Indiana and Oregon stay undefeated to move closer to a Big Ten Title berth, while Ohio State and Penn State are not far behind. We discuss it all in this week’s Big Ten power rankings:
The Michigan Wolverines had an opportunity to knock down the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers , but head coach Curt Cignetti and his team prevailed, keeping the Hoosiers neck-and-neck with the Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes for a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game. The Penn State Nittany Lions were off this week, but they are not far behind.
Good teams continued to win, and bad teams continued to plummet in Week 11 of the College Football season.
With just three weeks to go before conference championships, it will be a sprint to the finish line for the top four teams with the rest getting left in the dust. Let’s get into this week’s Big Ten Power Rankings:
18. Purdue Boilermakers
(1-8, 0-6 Big Ten) — Last Week: 18
Purdue was shut out by Ohio State on Saturday, marking it the second time Purdue has been shut out in the last three games. The 45-0 loss is the sixth Big Ten loss for Ryan Walters this season, and he is still searching for his first Big Ten win with just a few weeks to go.
17. Northwestern Wildcats
(4-5, 2-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 17
Northwestern was off this past week, and they need every minute of practice time to prepare for Ohio State this weekend.
16. Maryland Terrapins
(4-5, 1-5 Big Ten) — Last Week: 15
Maryland didn’t get shut out by Oregon, but two interceptions and 83 total rushing yards on offense was no match for the 363 total yards the Ducks put up on Saturday. Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. threw 44 passing attempts, but only had 22 completions to show for it. The Terps will host Rutgers this week.
15. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 16
After four straight losses, Rutgers finally picked up a win, defeating a hot Minnesota team, 26-19. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis was much better in the pocket, throwing for 240 yards and three touchdown passes. The Scarlet Knights’ defense was also much better, holding Minnesota’s strong rushing attack to just 35 yards on the ground, and they even forced a safety. Rutgers travels three hours south to take on Maryland.
14. USC Trojans (4-5, 2-5 Big Ten) — Last Week: 14
With the bye week coming and going, head coach Lincoln Riley has made the decision to start Jayden Maiava over Miller Moss. Will that spark some confidence in USC against Nebraska?
13. Nebraska Cornhuskers
(5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 13
Nebraska dropped three straight games before its bye week, and head coach Matt Rhule recognizes the importance of winning that sixth game to clinch a bowl game against the Trojans. There will be a lot on the line for both teams in Los Angeles.
12. Michigan State Spartans
(4-5, 2-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 11
Michigan State was another team that had an off week this past weekend, and with the extra time, quarterback Aidan Chiles is expected to play this week against Illinois. The Spartans need to win two of their final three games to become bowl eligible. Jonathan Smith will have his work cut out for him, but beating the Illini will get his team on the right track.
11. Washington Huskies
(5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 10
The Huskies got routed by Penn State this past weekend, losing 35-6 on the road. Washington is now 0-5 in games played away from Seattle, whereas the Huskies are 5-0 at home. Quarterback Will Rogers did not have his stuff, throwing for just 59 yards and an interception, and head coach Jedd Fisch made a quarterback change in the third quarter, going with backup Demond Williams Jr., who went 6-for-10 for 60 yards, and he led the Huskies on the ground with 38 rushing yards. Washington will host UCLA on Saturday.
10. UCLA Bruins (4-5, 3-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 12
UCLA was the bottom of the barrel in the conference until three weeks ago when head coach DeShaun Foster whipped his team together and produced three straight wins over Rutgers, Nebraska and Iowa. Quarterback Ethan Garbers tossed two touchdowns and two interceptions, running back T.J. Harden produced 125 rushing yards and the Bruins’ defense forced three turnovers. UCLA needs two wins to become bowl-eligible, and it has Washington, USC and Fresno State on the schedule.
9. Michigan Wolverines (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 9
The Wolverines defense held the explosive Hoosiers offense in check, but there was zero offense to complement it. Michigan held Indiana to just 20 points and 246 yards, but quarterback Davis Warren completed just 50 percent of his passes for 137 yards and zero touchdown passes, and junior Alex Orji ran for one yard on three attempts. The Wolverines are officially .500 on the season, and they will need to either beat Northwestern or Ohio State to just be bowl-eligible a season after winning the National Championship.
8. Minnesota Golden Gophers
(6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) — Last Week: 6
Minnesota was the feel-good story of the Big Ten this season, but the magic finally ended on Saturday when it lost to a falling Rutgers team. The Gophers couldn’t win the turnover battle, and they totaled just 35 yards on the ground. Minnesota will have an off week following the loss to regroup before a final push.
7. Iowa Hawkeyes
(6-3, 4-3 Big Ten) — Last Week: 5
Iowa fell to UCLA this week, but before everyone freaks out, the Hawkeyes had to resort to playing Jackson Stratton at quarterback, who was a fourth-string, walk-on player (sounds like Michigan). With limitations at quarterback, Iowa was also unable to produce meaningful yards on the ground, averaging just 2.5 yards per carry and 80 total rushing yards. Iowa will have a bye week to figure out their quarterback situation.
6. Wisconsin Badgers
(5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) — Last Week: 8
Wisconsin had two weeks to prepare for the No. 1 Oregon Ducks. Do they stand a chance against one of the last undefeated teams in college football?
5. Illinois Fighting Illini
(6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) — Last Week: 7
After back-to-back losses to Oregon and Minnesota, Illinois hosts Michigan State this weekend to get back on track and clinch a good bowl game. What does a successful season look like for a team that was in the conference race until a few weeks ago?
4. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) — Last Week: 4
The Nittany Lions easily defeated Washington this weekend, holding the Huskies to under 200 yards of total offense for the game. Quarterback Drew Allar was efficient, throwing for 220 yards and a touchdown, and running back Kaytron Allen received 20 carries with star running back Nick Singleton sustaining an injury during the game. Penn State is still in the Playoff conversation, but it will need to keep winning. Luckily, the Nittany Lions have Purdue this weekend.
3. Indiana Hoosiers (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) — Last Week: 2
It was not pretty by any means, and Indiana could have lost in many different ways to Michigan. However, systemic losing is hard to break, and the Hoosiers defeated the Wolverines for the second time since 1987. Indiana led Michigan 17-3 heading into the second half, but the game was a dogfight until the very end. Indiana’s defense came up big, forcing two big stops in the fourth quarter as Michigan tried inching back to secure the program’s first-ever 10-win season. Curt Cignetti and his team now have a bye week before heading to Columbus for a massive game with Ohio State.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) — Last Week: 3
After watching all 60 minutes of this game, there was nothing out of the ordinary from what you would expect between Ohio State and Purdue in 2024. The Buckeyes won 45-0, moving even closer to a conference Championship berth and a spot in the College Football Playoff. The road isn’t sunshine and roses, however, as Ohio State has to play undefeated Indiana before it hosts Michigan (who it hasn’t beaten in three seasons).
1. Oregon Ducks (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) — Last Week: 1
Oregon defeated Maryland this weekend, and the Ducks’ defense forced three turnovers and cruised to another 21-point win to improve to 10-0 on the year. Head coach Dan Lanning will have Wisconsin and Washington left on the schedule, and if they get through the two winnable games, Oregon could go undefeated in its first season in the Big Ten.