Illinois football was one of the first Big Ten games of week one, and we started things off on the right foot.
Most of the Big Ten followed the Illini, as the conference win-loss record wasn’t bad. But there were numerous teams that struggled to get that coveted victory.
Here are the Week 2 Big Ten power rankings
There is a new name at the top. Some would argue that the Buckeyes should have been No. 1 the entire time. I needed to see something out of them, as they had a new quarterback behind center. Taking down No. 1 Texas was my wake-up call.
While Penn State didn’t do anything to merit a drop, as they knocked off Nevada 46-11, the Buckeyes went and snatched the top spot away. The Nittany Lions are still one of the best teams in the country, and I essentially view this as a 1A and 1B situation.
There isn’t a lot of movement in the middle of the Big Ten. Illinois was able to hold their own against a terrible Western Illinois squad. Beating the Leathernecks 52-3 isn’t going to bump them up at all. I think the victory keeps Illinois at No. 3.
Much like Illinois, Oregon beat up on a much weaker opponent. Montana State shouldn’t compete with the Ducks and didn’t, getting beaten 59-13. Oregon stays at No. 4 this week.
There are numerous Big Ten teams to keep an eye on this season because of week one struggles. I think Iowa’s hiccups against Albany are concerning. They did win 34-7, but they had to claw through that game. They are on my radar to drop in the coming weeks.
Another team that could easily drop in the Big Ten Conference power rankings is the Indiana Hoosiers. They had a great season in 2024, but their opening win over Old Dominion, 27-14, is nothing to write home about. Let’s see what Indiana does in the next couple of games.
I kept Michigan at the No. 7 spot, but they are a team to watch on the rise. Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood has potential through the roof, and an opening win over New Mexico 34-17 is a nice start to his budding career.
USC put up a flashy number against Missouri State, beating them 73-13. This is a huge score, but they also played a terrible team. I am not going to reward a team for playing another bad team. The Trojans could go either way in the coming weeks.
I was really close to dropping Minnesota down the rankings a little bit, as they struggled against Buffalo. Beating a MAC program 23-10 should have the Golden Gophers’ fans worried. Minnesota is on thin ice of dropping down quite a few spots.
Continuing the trend of the Big Ten playing meh this past week, the Washington Huskies beat Colorado State 38-21. People are loving Washington this season, but there is a lot of work left in my book before they start moving up the rankings.
There is a ton of potential with Nebraska, but then they go out and nearly lose to Cincinnati in week one, 20-17. I am keeping the Cornhuskers at No. 11 because they didn’t earn moving up, and the teams below them are bad.
The MAC almost got the best of a couple of Big Ten teams in week one. Rutgers narrowly survived against Ohio. They had to score 34 points to beat the Bobcats, 34-31. That should sound some serious alarms with the Rutgers fanbase.
I will say this, the MAC gave it their all this past week, but Wisconsin managed to hold a team like Miami (OH) in check. The Badgers beat the Redhawks 17-0. I am moving Wisconsin up two spots because of the nice defense and other Big Ten teams laying an egg.
Michigan State struggled greatly against Western Michigan in week one. They had a couple of nice drives, but the Broncos hung around. Big Ten teams should put the MAC away. I am keeping Michigan State at No. 14 with no movement.
Look who we have here. The Purdue Boilermakers starting the season off right. This is how you handle a MAC team. Purdue throttled Ball State 31-0. I am not going to move the Boilermakers up too much, but they earned a two-spot jump after week one.
There was a lot of question marks with Maryland’s quarterback situation, but they looked good in week one. They beat FAU 39-7, and the freshman played well. I am curious how the Terrapins will look against real competition, but they are up two spots because of some bad Big Ten play.
You can’t have an offseason where you back up the Brinks truck and buy Tennessee’s quarterback, and then you come out in week one and lose to Utah 43-10. That is embarrassing for the UCLA program and for the Big Ten. The only team that is saving UCLA from being dead last is Northwestern.
I thought having a new quarterback behind center was going to help the Wildcats. Northwestern brought in Preston Stone from SMU, and he should have been a breath of fresh air. That wasn’t the case, as the Wildcats got demolished by Tulane, 23-3. They are a dumpster fire.