With the first four weeks of the 2025 college football season now complete, it’s starting to become more clear who the Big Ten’s best and worst teams are.
All 18 teams in the conference have either begun Big Ten play or will start Big Ten play this upcoming weekend, and all 18 teams have now played either three or four games, depending on whether or not they’ve had their first bye week of the season.
With that in mind, it’s time for our first Big Ten power rankings of the season, ranking every conference team from top to bottom based on how they’ve performed so far this year.
While some projection is required at this still-early stage of the season, these rankings are based predominantly on what we’ve already seen from each team so far this year, not how I expect them to perform the rest of the season. Who each team has beaten, who each team has lost to and whether those wins and losses were close or convincing were all factored into determining where each team ranks.
Each team’s results through the first four weeks of the season are listed below their ranking and record.
1. Ohio State (3-0, 0-0)
W vs. Texas, 14-7
W vs. Grambling State, 70-0
W vs. Ohio, 37-9
Ohio State’s season-opening win over Texas is still the top win any Big Ten team has so far, and the Buckeyes won comfortably in their remaining non-conference games. The defending national champions look capable of winning it all again with another elite defense and dynamic passing offense.
2. Oregon (4-0, 1-0)
W vs. Montana State, 59-13
W vs. Oklahoma State, 69-3
W at Northwestern, 34-14
W vs. Oregon State, 41-7
The defending Big Ten champions have dominated everyone in their path so far, highlighted by their very nice 69-3 rout of Oklahoma State. If the Ducks beat Penn State on the road next weekend, they’ll have a case for being the No. 1 team in the country – let alone the Big Ten – but they come in second in the power rankings for now since they haven’t faced an opponent of Texas’ caliber.
3. Indiana (4-0, 1-0)
W vs. Old Dominion, 27-14
W vs. Kennesaw State, 56-9
W vs. Indiana State, 73-0
W vs. Illinois, 63-10
Indiana made a massive statement in its Big Ten opener on Saturday night, demolishing an Illinois team that entered the game ranked ninth in the AP poll. With a potential first-round NFL quarterback in Fernando Mendoza, an excellent receiving tandem in Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt and a defense that’s been one of the nation’s best through four games, Indiana looks like a real contender to make the College Football Playoff for a second straight year.
4. Penn State (3-0, 0-0)
W vs. Nevada, 46-11
W vs. Florida International, 34-0
W vs. Villanova, 52-6
The preseason Big Ten favorite is ranked fourth for one reason: Penn State hasn’t played anybody yet. The Nittany Lions did what they needed to do in non-conference play, beating all three of their opponents by at least five scores, though they didn’t cover the spread against any of them. We’ll get our first look at how good they actually are on Saturday night when they host Oregon in a Big Ten Championship Game rematch.
5. USC (4-0, 2-0)
W vs. Missouri State, 73-13
W vs. Georgia Southern, 59-20
W at Purdue, 33-17
W vs. Michigan State, 45-31
The Trojans were expected to beat Purdue and Michigan State by more than two scores, but that doesn’t change the fact that they currently lead the Big Ten with a 2-0 record in conference play. USC’s offense is one of the best in college football, ranking third nationally with 582.25 yards per game; its defense, which has consistently been the Trojans’ Achilles heel in recent years, remains a major question mark.
6. Washington (3-0, 0-0)
W vs. Colorado State, 38-21
W vs. UC Davis, 70-10
W at Washington State, 59-24
Like Penn State, the Huskies haven’t played anyone yet, which will change in a big way when they host Ohio State next weekend. What is clear is they have one of the best quarterback/running back/wide receiver trios in the country in Demond Williams Jr., Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston, who’ve led the way for Washington to rank second nationally with 55 2/3 points per game. Like USC, the question is whether the Huskies have enough on defense to hang with the conference’s best teams.
7. Michigan (3-1, 1-0)
W vs. New Mexico, 34-17
L at Oklahoma, 13-24
W vs. Central Michigan, 63-3
W at Nebraska, 30-27
There are too many undefeated teams in the Big Ten as of now for Michigan to be ranked higher than this with a loss, but Oklahoma looks like one of the nation’s best teams and the Wolverines have responded to that loss the way they needed to. Nebraska’s the best team Michigan’s beaten so far, and a three-point win over the Cornhuskers won’t wow anyone, but they remain a real threat to contend for a CFP berth with a favorable conference schedule.
8. Maryland (4-0, 1-0)
W vs. FAU, 39-7
W vs. Northern Illinois, 20-9
W vs. Towson, 44-17
W at Wisconsin, 27-10
Maryland has a history of starting strong in September before fading in October and November, and the Terps have already played four of the easiest games on their schedule. Nevertheless, they’ve taken care of business in every game they’ve played so far, including a decisive win over Wisconsin to open Big Ten play that they controlled from start to finish. They’ll need to beat some better competition before they can be taken seriously as a contender, but their unblemished record earns them a spot in the top half of the power rankings.
Maryland is one of seven 4-0 teams in the Big Ten after the first four weeks of the season. (Photo: Jeff Hanisch – Imagn Images)
9. Iowa (3-1, 1-0)
W vs. Albany, 34-7
L at Iowa State, 14-17
W vs. UMass, 47-7
W at Rutgers, 38-28
Iowa’s passing offense remains one of the nation’s worst and its defense was far from dominant in its Big Ten opener, but the Hawkeyes’ only loss so far this season came to a 12th-ranked Iowa State team that needed a 54-yard field goal to win the Cy-Hawk Trophy. Kirk Ferentz’s squad doesn’t look close to a playoff contender, but it’s still got a good shot to finish in the top half of the conference as it usually does.
10. Nebraska (3-1, 0-1)
W vs. Cincinnati, 20-17
W vs. Akron, 68-0
W vs. Houston Christian, 59-7
L vs. Michigan, 27-30
The song remains the same for Nebraska, which had its chances to beat Michigan on Saturday but ended up suffering its 28th straight loss to a ranked opponent, a streak that dates back to 2016. The Cornhuskers’ only non-conference win of consequence was a three-point victory in a de facto home game at Arrowhead Stadium against a Cincinnati team that isn’t expected to contend in the Big 12, and Matt Rhule’s squad won’t be taken seriously until it finds a way to win against a marquee opponent.
11. Illinois (3-1, 0-1)
W vs. Western Illinois, 52-3
W at Duke, 45-19
W vs. Western Michigan, 38-0
L at Indiana, 10-63
Illinois’ status as a trendy playoff pick went up in flames on Saturday night as the Illini were obliterated by Indiana. There’s still time for Bret Bielema’s squad to bounce back, but their terrible showings on both sides of the ball against the Hoosiers made the Illini look like a pretender rather than a contender.
12. Michigan State (3-1, 0-1)
W vs. Western Michigan, 23-6
W vs. Boston College, 42-40
W vs. Youngstown State, 41-24
L at USC, 31-45
After needing two overtimes to beat Boston College and winning by only 17 points against a MAC opponent and an FCS opponent in non-conference play, the Spartans dropped their Big Ten opener at USC late Saturday night. There are worse results than a 14-point road loss to a ranked opponent, but the Spartans look like a team that will be battling for bowl eligibility rather than contending with the conference’s upper class.
13. Rutgers (3-1, 0-1)
W vs. Ohio, 34-31
W vs. Miami (Ohio), 45-17
W vs. Norfolk State, 60-10
L vs. Iowa, 28-38
Rutgers barely held off the Ohio Bobcats in its season opener, then gave up 38 points to Iowa in its Big Ten opener. Its other non-conference victories came against a team that has yet to win a game and an FCS school. With Oregon, Ohio State and Penn State all still on the schedule, Rutgers faces a challenging path to earning bowl eligibility.
14. Minnesota (2-1, 0-0)
W vs. Buffalo, 23-10
W vs. Northwestern State, 66-0
L at California, 14-27
Minnesota’s defeat to Cal to end non-conference play looks even worse after the Golden Bears suffered a 34-0 loss to San Diego State on Saturday. The Golden Gophers didn’t blow the doors off Buffalo in their season opener, and their only other win so far is against an FCS opponent, so they have a lot to prove as they begin Big Ten play this week against Rutgers.
15. Wisconsin (2-2, 0-1)
W vs. Miami (Ohio), 17-0
W vs. Middle Tennessee State, 42-10
L at Alabama, 14-38
L vs. Maryland, 10-27
Maryland looked like the most winnable game on Wisconsin’s Big Ten schedule, and the Badgers never even threatened to win the game on their home field. Luke Fickell’s squad is likely to be an underdog in all of its remaining games; with a schedule that still includes road games against Michigan, Oregon and Indiana as well as a home game against Ohio State, the Badgers need a miracle to avoid a second straight losing season.
16. Purdue (2-2, 0-1)
W vs. Ball State, 31-0
W vs. Southern Illinois, 34-17
L at USC, 17-33
L at Notre Dame, 30-56
The Boilermakers have already won one more game this season than they did all of last season, but those wins came against a MAC team and an FCS team. Just winning one or two Big Ten games would be a step in the right direction after last year’s 1-11 debacle, but it’s hard to imagine Purdue doing anything more than that in Barry Odom’s first season.
17. Northwestern (1-2, 0-1)
L at Tulane, 3-23
W vs. Western Illinois, 42-7
L vs. Oregon, 14-34
Northwestern’s only win so far this season came against an FCS team that’s just 1-3 this year. Its two 20-point losses include one to a Tulane team that barely beat South Alabama and Duke before suffering a 45-10 loss to Ole Miss on Saturday. Home games against UCLA and Purdue look like Northwestern’s only realistic chances for Big Ten wins this year.
18. UCLA (0-3, 0-0)
L vs. Utah, 10-43
L at UNLV, 23-30
L vs. New Mexico, 10-35
UCLA is the last remaining Power 4 team without a win this year, and the Bruins will be at real risk of a winless season if they can’t beat Northwestern next weekend. All the excitement that came with Nico Iamaleava’s transfer to Westwood this offseason has been completely wiped away with the season’s disastrous start, and the humiliating blowout home loss to New Mexico cost DeShaun Foster his job.
