Big Ten Football Power Rankings By Tiers Right Now: Onto B1G Play!

Here are our Big Ten Football Power Rankings going into Week 4 of the College Football season.

Penn State Nittany Lions B1G Power Ranking: #1

TIER I – THE FAVORITES
A.P. Poll: No. 2 | Coaches Poll: No. 2 | SP+: No. 1
Record: 3-0 | Last Week: 1 | Penn State 52, Villanova 6

Would you look at that? SP+ has the Nittany Lions ranked No. 1. They are the third Big Ten team to hold the top spot this season! The exhibition portion of Penn State’s schedule is over. They won their three games by an aggregate score of 132-17 and didn’t cover any of them!

Ohio State Buckeyes B1G Power Ranking: #2

TIER I – THE FAVORITES
A.P. Poll: No. 1 | Coaches Poll: No. 1 | SP+: No. 3
Record: 3-0 | Last Week: 2 | Ohio State 37, Ohio 9

Unlike Penn State, the Buckeyes have faced a quality opponent—even Ohio is better than any of PSU’s opponents. At the same time, have they received too much credit for their opening win over Texas? The Longhorns managed 27 points against UTEP and had 114 passing yards (11 of 25).

Oregon Ducks B1G Power Ranking: #3

TIER I – THE FAVORITES
A.P. Poll: No. 6 | Coaches Poll: No. 5 | SP+: No. 2
Record: 3-0 | Last Week: 3 | Oregon 34, Northwestern 14

The Ducks have looked like legit national title contenders and have two Power 4 wins to their credit. But if we’re going to put OSU’s and PSU’s wins under the microscope, we should point out that Oklahoma State and Northwestern are probably comparable to Ohio.

USC Trojans B1G Power Ranking: #4

TIER II – CFP SLEEPERS
A.P. Poll: 25 | Coaches Poll: NR | SP+: No. 9
Record: 3-0 | Last Week: 4 | USC 33, Purdue 17

There’s a lot to like about what we’ve seen from the Trojans so far. There’s no lack of playmakers, and the defensive line is much improved. They were not as crisp at Purdue, which gives me some pause considering Lincoln Riley’s recent road success, or lack thereof. Their next four away from home will be more challenging.

Illinois Fighting Illini B1G Power Ranking: #5

TIER II – CFP SLEEPERS
A.P. Poll: No. 9 | Coaches Poll: No. 8 | SP+: No. 16
Record: 3-0 | Last Week: 5 | Illinois 38, Western Michigan 0

Are the Illini for real? They’re 3-0 and have won all three games by at least 26 points. We can’t ask for more than they’ve done, but I still don’t believe Illinois is a top-10 team. They have a chance to take a step in that direction with a win at Indiana this Saturday.

Michigan Wolverines B1G Power Ranking: #6

TIER II – CFP SLEEPERS
A.P. Poll: No. 21 | Coaches Poll: No. 20 | SP+: No. 18
Record: 2-1 | Last Week’s Rank: No. 6 | Michigan 63, Central Michigan 3

When Bryce Underwood plays like he did on Saturday, you can’t help but think the ceiling is the playoffs for the Wolverines. He has another test scheduled for this week in Nebraska. This one is more passable than their trip to Norman in Week 2, and probably a must-win if Michigan wants to make a serious run.

Indiana Hoosiers B1G Power Ranking: #7

TIER II – CFP SLEEPERS
A.P. Poll: 19 | Coaches Poll: 17 | SP+: No. 13
Record: 3-0 | Last Week: 7 | Indiana 73, Indiana State 0

Indiana has scored 108 straight points to close out-of-conference play 3-0. For most of their history, we’d be talking about how the Hoosiers are halfway to bowl eligibility. They’ve been able to bully their past two opponents, but this week they will take on Illinois, a team in their weight class. We’ll learn a lot more about IU on Saturday as they face their first test of the season.

Iowa Hawkeyes B1G Power Ranking: #8

TIER III – Top 25 POTENTIAL
A.P. Poll: NR | Coaches Poll: NR | SP+: No. 34
Record: 2-1 | Last Week: 8 | Iowa 47, UMass 7

That was the most comfortable we’ve seen Mark Gronowski look this season, and while he’s not an 18-year-old true freshman, he is adjusting to the FCS level. Was that progress, or was that about playing UMass? Friday night at Rutgers is another mini-test, a baby step. This is the type of game even bad Iowa quarterbacks have won in the past.

Washington Huskies B1G Power Ranking: #9

TIER III – Top 25 POTENTIAL
A.P. Poll: NR | Coaches Poll: NR | SP+: No. 32
Record: 2-0 | Last Week: 9 | Idle

It’s a bit early for an off week. If I were the Huskies, I’d much rather have played in Week 3. On the other hand, it does give UW extra time to prepare for two of its biggest games of the season, as it plays in-state rival Washington State on Saturday, followed by a visit from No. 1 Ohio State.

Nebraska Cornhuskers B1G Power Ranking: #10

TIER III – Top 25 POTENTIAL
A.P. Poll: NR | Coaches Poll: NR | SP+: No. 21
Record: 3-0 | Last Week: 10 | Nebraska 59, Houston Christian 7

Nebraska has won the past two games by an impressive score of 127-7. That’s Tom Osborne days stuff. Now they step up in competition with a ranked Michigan team coming to Memorial Stadium. It only feels like they haven’t beaten a ranked team since Osborne roamed the sidelines, but it’s been a while, and it would be the most significant victory of the Matt Rhule era.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights B1G Power Ranking: #11

TIER IV – AMERICAN TOP 50-ISH
A.P. Poll: NR | Coaches Poll: NR | SP+: No. 47
Record: 3-0 | Last Week: 13 | Rutgers 60, Norfolk State 10

This is the fifth straight season Rutgers has started 3-0, but we’re still unsure if this team is bowl-bound. The offense should be good enough, but questions about their defense remain. Keeping that in mind, neither of their next two opponents (Iowa and Minnesota) has an explosive offense. They have to get at least one win of the two.

Wisconsin Badgers B1G Power Ranking: #12

TIER IV – AMERICAN TOP 50-ISH
A.P. Poll: NR | Coaches Poll: NR | SP+: No. 52
Record: 2-1 | Last Week: 11 | Alabama 38, Wisconsin 14

Wisconsin isn’t the only team in the bottom half of the Big Ten that would get smoked by Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Yes, they’ve been without their starting quarterback (again), but the lack of progress on the offensive side of the ball is spread around every unit, not just one position. They can still be a top-10 team in the conference. Will the schedule allow them to move up that high?

Michigan State Spartans B1G Power Ranking: #13

TIER IV – AMERICAN TOP 50-ISH
A.P. Poll: NR | Coaches Poll: NR | SP+: No. 58
Record: 3-0 | Last Week: 14 | Michigan State 41, Youngstown State 24

Unlike Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, the Spartans appear to have their quarterback in Aidan Chiles. But what else do they have? Can they run the ball well in Big Ten play? Can they stop anyone from throwing the football against them? Their “big” win came in overtime against a BC team that just lost by 10 points to Stanford. MSU still has to prove it.

Maryland Terrapins B1G Power Ranking: #14

TIER IV – AMERICAN TOP 50-ISH
A.P. Poll: NR | Coaches Poll: NR | SP+: No. 43
Record: 3-0 | Last Week: 15 | Maryland 44, Towson 17

The Terps won all three out-of-conference games. That’s what they do. They did that last season, but lost seven of their last eight games to end the season. Have I seen enough to believe this year will be different? Maybe, but I still want to see more as Maryland finally plays a Power 4 team this week. Go to Madison and win!

Minnesota Golden Gophers B1G Power Ranking: #15

TIER IV – AMERICAN TOP 50-ISH
A.P. Poll: NR | Coaches Poll: NR | SP+: No. 47
Record: 2-1 | Last Week: 12 | California 27, Minnesota 14

Should a good Big Ten team win at Cal? Yes, regardless of the body clock and the challenges of playing on the West Coast. But let’s consider it was Drake Lindsey’s first career road start and first career game against a Power 4 team. They were without their top two running backs. They can still develop into a strong team, so we’re not ready to bury the Gophers after their first loss. 

Northwestern Wildcats B1G Power Ranking: #16

TIER V – JUST DON’T FINISH 18th
A.P. Poll: NR | Coaches Poll: NR | SP+: No. 83
Record: 1-2 | Last Week: 17 | Oregon 34, Northwestern 14

We’ve been used to seeing Northwestern teams crop up and surprise. Steal a win or two here and there to sneak into a bowl, or even the Big Ten Championship Game! (RIP B1G West) This isn’t one of those teams, but the ceiling is still higher than last season.

Purdue Boilermakers B1G Power Ranking: #17

TIER V – JUST DON’T FINISH 18th
A.P. Poll: NR | Coaches Poll: NR | SP+: No. 78
Record: 2-1 | Last Week: 18 | USC 33, Purdue 17

I saw a lot of… Purdue is not the worst team in the Big Ten this season. Maybe. Maybe. Still, I wouldn’t do too much chest bumping about a 16-point home loss. Ok, they covered the spread. I will say this, they look better than they did against a quality opponent last season. That’s a relatively low bar considering the 2024 Boilermakers were historically bad.

UCLA Bruins B1G Power Ranking: #18

TIER V – JUST DON’T FINISH 18th
A.P. Poll: NR | Coaches Poll: NR | SP+: No. 85
Record: 0-3 | Last Week: 16 | New Mexico 35, UCLA 10

When you get your coach fired three games into the season, you lease a spot in the basement of the power rankings. To have a realistic chance of making a bowl, UCLA needed to start the season at 2-1. Instead, they are 0-3, and while a winless campaign isn’t necessarily likely, it’s in play. A defense that gives up 298 rushing yards to New Mexico isn’t Big Ten-ready.