Seven games into the season, the Big Ten has a clear Big Three and a Bottom Five, with everyone else jockeying for position in between them.
Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon continued to separate themselves from the pack as the Big Ten’s three best teams with dominant wins in Week 8. USC and Washington, who looked like the top contenders to challenge them for top-three position entering Week 8, both suffered disappointing losses on the road on Saturday.
The biggest riser in this week’s Big Ten Power Rankings is Minnesota, which earned its most impressive win of the season by far with a 24-6 victory over Nebraska. The Cornhuskers joined the Trojans, Huskies and Maryland among this week’s fallers, though all of them remain comfortably ahead of the five Big Ten teams who have yet to win a conference game this season – four of whom suffered lopsided defeats in Week 8.
As always, my Big Ten Power Rankings place a heavy emphasis on résumés, taking into account who each team has beaten, who it’s lost to and how decisively each team has won and lost each of its games. Head-to-head results between teams carry significant weight, particularly when comparing teams with similar records.
1. Indiana (7-0, 4-0)
Wins: Old Dominion (27-14), Kennesaw State (56-9), Indiana State (73-0), Illinois (63-10), at Iowa (20-15), at Oregon (30-20), Michigan State (38-13)
Losses: None
Last Week: 1
Indiana suffered no letdown from its statement win at Oregon, beating Michigan State by 25 points to remain unbeaten. The Hoosiers hold the No. 1 spot in these rankings for two primary reasons: Their road win at Oregon is the best victory any team has in the conference, and the Hoosiers had a 35-point-higher margin of victory than Ohio State over Illinois, the only common opponent between the two teams so far.
2. Ohio State (7-0, 4-0)
Wins: Texas (14-7), Grambling State (70-0), Ohio (37-9), at Washington (24-6), Minnesota (42-3), at Illinois (34-16), at Wisconsin (34-0)
Losses: None
Last Week: 2
Ohio State kept on rolling in Week 8, especially on defense, as the Buckeyes earned their second shutout of the season at Wisconsin. Two of their three best wins this season lost some shine this past weekend as Washington lost to Michigan while Texas squeaked by Kentucky in overtime – but the Buckeyes won’t have to worry about strength of schedule and style points debates if they just keep doing what they’ve done all season to this point.
3. Oregon (6-1, 3-1)
Wins: Montana State (59-13), Oklahoma State (69-3), at Northwestern (34-14), Oregon State (41-7), at Penn State (30-24), at Rutgers (56-10)
Losses: Indiana (20-30)
Last Week: 3
Oregon responded to its loss to Indiana with a vengeance, scoring 56 points (in just three quarters) on a whopping 750 yards of offense at Rutgers. The Ducks have beaten up on a lot of bad teams – Northwestern is the only FBS team they’ve defeated that has a winning record this season – but they certainly pass the eye test as a playoff-caliber team with an offense and a defense that both rank in the top 10 nationally.
4. Illinois (5-2, 2-2)
Wins: Western Illinois (52-3), at Duke (45-19), Western Michigan (38-0), USC (34-32), Purdue (43-27)
Losses: at Indiana (10-63), Ohio State (16-34)
Last Week: 6
Thanks to USC and Washington both losing in Week 8, Illinois climbed two spots in the Big Ten Power Rankings despite being the conference’s only team on a bye this past weekend. Considering their two losses are to the top two teams in the country, the Fighting Illini could still have a shot at the College Football Playoff if they win the rest of their regular-season games – and the toughest remaining game on their schedule is their road trip to Washington this upcoming weekend.
5. USC (5-2, 3-1)
Wins: Missouri State (73-13), Georgia Southern (59-20), at Purdue (33-17), Michigan State (45-31), Michigan (31-13)
Losses: at Illinois (32-34), at Notre Dame (24-34)
Last Week: 4
USC traveled to Notre Dame with a real chance to build momentum for itself as a CFP contender following its 18-point win over Michigan, but the Trojans turned the ball over on their final four possessions in South Bend to squander a second-half lead and suffer a 10-point loss. Dating back to last season, the Trojans are 2-6 in their first eight road games as a Big Ten member, and they’re now one loss away from being knocked out of the playoff race.
6. Michigan (5-2, 3-1)
Wins: New Mexico (34-17), Central Michigan (63-3), at Nebraska (30-27), Wisconsin (24-10), Washington (24-7)
Losses: at Oklahoma (13-24), at USC (13-31)
Last Week: 7
Michigan responded to its loss to USC with its most impressive win of the season, shutting down what had been an explosive Washington offense to pull away in the second half for a 17-point win.
Like USC, the Wolverines have lost their two biggest road games so far this season, and their loss to the Trojans keeps them outside of the top five. But their stout defensive performance against the Huskies showed Ohio State’s rival is still a dangerous team.
7. Iowa (5-2, 3-1)
Wins: Albany (34-7), UMass (47-7), at Rutgers (38-28), at Wisconsin (37-0), Penn State (25-24)
Losses: at Iowa State (14-17), Indiana (15-20)
Last Week: 9
The Hawkeyes have built their 5-2 record by beating up on bad teams – none of the five teams they’ve beaten have defeated a Power 4 team yet this season – and they still have one of the nation’s worst passing offenses. But they’ve won the games they’re supposed to win and played everyone tough, with their five-point loss to Indiana being the closest anyone’s come to beating either of the Big Ten’s top two teams.
8. Minnesota (5-2, 3-1)
Wins: Buffalo (23-10), Northwestern State (66-0), Rutgers (31-28), Purdue (27-20), Nebraska (24-6)
Losses: at California (14-27), at Ohio State (3-42)
Last Week: 13
Minnesota is the big riser in this week’s Big Ten Power Rankings thanks to its dominant second half against Nebraska, in which the Golden Gophers outscored the Cornhuskers 17-0 to take down a team that was ranked 25th in the AP poll.
Despite an underwhelming first half of the season that included an ugly loss to Cal and a blowout loss at Ohio State, it suddenly looks realistic for P.J. Fleck’s squad to win eight-plus games for the fourth time in five years, with winnable games against Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern and Wisconsin still left on the schedule.
9. Washington (5-2, 2-2)
Wins: Colorado State (38-21), UC Davis (70-10), at Washington State (59-24), at Maryland (24-20), Rutgers (38-19)
Losses: Ohio State (6-24), at Michigan (7-24)
Last Week: 5
As dynamic as Demond Williams Jr. and Washington’s offense have looked against lesser opponents, they’ve been shut down by both of the two contending teams they’ve faced. None of the four FBS teams they’ve beaten has a winning record this season, and their single-digit scorelines against Ohio State and Michigan don’t inspire a ton of confidence in their ability to win their remaining big games against Illinois and Oregon.
Washington tumbles four spots in this week’s Big Ten Power Rankings after a sluggish performance vs. Michigan. (Photo: Junfu Han/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
10. Nebraska (5-2, 2-2)
Wins: Cincinnati (20-17), Akron (68-0), Houston Christian (59-7), Michigan State (38-27), at Maryland (34-31)
Losses: Michigan (27-30), at Minnesota (6-24)
Last Week: 8
After a week full of speculation that Matt Rhule could be Penn State’s next coach, his stock as a job candidate took an immediate hit as his Cornhuskers laid an egg in a game they were favored to win. Losing winnable games has been a far too consistent occurrence for Nebraska for the past decade, and the Cornhuskers have now done it twice this season.
11. Northwestern (5-2, 3-1)
Wins: Western Illinois (42-7), UCLA (17-14), UL Monroe (42-3), at Penn State (22-21), Purdue (19-0)
Losses: at Tulane (3-23), Oregon (14-34)
Last Week: 10
Northwestern still owns the third-longest winning streak in the Big Ten, earning its fourth straight win with a shutout of Purdue on Saturday. The schedule gets much tougher from here for the Wildcats, who have defeated just one team with a Power 4 win this season (UCLA), but they’ve won the games they were supposed to win except for their season opener at Tulane, leaving them in need of just one upset against Nebraska, USC, Michigan, Minnesota or Illinois to earn bowl eligibility.
12. UCLA (3-4, 3-1)
Wins: Penn State (42-37), at Michigan State (38-13), Maryland (20-17)
Losses: Utah (10-43), at UNLV (23-30), New Mexico (10-35), at Northwestern (14-17)
Last Week: 12
UCLA scored 13 points in the final four minutes vs. Maryland to secure its third straight win, now the fourth-longest winning streak in the Big Ten. All of the Bruins’ wins have come against bottom-six teams in the conference, and their five remaining games are all against tougher opponents, but their resurgence under interim head coach Tim Skipper and offensive coordinator Jerry Neuheisel has been impressive no matter what happens the rest of the season.
13. Maryland (4-3, 1-3)
Wins: FAU (39-7), Northern Illinois (20-9), Towson (44-17), at Wisconsin (27-10)
Losses: Washington (20-24), Nebraska (31-34), at UCLA (17-20)
Last Week: 11
The September Terps didn’t beat the allegations. After an encouraging 4-0 start to the year, Mike Locksley’s squad played right into the stereotypical narrative by losing all three of their October games. It’s become increasingly evident that their perfect September had more to do with their competition than anything else, as none of the four teams Maryland has beaten have a winning record this year.
14. Penn State (3-4, 0-4)
Wins: Nevada (46-11), Florida International (34-0), Villanova (52-6)
Losses: Oregon (24-30), at UCLA (37-42), Northwestern (21-22), at Iowa (24-25)
Last Week: 18
Penn State moves up from the very bottom of the Big Ten rankings not because it accomplished anything in Week 8, but because of how bad the other four winless teams in conference play performed.
The Nittany Lions squandered their shot to beat Iowa by allowing a two-play touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, and they still haven’t beaten a Power 4 opponent, making them – along with Clemson – one of college football’s two most disappointing teams this season. But they were and have been at least competitive in defeat, which can’t be said for the four teams ranked below them.
15. Michigan State (3-4, 0-4)
Wins: Western Michigan (23-6), Boston College (42-40), Youngstown State (41-24)
Losses: at USC (31-45), at Nebraska (27-38), UCLA (13-38), at Indiana (13-38)
Last Week: 15
Michigan State has now suffered back-to-back 25-point losses by the exact same scoreline and have lost all four of their Big Ten games by double digits. Their best win this season is a double-overtime victory over Boston College, which hasn’t beaten an FBS team this year. Ranking among the Big Ten’s worst teams on both sides of the ball, the Spartans appear destined for their fourth consecutive losing season.
16. Purdue (2-5, 0-4)
Wins: Ball State (31-0), Southern Illinois (34-17)
Losses: at USC (17-33), at Notre Dame (30-56), Illinois (27-43), at Minnesota (20-27), at Northwestern (0-19)
Last Week: 16
Purdue’s offense kept the Boilermakers competitive in their first three Big Ten games, but they took a big step back against Northwestern, failing to score a single point. The Boilermakers have now lost 14 straight Big Ten games dating back to last season. This week’s game against Rutgers is their last realistic shot at ending that drought before they close the season with Michigan, Ohio State, Washington and Indiana.
17. Rutgers (3-4, 0-4)
Wins: Ohio (34-31), Miami-Ohio (45-17), Norfolk State (60-10)
Losses: Iowa (28-38), at Minnesota (28-31), at Washington (19-38), Oregon (10-56)
Last Week: 14
Greg Schiano hasn’t had a defense this disappointing since his final season as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator in 2018. Rutgers’ defense is by far the worst in the Big Ten and one of the worst in the entire country, and the Scarlet Knights’ offense was just as hapless in their blowout home loss to Oregon. After back-to-back 7-6 seasons, Schiano’s squad has taken a clear step back this year.
18. Wisconsin (2-5, 0-4)
Wins: Miami-Ohio (17-0), Middle Tennessee State (42-10)
Losses: at Alabama (14-38), Maryland (10-27), at Michigan (10-24), Iowa (0-37), Ohio State (0-34)
Last Week: 17
After seeing how bad Wisconsin was in person over the weekend, I had to move them to the bottom of the rankings. The Badgers have now gone two full games without scoring a single point, and their 34-0 loss to Ohio State felt even more lopsided than the final result. With the worst offense in the Power 4 and an unrelenting schedule that includes five more games against teams in the top nine of these rankings, a 2-10 season looks increasingly likely for the Badgers.
