Only two teams remained undefeated after 10 grueling weeks of Big Ten football in 2024 – Oregon and Indiana. However, there is a lot of season left to determine the conference winner. Let’s get into this week’s Power Rankings:
After 10 grueling weeks of Big Ten football in 2024, only two teams remained undefeated: the Oregon Ducks and the Indiana Hoosiers . The Penn State Nittany Lions fell for the first time all season, dropping to Ohio State for the eighth straight time, and the Michigan Wolverines could not pull off the upset at home.
For the top five teams, there is a long season left to determine who will make the expanded postseason, and who will be left out. For everyone else, the priority shifts to the recruiting trail to build for next season.
Time to get into this week’s Big Ten Power Rankings:
18. Purdue Boilermakers
(1-7, 0-5 Big Ten) — Last Week: 18
Purdue had a chance to secure its first conference win of the season, but it fell in overtime to Northwestern, 26-20, and it has Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State and Indiana left on the schedule. There is a very likely chance that the Boilermakers do not win a Big Ten game this season.
17. Northwestern Wildcats
(4-5, 2-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 17
The Wildcats took the worst team in the Big Ten to overtime, and they secured the win on a 22-yard pass from quarterback Jack Lausch. Northwestern held Purdue to just 47 rushing yards on 23 attempts, while its offense threw for 302 yards and produced over 100 yards on the ground. It was not pretty, but the Wildcats got a big win to stay out of last place in the conference.
16. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
(4-4, 1-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 16
Rutgers had a bye week, so hopefully head coach Greg Schiano used the rest to get his team prepared for a hot Minnesota team led by PJ Fleck.
15. Maryland Terrapins
(4-4, 1-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 14
Maryland was also on an off week, so the Terps had two weeks to prepare for Oregon.
14. USC Trojans (4-5, 2-5 Big Ten) — Last Week: 12
Not only is USC losing to established Big Ten members, but now Lincoln Riley is losing to former Pac-12 members as well. The Trojans fell to Washington on Saturday, falling flat in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Miller Moss threw for 293 yards and two touchdown passes, but he also forced three interceptions. Running back Jo’quavious Marks had 123 rushing yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, and wide receiver Zachariah Branch had over 100 receiving yards. However, USC could not score in the fourth quarter while the Huskies did, and it ultimately fell, 26-21. Is Riley on the hot seat?
13. Nebraska Cornhuskers
(5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 9
Matt Rhule had Nebraska rolling through six weeks, going 5-1 with this newly constructed roster, but the Cornhuskers have now lost three straight games, falling to Indiana, Ohio State and UCLA. Quarterback Dylan Raiola was inconsistent, completing just over 50 percent of his passes for 177 yards, while the Huskers’ defense allowed 358 total yards to the Bruins and did not force any turnovers. Nebraska will try to become bowl-eligible with USC, Wisconsin and Iowa coming up.
12. UCLA Bruins (3-5, 2-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 15
Quarterback Ethan Garbers has really taken control of the UCLA offense. Garbers threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns, while he also led the team in rushing with 56 yards on six carries. Not to mention, linebacker Kain Medrano secured a pick-six on the first play of the second half, shifting all of the momentum in the Bruins’ favor. With the 26-20 win over Nebraska, UCLA will look to host Iowa.
11. Michigan State Spartans (4-5, 2-4 Big Ten) — Last Week: 8
After running all over the Michigan defense a week ago, Michigan State was dominated in the trenches against Indiana, finishing with negative-36 rushing yards. Quarterback Aidan Chiles went back to throwing interceptions (two of them), while Michigan State’s defense allowed four passing touchdowns to Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke. The Spartans did not score after the first quarter, allowing 47 unanswered points in the contest.
10. Washington Huskies
(5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) — Last Week: 13
The Huskies were in a dog fight with the Trojans until the very end, but Washington did just enough to pick up its third conference win of the season, and the Huskies are now one game away from being bowl-eligible a season removed from losing 21 starters and their entire coaching staff. Running back Jonah Coleman scored twice, and wide receiver Denzel Boston had 99 receiving yards in the win. Washington will face Penn State, UCLA and Oregon to finish the season.
9. Michigan Wolverines (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) — Last Week: 7
Michigan trailed No. 1 Oregon by 18 points at halftime, but the Wolverines made things interesting in the second half, cutting the deficit to 11 at one point, and getting into the red zone on multiple drives. However, poor play calls and mental mistakes on special teams cost Michigan any chance of winning the game, and the Wolverines lost to the Ducks, 38-17. Michigan will get the unfortunate opportunity to face back-to-back undefeated teams in November with Indiana on Saturday.
8. Wisconsin Badgers
(5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) — Last Week: 6
The Badgers faced just 10 pass attempts on Saturday, and yet, they gave up 42 points to Iowa. Wisconsin couldn’t do anything against Iowa on Saturday night, throwing for just 137 yards and two interceptions and converting on just 2-for-11 third down opportunities. Meanwhile, the Badgers allowed 329 rushing yards and allowed six scoring drives. Head coach Luke Fickell needs this bye week coming up.
7. Illinois Fighting Illini
(6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) — Last Week: 5
After a 6-1 start, Illinois has dropped back-to-back games to Oregon and Minnesota, putting itself outside of the College Football Playoff conversation. After leading in the early part of the fourth quarter, the Illini gave up a touchdown and a field goal in the final five minutes, leading to a 25-17 loss. Quarterback Luke Atlmyer threw for 226 yards and a score, but the offense fumbled twice, and the Illinois defense allowed 131 rushing yards to Minnesota back Darius Taylor. The Illini will have a bye week before they face Michigan State.
6. Minnesota Golden Gophers
(6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) — Last Week: 11
Minnesota has now won four straight games, including its second upset win of the year by beating No. 24 Illinois on the road. The Golden Gophers turned defense into offense, forcing two fumbles, including one on Illinois’ final drive, and scored nine unanswered points in the final five minutes. Darius Taylor was amazing, and quarterback Max Brosmer protected the football. Minnesota will travel to New Jersey to take on a falling Rutgers squad.
5. Iowa Hawkeyes
(6-2, 4-2 Big Ten) — Last Week: 10
When you have running back Kaleb Johnson on your team, you do not have to throw the ball much. Johnson had another big showing, rushing for 135 yards and three touchdowns in a rivalry win over Wisconsin. Iowa also went with backup quarterback Brendan Sullivan against the Badgers, and he did his job, completing 7-of-10 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. The Hawkeyes play UCLA on Friday night.
4. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) — Last Week: 3
The undefeated season was fun while it lasted, but some things never change. Penn State coach James Franklin is now 0-for-8 against Ohio State in his career, most recently losing 20-13 on Saturday. Quarterback Drew Allar was not great, throwing for 146 yards and an interception, and the Nittany Lions’ stellar rushing attack was held to 120 yards between five different ball carriers. Penn State is still very alive in the Big Ten race and the overall playoff landscape, and it will host Washington in Beaver Stadium on Saturday.
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) — Last Week: 2
The Buckeyes trailed Penn State, 10-0, early in the first quarter, but soon turned it around and dominated the game for the final three. Ohio State ran for 179 yards on 38 carries, and the defense held Penn State to just 270 total yards of offense. Quarterback Will Howard made some mental mistakes, including a pick-six in the first quarter, but he made some big plays on the final Buckeyes drive to secure the win. The Buckeyes can’t get too complacent, but they face a relatively easy test next week against Purdue.
2. Indiana Hoosiers (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) — Last Week: 4
The switch has finally been made. After weeks of sitting behind Penn State and Ohio State in the power rankings, Indiana has jumped up to No. 2 as one of two undefeated teams left in November. Much like Ohio State, the Hoosiers trailed Michigan State 10-0 early, but it didn’t last long. Curt Cignetti’s team scored 47-straight points against the Spartans in a blowout road victory. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke threw four touchdown passes, and the defense held Michigan State to 193 total yards of offense. IU will host Michigan in Bloomington on Saturday.
1. Oregon Ducks (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) — Last Week: 1
In one of the most highly anticipated games of the season, Oregon put on a show for the Michigan fans that welcomed the Ducks to Ann Arbor for the first time since 2007. The Ducks put together another impressive showing as quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 294 yards, running back Jordan James produced 117 rushing yards and wide receiver Traeshon Holden secured six catches for 149 receiving yards. It was never really close in the Big House, and Oregon has all but secured its ticket to the playoff barring anything drastic.