Big Jeff’s Week 4 Big Ten Football Power Rankings

Each week Big Jeff will give his take on the Big Ten football power rankings. The ratings will be a combination of year-to-date game performance and my expectations of how much each team can and will improve during the year. If one team is ranked over another it means I feel on a neutral field the higher ranked team will win.

Finally, I don’t really care about the polls but will get help from other metrics like ESPN’s Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings.

Week 4 Big Ten Football Power Rankings

Note: The teams rank change is in parenthesis.

1. Ohio State (3-0; Same)– After an off week the #3 AP ranked Buckeyes dominated Marshal 49-14 as expected. The defense did not look great but the offense is really explosive scoring touchdowns from 68, 86, 40, and 53yards. The competition finally steps up this week at Michigan State.
2. Penn State (3-0; Same) – The #9 Nittany Lions did not let Kent State breath in a 56-0 win in their final non-conference. I still put them slightly ahead of Oregon because they have been more consistent in all phases. PSU welcomes #19 Illinois this weekend.
3. Oregon (3-0; Same) – #8 Oregon was off this week so they remain my number three. The Ducks play at UCLA this week who are really struggling so I am not sure we will learn much more this week.
4. Michigan (3-1; +3) – The four spot here is a tough one. A good argument could be made for either Michigan, Illinois or Indiana. I will fall back on the amount of talent the Wolverines have, especially on the defense to rank them 4th despite an unwillingness and/or inability to pass the ball which is concerning. I could have easily put either Illinois or Indiana here as well.
5. USC (2-1; -1) – the #13 Trojans opening win vs. LSU is starting to look shakier as they were tied 17-17 vs. struggling UCLA at home this week. While improved on defense, USC still needs significant improvement as a one-dimensional Wolverines offense still found a way to win the game. I will keep them in the 5 spot for now.
6. Illinois (4-0; +5) – The Illini had a huge win on the road vs. Nebraska and I had said if they win I will become a believer. Ultimately, I don’t think the now ranked 19th Illini will finish this high in the Big Ten but this shows Bret Bielema may be able to build this program into something like he had at Wisconsin.
7. Indiana (4-0; -1) – Indiana and the Curt Cignetti show rolled on with an easy 52-14 win over Charlotte. If not for the Hoosiers poor history this team would be ranked in the Top 25 as they rate high nationally in both offensive and defensive statistics. Next up is a home date vs. Maryland.
8. Iowa (3-1; same) – Iowa stays in the same spot but looked impressive coming from behind to pull away in a big 31-14 road win at Minnesota to capture the coveted “Floyd of Rosedale” trophy. The Hawkeyes have the nation’s leading rusher in Kaleb Johnson who rushed for 206 in this one. On the downside their passing game is still struggling ranking second to last in the Big Ten.
9. Rutgers (3-0; same) – Rutgers stays at #9 despite a huge road win over Virginia Tech 26-23. This sets up the Scarlet Knights to have a potentially great season given easier Big Ten schedule that excludes Top 25 teams Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Michigan. Rutgers has a huge home clash Friday night vs. Washington.
10. Nebraska (3-1; -5) – Another one score loss for Nebraska as they fell in overtime to Illinois 31-24. This one really hurts as they blew a fourth quarter lead and had chance to go back ahead but QB Dylan Raiola overthrew a wide-open man in the end zone. Even still, Matt Rhule has this program on the rise.
11. Washington (3-1; same) – Washington totally dominated Northwestern 24-5 in their first Big Ten game and easily could be ranked in the 8th spot in my rankings. We will find out a lot more about the Huskies in their Friday night showdown at Rutgers.
12. Michigan State (3-1; +3) – I had the Spartans ranked too low last week which explains their rise despite a tough road loss to a good Boston College team 23-19. First-year QB Aidan Chiles is making too many mistakes and turnovers with 7 interceptions on the season but new coach Jonathan Smith has this team better than I thought.
13. Maryland (3-1; same) – The Terps beat Villanova 38-20 but this win would only have been impressive if it was in basketball. After losing at home earlier to Michigan State, they have a great opportunity to show they are in the top half of the Big Ten with a game at 4-0 Indiana.
14. Minnesota (2-2; -2) – After a 31-14 loss to Iowa in which they led 14-7 at halftime, I put the Gophers just slightly ahead of Wisconsin. On the positive side their defense ranks third in the Big Ten in yards/game allowed and new QB Max Brosmer is playing well and has more upside. But the Gophers inability to consistently run the ball is troubling as they rank tied for second to last in the Big Ten.
15. Wisconsin (2-1; -1) – This is an absolutely huge game for the Badgers at USC this week and they had an off week to try to get things right. Now that QB Tyler Van Dyke is out for the year with a torn ACL, Braedyn Locke takes over and he needs to play efficient while Wisconsin tries to rev up their disappointing run game averaging just 4.0 yards/carry ranking 16th in the Big Ten.
16. UCLA (1-2; +2) – The Bruins looked better at LSU where the game was tied 17-17 at the half. They would eventually fall 34-17 but I think QB Ethan Garbers has good upside, but UCLA must get the run game going which is dead last in the Big Ten at just 60 yards/game.
17. Northwestern (2-2; -1) – The Wildcats have no strength on offense ranking 15th in the Big Ten in both passing and rushing yards/game. No wonder they had only 3 offensive points vs Washington in a 24-5 loss. They have an off week to try to get it together before an October 5 visit from Indiana.
18. Purdue (1-2; -1) – after their all-time worst loss to Notre Dame 66-7, the Boilermakers went to Oregon State and got drilled 38-21. The rest of the schedule does not look good for coach Ryan Walters second year as might only be favored vs Northwestern at home on November 2. A 2-10 season is a real possibility for the Boilers. Next up is Nebraska at home.

Big Ten Football Power Rankings Week 4: Conference play beginning to heat up (msn.com)

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