We’ve now made it through more than half of the college football regular season with nine weeks in the books in the new, improved, and expanded Big Ten, and each time out provides additional data points and eyeball tests to try and figure out the pecking order in the conference might be.
We’ve been doing this for a few years now. We let all of the Big Ten football games play out each week then do our level best to make sense of what the best teams in the conference are. With the additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington, we now have more to take into consideration, including later nights and more teams to try and sift through.
Yes, for us, that means less sleep.
But hey, that’s OK, we get paid to try and figure this all out, so we’re here for it. Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, and Indiana have separated themselves with a pivotal matchup between the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes on tap this week to help define the conference. The action this past week has done nothing to reorder the dynamic at the top, but there are still a few weeks to go to sort it all out.
Here’s a look at how we see the power rankings of the Big Ten after nine weeks of action. Don’t sling mud at us just yet because we’re sure this thing will still change from now until the end of the season with so many marquee matchups still to go.
18. Purdue Boilermakers (1-6, 0-4)
Last Week (No. 18 – no change)
Off
Why the Ranking
The good news is that Purdue didn’t lose last week. The bad news is that’s because the Boilermakers were sitting at home watching games on their couch (there’s no truth to the rumor that the bye was favored in Vegas). This is a rough year for the Boilers and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the rest of the schedule doesn’t show a win the rest of the way.
Next Up … vs. Northwestern
Last Week (No. 17 – no change)
Lost at USC, 42-20
Why the Ranking
Remember, these are power rankings and not where teams are in the standings. Rutgers still has a chance to get bowl-eligible with two more victories but four-straight losses after starting the season 4-0 doesn’t give anyone confidence that will happen.
Next Up … Off Week
16. UCLA Bruins
Last Week (No. 16 – No Change)
Off
Why the Ranking
UCLA has been playing better but doesn’t have a signature win to speak of. There will be opportunities heading down the stretch after a week off, but there are still a lot of holes in this roster to think there is going to be a vast turnaround this season.
Next Up … at Nebraska
Last Week (No. 15 – no change)
Lost at Iowa, 40-14
Why the Ranking
Northwestern is about where you’d expect as a pretty vanilla program right now. The Wildcats seem to win a game or two it can and then get blown out against teams you don’t believe they can hang with. That narrative continued last week vs. the Hawkeyes and will likely continue the rest of the year.
Next Up … at Purdue
14. Maryland Terrapins (4-4, 1-4)
Last Week (No. 13 – down one spot)
Lost at Minnesota, 48-23
Why the Ranking
Mike Locksley took a premature victory lap after a win last week saying his team was growing up, but then the Terps seemed to have a case of Benjamin Button and regressed in a very disappointing showing in Minneapolis last week. You would have thought Locksley would understand at this point that one game does not a trend make.
Next Up … Off Week
13. USC Trojans (4-4, 2-4)
Last Week (No. 14 – up one spot)
Won vs. Rutgers, 42-20
Why the Ranking
After three-straight losses in-conference, USC got back in the win column by “out-athleting” the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in L.A. last weekend. Despite the talent on this roster, however, the Trojans have yet to find a consistent way to get the best out of what it has. Maybe things click down the stretch, but at this point, it’s a bit of a lost season of missed expectations.
Next Up … at Washington
12. Michigan State Spartans (4-4, 2-3)
Last Week (No. 10 – down two spots)
Lost at Michigan, 24-17
Why the Ranking
Truth be known, the Spartans should have probably beaten their in-state arch rival last weekend but missed out on several opportunities to put the game away by not finishing off drives. The stats heavily favored the Green and White, but the scoreboard did not. The Spartans have the talent to be doing much better but can’t seem to get out of their own way at times.
Next Up … vs. Indiana
11. Michigan Wolverines (5-3, 3-2)
Last Week (No. 12 – up one spot)
Won vs. Michigan State, 24-17
Why the Ranking
Despite the win last weekend, this is still not a very good team. The offense is one-dimensional and there have been a couple of victories that should have gone the other way. The win last weekend was huge because the schedule isn’t kind coming down the stretch. Look for the Wolverines to win just one more game to become barely bowl-eligible.
Next Up … vs. Oregon
Last Week (No. 11 – up one spot)
Won vs. Maryland, 48-23
Why the Ranking
After a rough start to the season, Minnesota has quietly rebounded and is putting together a solid season. Fleck ball is in full effect with solid defense and a ball-control, opportunistic defense and it’s working against bad, average, and slightly above average teams — just what you would expect from this program these days. There’s a big opportunity on the doorstep this weekend in Champaign.
Next Up … at Illinois
9. Washington Huskies (4-4, 2-3)
Last Week (No. 9 – no change)
Lost at Indiana, 31-17
Why the Ranking
The Huskies actually put up a decent fight in Bloomington against a team that has been kicking everyone to the curb, but came up well short still. The team seems to be improving as the season moves on but you know we don’t give credit to teams in this column for simply having a pulse, and certainly not for closer-than-expected losses.
Next Up … vs. USC
8. Wisconsin Badgers (5-3, 3-2)
Last Week (No. 6 – down two spots)
Lost vs. Penn State, 28-13
Why the Ranking
If you are a Wisconsin fan, you likely have whiplash from following the results this year. There was the ugly loss to Alabama, then a significantly improved stretch of play before the turd we saw last weekend in hosting an injury-plagued Penn State team. The Badgers will go bowling but won’t be a factor in the Big Ten race once again. It’s been a few years now …
Next Up … at Iowa
7. Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-3, 2-3)
Last Week (No. 7 – no change)
Lost at Ohio State, 21-17
Why the Ranking
Nebraska got up off the mat and put a serious scare into the Buckeyes but couldn’t finish the deal. This team will continue to slide up and down based on the play of its freshman phenom quarterback Dylan Raiola, but if the defense keeps playing like it did in Columbus, the Huskers are going to be pesky the rest of the season on the way to a decent bowl game.
Next Up … vs. UCLA
Last Week (No. 5 – down one spot)
Lost at Oregon, 38-9
Why the Ranking
There’s no shame in losing to the No. 1 team in the land, the Oregon Ducks, but not by such a wide margin if there are any designs of being considered among the upper tier of the league. The Illini are still putting a solid season together but clearly not a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten.
Next Up … vs. Minnesota
5. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-3, 3-2)
Last Week (No. 8 – up three spots)
Won vs, Northwestern, 40-14
Why the Ranking
So, it’s true the offense is improved, at least against inferior teams. Not so much against very good teams. The losses to Ohio State and Iowa State are excusable but we’re still trying to figure out how the Hawkeyes received a super-wedgie at the hands of Michigan State. There seems to always be a head-scratching loss for Iowa every year and that one may end up being it. The Hawkeyes are pretty much what we expect every year — an above average team that goes to a solid bowl but misses out as a contender in the chase for a Big Ten title.
Next Up … vs. Wisconsin
4. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-0, 4-0)
Last Week (No. 3 – down one spot)
Won at Wisconsin, 28-13
Why the Ranking
Next Up … vs. Ohio State
Penn State started slow on the road in Madison but got a spark from backup quarterback Beau Pribula once starter Drew Allar went down. It’s been a mixed bag for the Nittany Lions in 2024 so far but beat the Buckeyes this week after seven-straight losses in the series and everything is on the table. The defense should be able to get a pass rush against a M.A.S.H offensive line unit for Ohio State.
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1, 3-1)
Last Week (No. 2 – down one spot)
Won vs. Nebraska, 21-17
Why the Ranking
The Buckeyes survived a major scare against a Nebraska team that got ran off the field vs. Indiana the week prior, and after an off-week nonetheless. There are now real concerns with the offensive line and it’s enough to question whether or not this team has what it takes to meet all of those lofty goals that were on the table to start the year. Beat Penn State on the road and almost all will be forgiven … for now.
Next Up … at Penn State
2. Indiana Hoosiers (8-0, 5-0)
Last Week (No. 4 – up one spot)
Won vs. Washington, 31-17
Why the Ranking
Look, we know the Hoosiers have yet to beat a ranked team, but what they have been doing in game control vs. everyone has been awfully impressive. Is this the second-best team in the Big Ten? What about the best? It’s hard to argue Indiana is anything but one of the top teams at this point and now it’s just a matter of getting a statement win or two to validate it. This weekend’s game in East Lansing might be a little tricky.
Next Up … at Michigan State
1. Oregon Ducks (8-0, 5-0)
Last Week (No. 1 – no change)
Won vs. Illinois, 38-9
Why the Ranking
Don’t be surprised if Oregon continues to use that confidence it gained after beating Ohio State all the way to an undefeated regular season. With a Heisman hopeful under center, multiple playmakers at the skill positions, and a very good defense, this is a clear College Football Playoff title contender playing the best in the conference right now — maybe the country. Will OSU fans be rooting for Oregon or Michigan this weekend? Well, we REALLY know the answer to that, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if the Wolverines found a way to shock the Milky Way Galaxy with an upset.
Next Up … at Michigan
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Big Ten football power rankings after Week 9: A shuffling near the top.
