Now that every Big Ten team has played their first game, it’s a great time to look at the conference’s power rankings; who’s the best and worst teams in the conference. Just a reminder that there is still a lot of football left to play, and these rankings will change. As a reminder of where the rankings were before the season, here is Cleveland.com‘s complied rankings from their 27 writers and voters.
According to Cleveland.com, Ohio State is the favorites to win the Big Ten. After them, the usual suspects of Oregon, Penn State, and Michigan round out the top four.
From there, the grouping of Iowa, USC, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Rutgers, Maryland, Minnesota, Illinois, and Northwestern felt like the same tier of “They’ll go 4-8 or 8-4” kind of teams.
To round out the Big Ten, they had UCLA, Michigan State, Indiana, and Purdue dead last. The voters seem to feel like these four teams are bottom feeders who will only win against each other and their non-conference games.
These power rankings are based on not only how much these Big Ten teams have scored and how much opponents have scored, but also on who they have played and which teams seem like they would have the best chance at winning against each other at a neutral site. Now let’s see where these teams stand in our Big Ten power rankings after entering Week 2.
Big Ten Football Power Rankings
1. Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State started two brand new offensive players in Week 1 who made their names known early. Will Howard and true freshman Jeremiah Smith both made their debuts for the Buckeyes in spectacular fashion.
Howard went 17 of 28 for 228 passing yards and three touchdowns, along with four carries for 18 yards on the ground before being pulled. Smith looks like he’ll break the record for most receiving yards for a freshman after his first colligate game. Smith’s six receptions on nine targets for 92 yards and two touchdowns was quite the start to his career.
Meanwhile, the Ohio State running backs split the carries with three different guys getting six or more carries for a total of 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
The Buckeyes defense also had a great day. They had two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and five sacks, showing how good this defense will be. The Buckeyes held Akron to a total of 165 offensive yards. Ohio State deserves this top spot in these Big Ten power rankings.
2. Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State played some of the best football in the Big Ten this week! Their defense not only looked like they always do (great), but also stunted on rival West Virginia. The Nittany Lions held the Mountaineers to only 248 yards on offense and one touchdown, by RB CJ Donaldson Jr.
On Offense, Drew Allar was surgical. He went 11 of 17 for 216 yards and three touchdowns. On top of that, Nicholas Singleton had a great game with 13 rushes for 114 yards and a touchdown. Penn State even had a wide receiver go for over a hundred yards (when was the last time that happened?). Their Offense was just rolling and the defense was not letting anything up. Penn State looks like the real deal and that’s why they’re No. 2 on this Big Ten power rankings.
3. Oregon Ducks
Oregon struggled early on against FCS program Idaho. However, that doesn’t mean they’ll drop any further than third on this list – for right now. The defense struggled at first, but really stepped it up with a fourth quarter interception to win the game.
On offense, the Ducks looked great. They dinked and dunked their way to Dillon Gabriel‘s 41 of 49 for 380 yards and two touchdowns. WR Tez Johnson had a day going 12 of 13 for 81 yards and both receiving touchdowns. TE Terrance Ferguson also helped with seven receptions for 87 yards. Finally, RB Jordan James looked like he is filling in for Bucky Irving Jr. quite well! He had 15 attempts for 95 yards and a TD with four receptions for 40 yards. He is sure to continue the dominance of Oregon running backs.
4. USC Trojans
The game between USC and LSU looked so evenly matched. It was a game impossible to turn off. Quarterback Miller Moss looked like the next great Lincoln Riley quarterback, with 378 yards and one passing touchdown against a great LSU defense.
RB Woody Marks dug his feet into the turf as he rushed the ball 16 times for 68 yards and two touchdowns. The real impressive part of this team was the receiving core. Six different players went for 45 receiving yards or more. The Trojans will have plenty of options to catch the ball.
The USC defense was good, but their lack of big plays says more about LSU’s offense and OL than it does the Trojans. However, having 51 total tackles and an interception still showed how this team can ball.
5. Michigan Wolverines
Michigan looked like the Michigan we know on defense. Fresno State may not be a Power 4 program, but that doesn’t mean they are a bad program. Michigan had two interceptions including one returned for a touchdown. They also had three sacks, showing the defender champion’s defense is still strong. However, the offense is a different story.
The two quarterback system they’re using is not going to work long term. They need to figure out who is their starter and who is the backup. Having Alex Orji come in for designed runs and short passes while Davis Warren plays the majority of snaps is a quick way to let other teams know what you are planning on doing. Besides that, they need to either see more from Donovan Edwards or they need to give Kalel Mullings more touches.
Mullings averaged 6.1 yards per carry compared to Edwards 2.5 YPC. Even if you take out Mullings longest rush of 21 yards, he would still have averaged over five yards per carry.
The bright spot on this offense was TE Colston Loveland. His eight receptions for 87 yards and a TD was one of the only positive note of this game.
6. Iowa Hawkeyes
If this list was made prior to the second half of the Iowa game, the Hawkeyes would have been in the bottom tier. However, that second half was something magical.
Iowa scored 33 unanswered points, including three passing touchdowns. It was not what Iowa usually looks like. In fact, Iowa had more passing touchdowns in the second half than they had all of the 2022 season – and tied their total of all the 2023 season. The reemergence of Kaleb Johnson after his half game suspension has this offense looking poised to be in the top half of the Big Ten.
There’s not much to saw about this Iowa defense, and that’s not a bad thing. It looks just as good as it always does. No one player truly stood apart from the rest, but everyone played their position well. This defense is the definition of the “there’s no ‘I’ in team” mantra.
7. Washington Huskies
The Huskies played their first game as a Big Ten team and won in all aspects of the field. Quarterback Will Rogers had 250 passing yards for a touchdown. However, the real star was RB Johan Coleman.
Coleman rushed 16 times for 127 yards and three touchdowns to go along with two receptions for 19 yards. Coach Jedd Fisch’s offense looks to be focused on running the ball well while targeting Giles Jackson and Denzel Boston.
Jackson and Boston were the only players over three receptions (Jackson had 10 and Boston had 6). Neither broke 100 yards, but Jackson was close with 98 yards. There’s not much to say about the Huskies Defense. They are sure to show us how well they can play on Defense over the next two weeks with Eastern Michigan and Washington State.
8. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Dylan Raiola season has begun! This Nebraska looked dominate on offense in their Week 1 matchup. True freshman Raiola completed just over two-thirds of his attempts for 238 yards and a pair of touchdown passes in just two and a half quarters of play. Three different running backs had over 50 rushing yards on eight or more carries each. Meanwhile, Isaiah Neyor went off with his six receptions, 121 yards, and a touchdown.
The defense was so good that they only allowed a total of 205 yards by the UTEP Offense. Their ability to prevent big chunk plays was helped by a pair of interceptions and a sack. Nebraska has a real chance to shoot up these Big Ten power rankings in due time.
9. Maryland Terrapins
Billy Edwards Jr. showed why he was heir to Taulia Tagovailoa. His 311 passing yards and two touchdowns were primarily focused on wide receiver Tai Felton. Felton had seven receptions for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, four different running backs saw six or more carries for 39 yards or more. Two had touchdowns to go along with their 60+ yards. Much like Washington, there’s not much to take away from their defense besides the two interceptions.
10. Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue shut out their Week 1 opponent 49-0 with an impressive 2.5 quarters of play by the starters. Quarterback Hudson Card tied a FBS record for highest completion percentage (minimum of 20 completions) by going 24 of 25 for 273 yards and four touchdowns.
For Purdue, 12 different players caught passes, eight for 20+ yards, and four different players caught Card’s touchdowns. The four headed back field came with two 80+ yard rushers and three rushing touchdowns all from different RBs.
Dillon Thieneman looks to continue his dominance at safety while Will Heldt, Kydran Jenkins, and Jeffrey M’Ba put pressure on the Sycamores offense. The most exciting play of the defense was true freshman cornerback Tarrion Grant blocking a punt that led to the Boilermakers scoring another touchdown. They have their first bye this week as they get two weeks to prepare to host Notre Dame.
11. Illinois Illini
Illinois was led by a healthy Luke Altmyer who had 213 passing yards and 4TDs. Altmyer was able to spread the ball around with three different receivers having 40+ yards. WR Pat Bryant led the receiving core with his 5 of 5 for 63 yards and 2TDs. The RBs Kaden Feagin and Aidan Laughery combined for 187 yards and a touchdown. Much like a lot of the teams on this list, the Defense still has a lot to show as they host Kansas next.
12. Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin won their Week 1 matchup 28-14, but it was not thanks to QB Tyler Van Dyke. Van Dyke had only 192 yards passing and a rushing TD. Instead, the running backs led the way.
Chez Mellusi had 19 carries for 74 and a touchdown, while Tawee Walker had 15 for 66 and a score. The Badgers defense had both a sack and an interception, which is more than some of these teams can say. Overall, this team did not look like the seventh-best team in the Big Ten entering this season.
13. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
There has been a lot of hype surrounding Rutgers this season. However, their Week 1 matchup was not the start that people were hoping for Rutgers. This game did not feel like the blowout the score suggests; and anyone watching this game should have felt like Rutgers had already won the game before the second half. The problem is that Rutgers was only up by 10 at halftime. Their defense was the best part of this game, but that’s what they should be doing against a team like Howard.
The offense finally took off in the second half thanks to their running game. There were four total players who had over 40 rushing yards. Star running back Kyle Monangai would go 19 for 165 yards and a touchdown. Transfer quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis added 43 yards on the ground as the fourth-highest rusher. However, Kaliakmanis struggled in the passing game.
Kaliakmanis managed to only complete 60 percent of his passes for 147 yards and three touchdowns. All three touchdowns went to different players who each recorded less than 40 receiving yards.
While a win is a win, it was disappointing to see this from such a touted team. There’s still a lot of time left in the season and the Scarlet Knights still have plenty of time to fix these mistakes.
14. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota was the only Big Ten team to lose their Week 1 matchup. They had every opportunity to win this game against North Carolina – who lost their starting quarterback early in the matchup.
The Golden Gophers’ kicker missed a 27-yard field goal in the first quarter. Because of that, coach Fleck should have known they needed to go for the touchdown to win the game. Instead, he put faith into the hands of his kicker yet again on a 47-yard field goal with 41 seconds left. To add insult to injury, the school set off celebratory fireworks on accident as the kicker missed the game winning field goal!
Minnesota’s defense tried their best to win this game. They managed to record over 70 tackles, two sacks, and a 70-yard interception! The fact is the offense just let them down.
Quarterback Max Brosmer not only had 166 yards passing with no passing touchdowns, but he also had nine carries for -6 yards and a touchdown! His top target was wide receiver Daniel Jackson who had four receptions for 55 yards. No other player broke 30 yards or had more than two receptions.
The only Offensive player who showed a flash of life was backup running back Marcus Major. Major rushed the ball 20 times for 73 yards and a touchdown. However, if you remove his longest rush, Major would have had 19 attempts for 54 yards for an average of 2.8 yards a carry. If it wasn’t for the hope of starting RB Darius Taylor possibly returning, Minnesota would be lower on these Big Ten power rankings.
15. Indiana Hoosiers
If you had watched this game without knowing the score, there is no chance anyone would guess that this IU team won by 24 points. After all, they looked downright bad in the passing game.
It is obvious that transfer QB Kurtis Rourke has some talent, but he showed why he was divisive at Ohio University. On one hand, Rourke managed to show his ability to pass the ball around to his receivers. On the other hand, Rourke also failed to crack 200 passing yards, only threw one TD, and fumbled the ball twice.
The running game looked decent with running back Ty Son Lawton leading the back field with 16 attempts for 74 yards and two touchdowns. Behind him, Justice Ellison had 10 attempts for 68 yards and Elijah Green had five carries for 82 yards and a touchdown.
The biggest issue with this team was their defense. The duo of linebackers Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker led the team, but outside of them, the unit struggled. Sure the box score won’t show that, but the film shows it. Watching this team play makes it feel like they are going to need a year or two before Coach Curt Cignetti can take this team to a Bowl Game. Due to that, they are 15th in these Big Ten power rankings.
16. Northwestern Wildcats
While Northwestern is coming off of a great season, this game made it look like that was a fluky season. Remember in 2017 when the Jacksonville Jaguars were playing in the AFC Championship game with “star” quarterback Blake Bortles? That’s what the 2023 Northwestern team is starting to look like.
Wildcats quarterback Mike Wright completed 18 of his 30 passes for 178 yards and no touchdowns. Of those 18 completions, six went to wide receiver Bryce Kirtz for 91 yards. The rest were split among four other receivers for a high of 31 yards. Wright also managed to fumble the ball twice as he led the team in rushing yards with 65 and a touchdown.
Running back Cam Porter had the most carries on the team, having 13 for 63 yards. However, the team only totaled 328 yards on offense.
The defense allowed 267 yards to their opponents with 227 of those coming in the air. Unless this secondary can improve, the rest of the Big Ten will dink and dunk on them all season long.
17. Michigan State Spartans
There’s not much to say about Michigan State asides from “they did not look as bad as UCLA.” This team is not good. There is so much potential, but the only player who had a good day was running back Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams. His nine carries for 101 yards and a touchdown was better than starter Nate Carter‘s 19 carries for 48 yards. Meanwhile, Aiden Chiles only passed for 114 yards to go along with his two interceptions and fumble. Overall, it was a disaster on offense.
On defense, it was not much better. FAU quarterback Cam Fancher put up nearly identical stats with his 116 passing yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. The problem with that is Fancher was not as highly recruited or as well known as Chiles. Fancher also had a good day rushing the ball, with 25 attempts for 67 yards. Fancher is more of a wildcat style quarterback than a passer, so the fact he put up better stats than Chiles is not great news for the Spartan’s offense – or defense.
18. UCLA Bruins
As every Purdue fan was told a up until last week, someone has to be last.
UCLA is coming off of a rough season last year in which they were forced to start their true freshman quarterback too early, fired the head coach, and then blamed the freshman for their struggles. There’s no wonder why Dante Moore and wide receiver Kam Brown both transferred out to other Big Ten schools.
Watching the first half of this game was like watching a middle school football team from Alaska play against a Texas 6A Varsity high school team. There was little to no hope for UCLA as they went to the locker rooms for half while down 10-0.
The fact they cam back and outscored the Rainbow Warriors 16-3 in the second half was impressive. Yet impressive in the terms of, “wow, this Power 4 team that was getting dominated by a small G5 school pulled off the upset and won this game!”
UCLA totaled 343 yards on offense with wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. catching three passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Ethan Garbers led the team in rushing with his 47 rushing yards, out-producing running backs Keegan Jones and TJ Harden.
The Defense did their part, with 11 TFLs and five sacks. However, it was against Hawaii.
Hawaii’s offensive leaders were running back Christian Vaughn with five attempts for 13 yards rushing, and wide receiver Pofele Ashlock who had nine receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown. No other receiver cracked 35 yards. UCLA may have won the game, but they looked bad. Because of that, they find themselves at the bottom of the barrel in these Big Ten power rankings.
Hunter Greene
Hunter started writing for The League Winners in the summer of 2021. Hunter has been playing fantasy football for about a decade, starting in middle school. Now he’s a professional landscaper and avid Colts and Purdue fan.