We are back with the power rankings of the Big 10 (18?).
Big Ten Power Rankings 2024 – 9/4
1. Ohio State
(1-0) – Won 52-6 vs Akron
Ho-hum, a cakewalk game for the Big Ten favorites. And in case you like the juggernaut playing one MAC team, just wait until next week when they take on a second against Western Michigan! Twice the beatdowns, hurray!!!
2. Penn State
(1-0) – Won 34-12 at West Virginia
It took about a quarter for Penn State to get ramped up, but they handedly beat West Virginia on the road. The returning duo of Drew Allar and Nic Singleton looks to be a nasty combo for opposing defenses. PSU looks poised to make a run at the expanded CFP this year.
3. USC
(1-0) – Won 27-20 vs #13 LSU (Neutral)
Well, well, we have our first newcomer. Lincoln Riley and the Trojans went over to Sin City and toppled the holiest man south of the bayou, Brian Kelly. It was a hard-fought contest, but the USC passing attack gave the extra kick needed. USC now gets a reprieve as Utah State comes down for a whooping.
4. Michigan
(1-0) – Won 30-10 vs Fresno State
The defending champs didn’t look very sharp in their opener at the Big House as Fresno State kept the Wolverines within punching distance until about 10 minutes left. After the Bulldogs got to within 6, the Wolverines scored a TD on both sides of the ball for the knockout blow. Still, Michigan had some issues they need to iron out quickly considering #3 Texas is going to Ann Arbor next weekend.
5. Oregon
(1-0) – Won 24-14 vs Idaho
Similar to Michigan, the first chapter of the Dillon Gabriel Era at Oregon got off to a rocky start. With 9:45 remaining in the game, not quarter or half, but GAME, FCS Idaho trailed by only 3. Oregon would drive the field and score a put away touchdown, but it was not pretty, especially being at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks are gonna need to figure things out for next week when Boise State comes to town.
6. Iowa
(1-0) – Won 40-0 vs Illinois State
It was a tale of two halves for Iowa. In the first half, the offense could only muster up 6 points and the longest drive was 49 yards. The ‘punting is winning’ crowd was in full force as Iowa flipped the field 4 times and it looked as if Brian Ferentz was not the issue. Luckily for the Hawkeyes, Cade McNamara and the offense woke up in the second half, putting up 34 points while still pitching a shutout. Here’s the rub: we don’t know which Iowa offense we will see throughout the season. Good offense Iowa is a CFP contender while bad offense Iowa looks like a 7-win dumpster fire. The defense will be consistently great as it has for decades but the offense will determine the season.
7. Nebraska
(1-0) – Won 40-7 vs UTEP
Top prospect Dylan Raiola looked the part as Nebraska thumped UTEP. The Miners hung around for just over a quarter before Nebraska blew the doors open. The second and third units came out in the second half as the game was well in hand. Fans of Nebraska rejoice because it would appear that Nebraska football under Matt Rhule has already surpassed Scott Frost.
8. Washington
(1-0) – Won 35-3 vs Weber State
A methodical victory against an overmatched FCS team was expected from the national runner-up. Despite losing a lot of key guys in the offseason, Washington is this high on the list from merit.
9. Maryland
(1-0) – Won 50-7 vs UCONN
We all knew that Maryland’s offense was explosive, right? In the post-Taulia Tagovailoa era, Billy Edwards Jr took the baton and just kept running with it. Over 300 yards passing and two scores is a good start to the season and Maryland will try to break through into the upper echelon of the Big Ten.
10. Rutgers
(1-0) – Won 44-7 vs Howard
Rutgers has valiantly risen from punching bag of the conference to perennial middle tier team. They simply don’t have the fire power of the big boys, but consistent likelihood of winning 6 to 8 games in a season is much more than other programs have.
11. Wisconsin
(1-0) – Won 28-14 vs Western Kentucky
Wisconsin struggled in their Friday night matchup against WMU and actually trailed the Broncos in the 4th quarter. Luckily for the Badgers, they remembered that they were Wisconsin playing at Camp Randall and scored 15 unanswered points. Nobody for Wisconsin stood out in any phase of the ball and the game just looked like bland mush.
12. Indiana
(1-0) – Won 31-7 vs FIU
The Cignetti era has begun with a win against a group of 5 team. Kurtis Rourke played decently in his debut but the Indiana rushing attack carried most of the weight on the way to over 230 yards rushing. On defense, Aidan Fisher looked smart following his coach to a bigger stage from James Madison, leading the defense in tackles and recording a sack. An FCS opponent in Western Illinois should see IU get to 2-0 but the jury is still out until conference play starts.
13. Northwestern
(1-0) – Won 13-6 vs Miami (OH)
In a makeshift stadium, Northwestern did not look good, especially on offense. QB Mike Wright coughed up the ball twice and did not look great. If not for a few timely interceptions, this game could have slipped. David Braun has got some work to do.
14. Illinois
(1-0) – Won 45-0 vs Eastern Illinois
Not much is learned in an FCS beatdown. Winning the turnover battle 4-0 is always welcome though, and Luke Altmyer looks to have improved from last season. Illinois will have a big test this week when Kansas comes to town.
15. Purdue
(1-0) – Won 49-0 vs Indiana State
Again, not much is learned in an FCS beatdown. Hudson Card, even against an overmatched opponent, looked spectacular. Even on air, hitting 96% of your passes isn’t easy. Purdue will get a week of rest before taking on Notre Dame.
16. UCLA
(1-0) – Won 16-13 at Hawaii
UCLA must have been jetlagged because they did not score in the first half in Honolulu. Even when they woke up in the second half, they were sleepy as they managed just 16 points. The Bruin defense looks pretty good, however, allowing just 3 second half points and 13 overall. Most offenses are going to be better than Hawaii’s though.
17. Michigan State
(1-0) – Won 16-10 vs FAU
The first play of the season for Aidan Chiles was an interception. Yikes. The Spartan offense looked putrid save for a 63-yard rushing touchdown and an 18-yard touchdown drive. Up 16-0, MSU nearly let the Owls come back and the defense bailed out the offense on three consecutive drives that ended with a turnover on downs. Between those drives, MSU’s offense went 3 and out twice and gained a whopping 4 yards.
18. Minnesota
(0-1) – Lost 19-17 vs North Carolina
I need to type 0-1 only once so the bottom of the barrel goes to Minnesota.