Some exciting games shook up the top of the conference.
The Big Ten continues to rule the top of the AP Poll. Three out of the top five spots belong to the conference, and others aren’t too far behind. Toward the bottom, some surprising results amounted to seismic shifts in the power rankings. With that being said, let’s see how the Big Ten landscape looks in mid-October.
1. No. 2 Oregon
Last Ranking: 2
Result: Defeated No. 2 Ohio State 32-31
Next Game: at Purdue
The Ducks passed their hardest test with flying colors by taking down Ohio State at home. Dillon Gabriel simply dismantled the Buckeyes’ defense — he threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns without turning the ball over or taking a sack. Most importantly, he housed a 27-yard run in the fourth quarter that would prove to be vital in Oregon’s victory. Gabriel cemented himself as a Heisman favorite, and the Ducks look unstoppable at the moment.
2. No. 3 Penn State
Last Ranking: 3
Result: Defeated USC 33-30
Next Game: Bye week
What a gutsy win for the Nittany Lions. According to ESPN Analytics, Penn State had a win probability of just 11% at halftime after trailing 20-6. But James Franklin and company would not be denied, as they stormed back to tie the game three separate times in the second half. With a few clutch tosses from Drew Allar and a 224-yard day from tight end Tyler Warren, the Nittany Lions took down the Trojans for their sixth straight win. They will be rewarded for their efforts with a bye week.
3. No. 4 Ohio State
Last Ranking: 1
Result: Lost to No. 2 Oregon 32-31
Next Game: Bye week
This would have been an excellent opportunity for the Buckeyes to prove that they were contenders to win it all this season. And they were pretty convincing for the majority of the back-and-forth loss to Oregon, but an ill-timed slide from Will Howard prevented Ohio State from attempting a game-winning field goal. Ryan Day will get an extra week to settle his guys down and prepare for a matchup against Nebraska on Oct. 26.
4. No. 16 Indiana
Last Ranking: 4
Result: Bye week
Next Game: vs. Nebraska
The Hoosiers don’t move in the power rankings after a week of inaction, but they remain one of the conference’s most surprising teams in 2024. Kurtis Rourke has facilitated one of the most potent offenses in the nation — Indiana has taken down its six opponents by a combined score of 285-89. The Hoosiers will face their first real test on Saturday against the Cornhuskers, led by the electrifying 19-year-old Dylan Raiola.
5. No. 22 Illinois
Last Ranking: 5
Result: Defeated Purdue 50-49
Next Game: vs. No. 24 Michigan
The Fighting Illini lived up to their namesake in their overtime win against Purdue. They almost suffered an embarrassing fate after relinquishing a 27-3 lead, as they allowed the Boilermakers to score two touchdowns in the final 95 seconds of the fourth quarter. But Luke Altmyer had different plans — he found Pat Bryant for a 25-yard touchdown in overtime to put the Illini up 50-43. It all came down to the defense, which prevented Purdue from converting a two-point attempt to ice the game. Letting a bottom-feeding team take you down to the wire isn’t encouraging, but you can’t deny that Illinois is cagey. It will continue to test its resolve playing host to the Wolverines.
6. Iowa
Last Ranking: 10
Result: Defeated Washington 40-16
Next Game: at Michigan State
The Hawkeyes stayed true to their offensive identity as they ran all over the Huskies in Iowa City. Kaleb Johnson led the charge with 166 rushing yards and two touchdowns — he gashed UW’s front seven for almost eight yards per carry. Iowa functions best when QB Cade McNamara takes a backseat and conducts the offense without frills. He did his job by finding the end zone twice despite completing just eight passes. On defense, Aaron Graves continued his strong campaign with two more sacks and a pass deflection. The Hawkeyes will look to keep running when they travel to East Lansing.
7. No. 24 Michigan
Last Ranking: 7
Result: Bye week
Next Game: at No. 22 Illinois
The Wolverines stay in place after a bye week. The question remains of who Sherrone Moore will run out at quarterback when they take on Illinois. In their loss to Washington, Jack Tuttle came in for Alex Orji and was able to establish some rhythm. However, he turned the ball over twice in the last 10 minutes and allowed Washington to storm back and win 27-17. At this stage of the season, having seen the inability of both Orji and Davis Warren to man the offense, it appears that Tuttle is Michigan’s best bet heading into a tough road trip to Champaign.
8. Nebraska
Last Ranking: 8
Result: Bye week
Next Game: at No. 16 Indiana
Yet another dormant team this week, the Cornhuskers were able to rest up before a difficult stretch. Freshman phenom Dylan Raiola will get thrown into the fire in consecutive weeks, as Nebraska will play No. 16 Indiana followed by No. 4 Ohio State. This will be a pivotal two games for Raiola, who struggled in his last game against Rutgers, throwing for just 134 yards and an interception. If the Cornhuskers lose either of these games, they can kiss their chances at a Big Ten title goodbye.
9. Wisconsin
Last Ranking: 13
Result: Defeated Rutgers 42-7
Next Game: at Northwestern
This is Wisconsin’s second blowout victory in just as many weeks, having dismantled Purdue on Oct. 5 before storming into Piscataway. The Badgers found immediate success on the ground and never let up. Tawee Walker finished with 198 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Cade Yacamelli ripped off 72 more yards on just four carries. Wisconsin’s defense was also firing on all cylinders. The secondary held Athan Kaliakmanis to just 103 passing yards on 32 attempts and rendered Rutgers’ passing offense completely inept. The Badgers will head to Evanston in search of their third straight conference victory.
10. USC
Last Ranking: 9
Result: Lost to No. 3 Penn State 33-30
Next Game: at Maryland
The Trojans entered this season as dark-horse contenders to win the Big Ten. Now, they sit at 1-3 in the conference following their crushing loss to Penn State. It’s the same story most weeks — USC has enough firepower on paper with a strong QB in Miller Moss and a clever offensive mind in Lincoln Riley, but little mistakes and lapses wreak havoc in the end. In the Trojans’ last two games, Moss has averaged just 210 passing yards. He has a chance to get right when USC heads across the country to College Park.
11. Washington
Last Ranking: 6
Result: Lost to Iowa 40-16
Next Game: Bye week
The Huskies are pinballing all over the rankings — they sat at No. 11 two weeks ago before rocketing up to No. 6. Now, they’re back at No. 11 after a noncompetitive loss to Iowa. Washington kept it relatively close in the first half at 17-10, but it allowed the Hawkeyes to score 23 unanswered points going into the fourth quarter. Will Rogers had a rough day against a formidable secondary, as he averaged just 5.7 yards per completion and was benched once the Hawkeyes ran the score up to 37-10. The Huskies will get the opportunity to recover and reload before their next game against No. 16 Indiana on Oct. 26.
12. Minnesota
Last Ranking: 11
Result: Defeated UCLA 21-17
Next Game: Bye week
That’s now consecutive conference victories for the Golden Gophers. One week after shocking then-No. 11 USC with a 24-17 victory, Minnesota skated by yet another California team, this time in the Golden State. It took some late-game heroics from Max Brosmer, who went 6-for-8 with a go-ahead touchdown pass on Minnesota’s final drive. The Bruins got another chance to strike back, but Koi Perich iced the game with an end-zone interception. The Golden Gophers find themselves at a solid 4-3 heading into their first bye week.
13. Northwestern
Last Ranking: 16
Result: Defeated Maryland 37-10
Next Game: vs. Wisconsin
The ‘Cats picked up their first conference victory in blowout fashion on Friday night, dominating the Terps in College Park from the jump. The purple-and-white swarmed Billy Edwards Jr. and forced three fumbles, including a fourth-quarter cough-up that Aidan Hubbard returned for a touchdown. Jack Lausch facilitated the offense with poise and even found success with the deep ball, most notably hitting Bryce Kirtz three times for 123 yards. NU will need to leverage its newfound momentum against a hot Wisconsin team that has racked up 94 points in its last two contests.
14. Rutgers
Last Ranking: 12
Result: Lost to Wisconsin 42-7
Next Game: vs. UCLA
The Scarlet Knights lost in embarrassing fashion at home, as they were thoroughly dominated by a surging Badger squad. After throwing for six touchdowns in Rutgers’ first two games, Athan Kaliakmanis has found the end zone just twice since a win over Virginia Tech on Sept. 21. When Kyle Monangai isn’t dominating defenses on the ground, the Scarlet Knights are unable to rely on the former Minnesota signal-caller to lead the offense. Luckily, Rutgers will get the opportunity to right the ship by hosting a 1-5 UCLA team.
15. Maryland
Last Ranking: 15
Result: Lost to Northwestern 37-10
Next Game: vs. USC
Despite their offensive success in the first half of the schedule, the Terrapins now sit at 3-3 without a conference victory. They were plagued by turnovers and overall sloppy execution in their loss to the ‘Cats on Friday night. Maryland’s lack of production on the ground was concerning — it gained just 59 yards on 33 carries against a stifling defensive line. Billy Edwards Jr. did the best he could to carry the offensive load, but the defense needs to pick him up when Maryland hosts the Trojans in College Park.
16. Michigan State
Last Ranking: 14
Result: Bye week
Next Game: vs. Iowa
The Spartans slide by two spots as a result of some excellent play by their conference compatriots. They didn’t show much promise in their awful losses to then-No. 3 Ohio State and then-No. 6 Oregon, and their schedule doesn’t get much easier from here. After facing a hot Iowa squad, Michigan State will play No. 24 Michigan, No. 16 Indiana and No. 22 Illinois in consecutive weeks.
17. Purdue
Last Ranking: 18
Result: Lost to No. 22 Illinois 50-49
Next Game: vs. Iowa
The Boilermakers put up some real fight against Illinois, but it’s a crushing loss for a team looking for its first win since August. Backup quarterback Ryan Browne was excellent with 297 passing yards and three touchdowns. He also showed off some real athletic ability with 118 rushing yards on 17 carries. The Boilermakers might want to consider keeping Browne as QB1, even after Hudson Card clears concussion protocol. They’ll need as much juice as they can get to keep up with a steamrolling Iowa run game.
18. UCLA
Last Ranking: 17
Result: Lost to Minnesota 21-17
Next Game: at Rutgers
The Bruins have officially hit rock bottom. Like the Boilermakers, UCLA has not won a game since the month of August, which is why its close loss to Minnesota stung that much more. Ethan Garbers has been one of the worst starting quarterbacks in college football, as he has now thrown four touchdowns and nine (!) interceptions on the season. Combine that ineptitude with a dreadful run game, and it’s difficult to imagine the Bruins winning another game this year.