There is a little bit of shakeup in our Week 4 Big Ten Power Rankings as many teams get ready to begin conference play this weekend. Now that we will consistently see teams from around the Big Ten go up against each other every week, we are going to get a better idea of who the true contenders in the conference are. Week 4 has some huge matchups that will create more chaos in the rankings, and it is sure to be an exciting week of football. Let’s take a look at where things stand ahead of this weekend.
1. Oregon (+1)
Oregon is our new No. 1 in the Big Ten Football Power Rankings. The Ducks have been the most dominant and impressive team in college football so far. We will learn a lot about them in a couple of weeks when they hit the road to take on Penn State under the lights.
2. Ohio State (-1)
Ohio State is one of the best teams in the country, but the Buckeyes did have some issues against Ohio last weekend. The Texas win isn’t looking as good either. Something to monitor, but no real cause for concern here.
3. Penn State (-)
Everyone is excited to see Penn State take on Oregon in a couple of weeks. The Nittany Lions have been sleep walking through an easy non-conference slate, but they’ll be wide awake when the Ducks come to town in Week 5. That is one of the biggest games of the college football season.
4. Illinois (-)
Illinois remains at No. 4, and a huge game looms ahead of Week 4. The Fighting Illini will be taking on Indiana in Bloomington under the lights. Huge game for the Big Ten and CFP race.
5. Indiana (+2)
Speaking of the Hoosiers, we have them at No. 5 in our Week 4 Big Ten Power Rankings. Indiana is off to another strong start, and a win over Illinois this weekend would set the team up nicely for another run.
6. USC (-1)
USC is down a spot after taking down Purdue over the weekend. The Trojans are likely one of the better teams in the conference, but they didn’t dominate the Boilermakers like they should have.
7. Michigan (-1)
Michigan is down a spot as well, but that is not because of what happened this weekend. In fact, the Wolverines put together their best offensive performance of the Sherrone Moore era by far against Central Michigan. If they continue to utilize Bryce Underwood’s legs, watch out. Big one this weekend at Nebraska.
8. Nebraska (+1)
Nebraska needs to win this weekend against Michigan. The Cornhuskers have been desperate for that big marquee win for a long time, and they are undefeated with a ranked team coming to town this weekend. This is a game that Nebraska hasn’t been able to win for a long time. It needs to change, but will it?
9. Washington (-1)
Washington is holding steady in the middle of the pack, but the Huskies don’t seem like a legit threat in the conference. If they can take down Ohio State in a couple of weeks, that will change.
10. Iowa (-)
Iowa remains at No. 10 after an easy win against UMass. Don’t give up on the Hawkeyes yet, as a loss on the road against Iowa State is not an ugly blemish.
11. Michigan State (-1)
Michigan State’s contest with Youngstown State over the weekend was a little bit tighter than Spartans fans were hoping for, but the team pulled away late for a comfortable win. Michigan State has its first big test this weekend at USC.
12. Maryland (+1)
Maryland is 3-0 and up one spot to No. 12 in the power rankings. The Terrapins have looked solid so far, but they haven’t played anybody yet.
13. Minnesota (+1)
Minnesota lost on the road against Cal on Saturday night, but the Golden Gophers are up one spot because of Wisconsin’s drop. Cal has a great QB and looks like a solid squad, so it wasn’t a bad loss for Minnesota. The Gophers were competitive.
14. Rutgers (+1)
Rutgers is also up one spot this week, and the Scarlet Knights have a chance to rise even more with a clash against Iowa on Friday night. This is a huge opportunity for Rutgers.
15. Wisconsin (-3)
The Luke Fickell era in Madison has not gone to plan. Wisconsin got steamrolled on Saturday against Alabama, and things are looking bleak. However, if quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. returns, things could get better.
16. Purdue (+1)
Purdue has looked better than expected so far, and despite a loss, the Boilermakers are up a spot this week. They did a good job of keeping things competitive against USC.
17. Northwestern (-1)
Northwestern drops a spot because of Purdue’s rise, but the Wildcats looker better than expected on Saturday against Oregon. Still, they are now 1-2 on the season.
18. UCLA (-)
UCLA has officially hit rock bottom. The Bruins are 0-3 after a disastrous 35-10 loss at home against New Mexico. Head coach DeShaun Foster was fired after the game. The Bruins might go 0-12 this year, and it’s hard to imagine them leaving the bottom spot in our Big Ten Football Power Rankings.
