The Big Ten was able to take a sigh of relief this week. No non-conference disasters, the top teams all won, and a big power conference home win for Northwestern. After the first two weeks, stability is about as good of a sign as the league could have asked for. Here’s where the Big Ten Week 4 power rankings ahead of a full conference slate on Saturday:
18. Michigan State
Michigan State’s defense looked the best it has all year on Saturday against Notre Dame. The Spartans held the Irish under 10 yards per pass attempt and 4 yards per rush. They didn’t allow a single passing touchdown. The offense was another story, as starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic threw two picks and averaged just 6.8 yards per attempt while the team averaged only 1.6 yards per rush.
17. Purdue
Purdue put up a fight against UCLA on Saturday, trailing the Bruins by just three points at halftime and taking a lead on the first drive of the third quarter. Things fell apart from there as they were outscored 28–10 over the final 26 minutes, but the early effort showed this team is ready to compete. Quarterback Ryan Browne had a great week, averaging 12.7 yards per attempt as he threw for 378 yards and 3 touchdowns, but he needs more support from a run game that averaged under 3 yards per carry on Saturday and under 3.5 per carry on the season.
16. Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights’ offense was electric on Saturday, and it looked that way without being entirely reliant on KJ Duff, who missed portions of the game due to injury. Five offensive touchdowns, including touchdown runs from two different backs and touchdown catches from three different receivers, marked a level of balance that was entirely missing for Rutgers in the first two weeks. Quarterback Dylan Lonergan needs to protect the ball better, his two interceptions, including a 99-yard pick-six, ultimately proved to be the difference on Saturday. The defense had no answers for Jayden Maiava and a potent Trojan run game, as expected. Regardless of the loss, though, this week was a massive step forward for Rutgers.
15. Maryland
Yes, Maryland fell short on Saturday against Virginia Tech. The Hokies are a very good team, though, in year one under former Penn State coach James Franklin. Maryland quarterback Malik Washington threw for 359 yards and 3 touchdowns in the loss. The Terrapin defense will need to step up in conference play, particularly against the run, as Virginia Tech nearly doubled Maryland in terms of possession time. Still, the offense has been fantastic in nonconference play, and the Terrapins will be a team comfortable in shootouts week in and week out and will be dangerous for teams that take them lightly.
14. Illinois
Southern Illinois is far from an elite opponent, but after a difficult loss to Duke, the dominant bounceback was a positive sign for the Illini. Quarterback Katin Houser averaged 10.5 yards per attempt. The Illini rushing attack averaged 7.1 yards per rush and the team generated 503 yards of total offense. Most importantly, Illinois scored on 9 of its 13 drives after struggling to finish the job against the Blue Devils. It’s difficult to take much away from a game against the Salukis, but Illinois is moving back in the right direction.
13. Minnesota
After a thrashing in week two, Minnesota got back on track with a boat race of their own against Akron. Drake Lindsey had an up and down day, averaging just 6.6 yards per pass while throwing 3 touchdown passes and hitting four 20+ yard passes. The run game averaged 5.8 yards per carry despite the absence of star running back Darius Taylor. The defense held Akron to just 4.4 yards per pass and 2.3 yards per run. The Golden Gophers head to the west coast this weekend for a bout with Washington that will go a long way toward telling us just how good both teams are.
12. Wisconsin
What a game for this Wisconsin offense. Tyrell Henry looked like a genuine star in the receiving game, making a program record 14 catches for 160 yards against Eastern Michigan. Quarterback Colton Joseph threw for 362 yards on the day. While the passing attack was electric, the run game left more to be desired. The team’s running backs generated just 71 yards on 21 touches, but if Joseph plays the way he did on Saturday, you’ll take that offense every single week.
11. Northwestern
Colorado may have thought Northwestern’s field sounded like a library before kickoff, but it was the Buffalo offense that was silenced on the field on Saturday. Quarterback Aidan Chiles had arguably the best game of his college career, throwing for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns on 11 yards per attempt. The team generated 182 yards on the ground to bolster that passing attack. Most impressively, the Wildcat defense generated 4 turnovers to get the snowball rolling in the dominant 41-7 victory. The Wildcats are 2-0 with a Power Four win, momentum is on their side, and they have their biggest game of the year on Saturday at Indiana, when we’ll find out just how good this team really is.
10. Nebraska
Sometimes, unremarkable is the best thing you can ask for. There wasn’t a ton to say about Nebraska’s win over North Dakota. Anthony Colandrea was efficient, freshman running back Jamal Rule had his best college outing in a 2-touchdown, 118-yard game, and the defense held the Fighting Hawks to just 3.7 yards per play. With Big Ten play on the horizon and expectations high in Lincoln, taking home a victory with no drama and no outstanding flaws is a perfect finish to the nonconference slate.
9. Washington
Finally, Washington fans saw some relief for their heart rates after dramatic finishes in each of the first two weeks. Quarterback Demond Williams looked like the dominant force he was expected to be when he returned to Seattle this fall, the run game averaged 5.7 yards per carry, and the defense continued its consistent performances from the first two weeks. At the end of the day, the Huskies are 3-0. If they play the way they did on Saturday, they should be able to keep their win streak rolling against the Golden Gophers in week four, however, a return to week two’s performance could lead to an upset for a team that entered the season as CFP hopefuls.
8. Oregon
The Ducks were angry about what happened in Stillwater, and you could tell on Saturday, as Oregon blasted Portland State in an 84-0 victory. Perhaps the biggest takeaway of the day came from backup quarterback and Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola, who went a perfect 11/11 through the air for 124 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Ducks have their biggest game of the year on Saturday against USC with their playoff hopes on the line. Saturday was certainly a confidence boost, but we’ll need to see the defense show up against a Heisman-caliber quarterback in Jayden Maiava for Oregon to have any hope against the Trojans.
7. UCLA
If you haven’t watched Bruin running back Wayne Knight yet this year, you’re missing out. The senior has been going blow-for-blow with Florida’s Jadan Baugh this year as the top rushers in the nation. The duo is tied atop the national leaderboards with 8 rushing touchdowns apiece, while both are within the top ten of both total rushing yards and yards per rush, the only two players on both lists. It’s a tough task for a running back to win the Heisman, it hasn’t been done since Derrick Henry in 2015, but Knight and Baugh have made as good of a case as anyone.
Thanks in large part to Knight’s brilliance in the run game, UCLA is 3-0 with wins over two Power 4 teams and two in-state rivals. Nico Iamaleava had his best game of the year against the Boilermakers on Saturday. If there’s a sleeper CFP pick in the Big Ten this year, it just might be the Bruins.
6. Michigan
Was that an offense?! After falling behind 14-7 early in the second quarter, the Wolverines scored 38 unanswered thanks to an outburst from quarterback Bryce Underwood, who completed 76% of his passes on his way to a 223 yard, 2 touchdown day against UTEP. The running game stepped up as well, producing 182 yards on the ground. Iowa will be a different beast for the offense on Saturday, but this was a step in the right direction that showed off the Wolverine’s potential if they can play a balanced game.
5. Penn State
Another week, another blowout for Penn State over lesser competition. Rocco Becht was a little less accurate than his usual steady self, but that didn’t matter thanks to a 304 yard day on the ground for the Penn State offense. The pass defense held Bull quarterback Jason Wright to 40% accuracy on the day and just 2.4 yards per attempt, while Buffalo ran for just 3 yards per carry on the ground. The Nittany Lions will take a step up in competition against Wisconsin on Saturday, but the dominance they’ve shown through three weeks provides more than enough confidence in their ability to handle the jump.
4. Iowa
The Hawkeyes have a quarterback. After a perfect 12-for-12 performance against Northern Iowa, Hank Brown was officially named the starter on Iowa’s depth chart ahead of this week’s battle with Michigan. Despite lacking star back Kamari Moulton, three different Hawkeyes eclipsed 100 rushing yards against UNI. The defense netted its second shutout of the year. Yes, the win was against FCS competition, so there’s no guarantee those results are replicable, but with a rivalry Power Four win under their belt to boot, the Hawkeyes currently might be the conference’s best hope at securing a fourth CFP bid.
3. Indiana
Another week, another bottom feeder boat raced. Back-to-back shutouts, including this week’s over an FBS opponent, have this defense looking just as good as last year’s, but the offense still has plenty to prove against Big Ten competition. Their first test will be this Saturday against a hungry, scrappy and fired-up Northwestern team coming off a blowout win over Colorado, where we’ll learn a lot about just how good this Indiana team, particularly its offense, is.
2. USC
A win is a win, and Jayden Maiava is still one of the nation’s best quarterbacks. This defense needs work though. 5.3 yards per rush and 292 total passing yards against a Scarlet Knight offense that looked anemic at points in weeks one and two was a scary sight for Trojan fans. The secondary made up for its handful of mistakes with two critical interceptions, including Prophet Brown’s pick six, but the front seven needs to do more for this team. The Trojan offensive line and fantastic days for running backs King Miller and Riley Wormley saved them from embarrassment, but this defense needs to establish itself this week against Oregon to remain in the College Football Playoff picture.
1. Ohio State
Similarly to Oregon, the Buckeyes were angry, and they showed it against Kent State on Saturday. Bo Jackson showed some life for the Ohio State run game, and despite setting the all-time receiving yards record for Ohio State, Jeremiah Smith didn’t score any of the team’s 7 touchdowns, showing off the balance they lacked against the Longhorns. Ohio State showed the growth they needed to coming out of the Texas loss. With a home bout with Illinois up for this week’s slate, the Buckeyes will need to show that their growth in week three can be replicated against conference foes.The Big Ten was able to take a sigh of relief this week. No non-conference disasters, the top teams all won, and a big power conference home win for Northwestern. After the first two weeks, stability is about as good of a sign as the league could have asked for. Here’s where the league stands ahead of a full conference slate on Saturday:
18. Michigan State
Michigan State’s defense looked the best it has all year on Saturday against Notre Dame. The Spartans held the Irish under 10 yards per pass attempt and 4 yards per rush. They didn’t allow a single passing touchdown. The offense was another story, as starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic threw two picks and averaged just 6.8 yards per attempt while the team averaged only 1.6 yards per rush.
17. Purdue
Purdue put up a fight against UCLA on Saturday, trailing the Bruins by just three points at halftime and taking a lead on the first drive of the third quarter. Things fell apart from there as they were outscored 28–10 over the final 26 minutes, but the early effort showed this team is ready to compete. Quarterback Ryan Browne had a great week, averaging 12.7 yards per attempt as he threw for 378 yards and 3 touchdowns, but he needs more support from a run game that averaged under 3 yards per carry on Saturday and under 3.5 per carry on the season.
16. Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights’ offense was electric on Saturday, and it looked that way without being entirely reliant on KJ Duff, who missed portions of the game due to injury. Five offensive touchdowns, including touchdown runs from two different backs and touchdown catches from three different receivers, marked a level of balance that was entirely missing for Rutgers in the first two weeks. Quarterback Dylan Lonergan needs to protect the ball better, his two interceptions, including a 99-yard pick-six, ultimately proved to be the difference on Saturday. The defense had no answers for Jayden Maiava and a potent Trojan run game, as expected. Regardless of the loss, though, this week was a massive step forward for Rutgers.
15. Maryland
Yes, Maryland fell short on Saturday against Virginia Tech. The Hokies are a very good team, though, in year one under former Penn State coach James Franklin. Maryland quarterback Malik Washington threw for 359 yards and 3 touchdowns in the loss. The Terrapin defense will need to step up in conference play, particularly against the run, as Virginia Tech nearly doubled Maryland in terms of possession time. Still, the offense has been fantastic in nonconference play, and the Terrapins will be a team comfortable in shootouts week in and week out and will be dangerous for teams that take them lightly.
14. Illinois
Southern Illinois is far from an elite opponent, but after a difficult loss to Duke, the dominant bounceback was a positive sign for the Illini. Quarterback Katin Houser averaged 10.5 yards per attempt. The Illini rushing attack averaged 7.1 yards per rush and the team generated 503 yards of total offense. Most importantly, Illinois scored on 9 of its 13 drives after struggling to finish the job against the Blue Devils. It’s difficult to take much away from a game against the Salukis, but Illinois is moving back in the right direction.
13. Minnesota
After a thrashing in week two, Minnesota got back on track with a boat race of their own against Akron. Drake Lindsey had an up and down day, averaging just 6.6 yards per pass while throwing 3 touchdown passes and hitting four 20+ yard passes. The run game averaged 5.8 yards per carry despite the absence of star running back Darius Taylor. The defense held Akron to just 4.4 yards per pass and 2.3 yards per run. The Golden Gophers head to the west coast this weekend for a bout with Washington that will go a long way toward telling us just how good both teams are.
12. Wisconsin
What a game for this Wisconsin offense. Tyrell Henry looked like a genuine star in the receiving game, making a program record 14 catches for 160 yards against Eastern Michigan. Quarterback Colton Joseph threw for 362 yards on the day. While the passing attack was electric, the run game left more to be desired. The team’s running backs generated just 71 yards on 21 touches, but if Joseph plays the way he did on Saturday, you’ll take that offense every single week.
11. Northwestern
Colorado may have thought Northwestern’s field sounded like a library before kickoff, but it was the Buffalo offense that was silenced on the field on Saturday. Quarterback Aidan Chiles had arguably the best game of his college career, throwing for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns on 11 yards per attempt. The team generated 182 yards on the ground to bolster that passing attack. Most impressively, the Wildcat defense generated 4 turnovers to get the snowball rolling in the dominant 41-7 victory. The Wildcats are 2-0 with a Power Four win, momentum is on their side, and they have their biggest game of the year on Saturday at Indiana, when we’ll find out just how good this team really is.
10. Nebraska
Sometimes, unremarkable is the best thing you can ask for. There wasn’t a ton to say about Nebraska’s win over North Dakota. Anthony Colandrea was efficient, freshman running back Jamal Rule had his best college outing in a 2-touchdown, 118-yard game, and the defense held the Fighting Hawks to just 3.7 yards per play. With Big Ten play on the horizon and expectations high in Lincoln, taking home a victory with no drama and no outstanding flaws is a perfect finish to the nonconference slate.
9. Washington
Finally, Washington fans saw some relief for their heart rates after dramatic finishes in each of the first two weeks. Quarterback Demond Williams looked like the dominant force he was expected to be when he returned to Seattle this fall, the run game averaged 5.7 yards per carry, and the defense continued its consistent performances from the first two weeks. At the end of the day, the Huskies are 3-0. If they play the way they did on Saturday, they should be able to keep their win streak rolling against the Golden Gophers in week four, however, a return to week two’s performance could lead to an upset for a team that entered the season as CFP hopefuls.
8. Oregon
The Ducks were angry about what happened in Stillwater, and you could tell on Saturday, as Oregon blasted Portland State in an 84-0 victory. Perhaps the biggest takeaway of the day came from backup quarterback and Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola, who went a perfect 11/11 through the air for 124 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Ducks have their biggest game of the year on Saturday against USC with their playoff hopes on the line. Saturday was certainly a confidence boost, but we’ll need to see the defense show up against a Heisman-caliber quarterback in Jayden Maiava for Oregon to have any hope against the Trojans.
7. UCLA
If you haven’t watched Bruin running back Wayne Knight yet this year, you’re missing out. The senior has been going blow-for-blow with Florida’s Jadan Baugh this year as the top rushers in the nation. The duo is tied atop the national leaderboards with 8 rushing touchdowns apiece, while both are within the top ten of both total rushing yards and yards per rush, the only two players on both lists. It’s a tough task for a running back to win the Heisman, it hasn’t been done since Derrick Henry in 2015, but Knight and Baugh have made as good of a case as anyone.
Thanks in large part to Knight’s brilliance in the run game, UCLA is 3-0 with wins over two Power 4 teams and two in-state rivals. Nico Iamaleava had his best game of the year against the Boilermakers on Saturday. If there’s a sleeper CFP pick in the Big Ten this year, it just might be the Bruins.
6. Michigan
Was that an offense?! After falling behind 14-7 early in the second quarter, the Wolverines scored 38 unanswered thanks to an outburst from quarterback Bryce Underwood, who completed 76% of his passes on his way to a 223 yard, 2 touchdown day against UTEP. The running game stepped up as well, producing 182 yards on the ground. Iowa will be a different beast for the offense on Saturday, but this was a step in the right direction that showed off the Wolverine’s potential if they can play a balanced game.
5. Penn State
Another week, another blowout for Penn State over lesser competition. Rocco Becht was a little less accurate than his usual steady self, but that didn’t matter thanks to a 304 yard day on the ground for the Penn State offense. The pass defense held Bull quarterback Jason Wright to 40% accuracy on the day and just 2.4 yards per attempt, while Buffalo ran for just 3 yards per carry on the ground. The Nittany Lions will take a step up in competition against Wisconsin on Saturday, but the dominance they’ve shown through three weeks provides more than enough confidence in their ability to handle the jump.
4. Iowa
The Hawkeyes have a quarterback. After a perfect 12-for-12 performance against Northern Iowa, Hank Brown was officially named the starter on Iowa’s depth chart ahead of this week’s battle with Michigan. Despite lacking star back Kamari Moulton, three different Hawkeyes eclipsed 100 rushing yards against UNI. The defense netted its second shutout of the year. Yes, the win was against FCS competition, so there’s no guarantee those results are replicable, but with a rivalry Power Four win under their belt to boot, the Hawkeyes currently might be the conference’s best hope at securing a fourth CFP bid.
3. Indiana
Another week, another bottom feeder boat raced. Back-to-back shutouts, including this week’s over an FBS opponent, have this defense looking just as good as last year’s, but the offense still has plenty to prove against Big Ten competition. Their first test will be this Saturday against a hungry, scrappy and fired-up Northwestern team coming off a blowout win over Colorado, where we’ll learn a lot about just how good this Indiana team, particularly its offense, is.
2. USC
A win is a win, and Jayden Maiava is still one of the nation’s best quarterbacks. This defense needs work though. 5.3 yards per rush and 292 total passing yards against a Scarlet Knight offense that looked anemic at points in weeks one and two was a scary sight for Trojan fans. The secondary made up for its handful of mistakes with two critical interceptions, including Prophet Brown’s pick six, but the front seven needs to do more for this team. The Trojan offensive line and fantastic days for running backs King Miller and Riley Wormley saved them from embarrassment, but this defense needs to establish itself this week against Oregon to remain in the College Football Playoff picture.
1. Ohio State
Similarly to Oregon, the Buckeyes were angry, and they showed it against Kent State on Saturday. Bo Jackson showed some life for the Ohio State run game, and despite setting the all-time receiving yards record for Ohio State, Jeremiah Smith didn’t score any of the team’s 7 touchdowns, showing off the balance they lacked against the Longhorns. Ohio State showed the growth they needed to coming out of the Texas loss. With a home bout with Illinois up for this week’s slate, the Buckeyes will need to show that their growth in week three can be replicated against conference foes.