins are 4-0, and are fresh off a 54-3 pantsing of Maryland. They’ll head to the bye week with one of the best starts in the conference under their belt.
9. Northwestern
Despite losing 29-23 to Indiana, I’m going to slide the Wildcats up a spot in these rankings. They’re playing well, and will be a challenge for anyone they play. Oh good, Penn State comes to town next.
Tier 4: Low-Level Bowl Teams
Teams that will end up making it to a bowl game, but likely the bowls that aren’t quite as prestigious, including the Pinstripe Bowl and the Music City Bowl.
10. Wisconsin
The Badgers had a disaster start to their game against Penn State, but hung around and made enough plays to escape with a 24-20 upset win. They’ll head back home and take on Michigan State next.
11. Penn State
On the flip side, you couldn’t have asked for a better start to the game for the Nittany Lions, who then proceeded to waste that lead in fairly embarrassing fashion, losing 24-20. They’ll head west to take on Northwestern next, in what may be a defining game for the season.
12. Minnesota
The Gophers got a surprising 27-24 win over Washington on the road, complete with a player’s blood being wiped on PJ Fleck’s face. Weird. They’ll try to keep the momentum going against Michigan next.
13. Washington
The Huskies got got in their own stadium, losing to Minnesota 27-24. They’ll need to regroup quickly as they head on the road to take on #18 USC.
14. Michigan State
The Spartans got pretty well dominated by Nebraska 31-13, and are trending in a bad direction. They’ll try to right the ship as they head on the road to play feisty Wisconsin.
15. Illinois
A 42-19 loss to Ohio State isn’t great, but more or less expected for most teams. They’ll take on Purdue next and try to get back in the win column.
Tier 5: Bowl-Ineligible Teams
Teams that are on a trajectory to end the season below .500 and miss out on a post-season bowl game.
16. Maryland
September Maryland has taken a nosedive, losing to UCLA 54-3. Things don’t get any easier as the Terrapins travel to take on undefeated Nebraska next.
17. Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights managed to move out of the basement with a 58-7 win over Howard, their first of the year. Can they stay up here in these lofty airs with #6 Indiana coming to town? Guess we’ll find out!
Tier 6: The Basement™
The worst of the worst, teams whose fans wear paper bags over their heads and count down the days until they have a new head coach.
18. Purdue
A 49-10 loss to Notre Dame moves the Boilermakers back into the basement, and they may stay here the rest of the season, we shall see. Purdue heads on the road to play Illinois next, so we’ll see if they show any signs of life.
Dem squiggles be squigglin’, yo.
Indiana and Ohio State stay steady at the top, with Oregon, Iowa, and Nebraska on the rise. USC and Michigan drop, with UCLA shooting up the board. Northwestern also edges upward, with Wisconsin rocketing upward as well. Penn State falls off a cliff, but Minnesota is trending upward. Washington, Michigan State, and Illinois all tumble. Maryland holds steady, while Rutgers clambers out of the basement. Purdue, meanwhile, is back where they started to begin the season.
On to Week 5!
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