Big Ten Power Rankings: Ohio State, Indiana on Top; Michigan and Washington Surge

The Big Ten race began to tighten over the weekend as feel-good stories at programs like Illinois, UCLA and Northwestern were dealt crippling blows to their outsized dreams of competing for a league championship. 

There are now just six teams with one or fewer league defeats this season — with all but one of them ranked in the latest AP Poll — as Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon, Iowa, Michigan and USC will now jockey for position down the stretch. 

Elsewhere around the league, Nebraska kept its hopes of a potential College Football Playoff berth alive with a victory over Northwestern, while Rutgers scored a walk-off win over Purdue in a battle of Big Ten bottom feeders. 

For a team-by-team breakdown of the league, here’s our latest batch of Big Ten Power Rankings following Week 9: 

The Top 10

Result: Idle

The Buckeyes could enjoy their bye week after shutting out Wisconsin, 34-0, two weeks ago to hold a seventh consecutive opponent to 16 points or fewer. It’s been a remarkable start for first-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, whose unit entered the break ranked first nationally in scoring (5.9 points per game), second in total defense (216.9 yards per game), first in third-down conversion rate (21.4%) and first in red zone touchdown rate (16.7%).

Patricia should certainly be in contention for the Broyles Award, which is given to the sport’s top assistant coach, considering both his unfamiliarity with the college game — he hadn’t coached at this level since he was a graduate assistant at Syracuse in 2003 — and the absence of eight defensive players from last year’s national championship-winning team who were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Result: 56-6 home win over UCLA

During his final interview ahead of kickoff on Saturday, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti told sideline reporter Jenny Taft that the Hoosiers couldn’t play scared, that they needed to “attack,” and what happened over the ensuing four quarters might have better been described as an assault. Indiana sacked UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava on the game’s opening play and then turned his first pass attempt into an interception return for a touchdown by star linebacker Aiden Fisher, setting the tone for a remarkably lopsided affair that became the latest reminder of this team’s national championship potential. 

The Hoosiers were excellent on offense, where quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw three more touchdowns and five different players spearheaded a rushing attack that produced more than 260 yards and four scores. They were excellent on defense, where a hellacious front seven created wave after wave of pressure on Iamaleava and limited him to a 48.1% completion rate, all while snagging two interceptions and tallying three sacks. The disparity on third down was borderline comical: one conversion in 11 attempts for the Bruins and 12 conversions on 16 attempts for the machine-like Hoosiers. That allowed Cignetti to pull his starters late in the third quarter when the score was already 49-3. 

At this point, there’s no doubt Indiana is one of the best teams in the country. 

Result: 21-7 home win over Wisconsin

On-and-off deluges of rain certainly played a factor in the overall sloppiness of Saturday night’s game at Autzen Stadium, where the Ducks began a new winning streak after dropping their last home game to then-No. 7 Indiana, but the performance mustered by head coach Dan Lanning’s team left plenty to be desired. 

Oregon only generated 16 yards of offense on its first four possessions combined when facing a Wisconsin defense that surrendered 491 yards to No. 1 Ohio State last weekend and 454 yards to then-No. 19 Alabama in mid-September — the only other elite offenses the Badgers have faced. It wasn’t until freshman tailback Jordon Davison crossed the goal line with 1:07 remaining in the second quarter that the Ducks finally broke the deadlock and took a 7-0 lead into halftime. They added one additional touchdown in both the third and fourth quarters to build an insurmountable 21-point margin until a late score from Wisconsin spoiled a potential shutout. 

Quarterback Dante Moore struggled most of the evening — he finished 9-of-15 for 86 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions — before a facial injury forced him out of the game in the third quarter. Lanning later suggested that Moore’s ailment was minor and he could have returned if needed down the stretch. Backup Brock Thomas completed all four of his passes for 46 yards and a touchdown. 

Result: 31-20 road win over Michigan State

The healthy return of starting tailback Justice Haynes, who suffered an abdominal injury during the loss to USC earlier this month and missed last week’s win over Washington, showcased just how potent the Wolverines’ one-two punch at running back can be with him and Jordan Marshall both topping 100 yards and combining for three scores. As a team, Michigan carried the ball 49 times for 276 yards and four rushing touchdowns to seize control of a game it led by 10 points after the first quarter and by 17 points after the third quarter. 

Such efficiency on the ground — the Wolverines averaged 5.6 yards per carry — offset an uninspiring passing effort from quarterback Bryce Underwood, who only completed eight of 17 attempts for a career-low 86 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Underwood had been averaging 235.7 passing yards per game over the last three against Wisconsin, USC and Washington, an uptick aided by the emergence of true freshman wideout Andrew Marsh. 

The Wolverines’ defense, which has now allowed 20 points or fewer in six of eight games this season, yielded just one scoring drive in Michigan State’s first nine possessions. Twice, Michigan stopped the Spartans on fourth down in the fourth quarter to preserve a fourth consecutive victory in this rivalry. 

Result: Idle

The nature of USC’s schedule this season meant that it could be conveniently divided into three segments: a friendly opening stretch that included four comfortable games against Missouri State (win), Georgia Southern (win), Purdue (win) and Michigan State (win); a difficult middle that included three consecutive games against ranked opponents in No. 23 Illinois (loss), No. 15 Michigan (win) and No. 13 Notre Dame (loss); a relatively favorable run-in that, as things stood entering the bye week, only included one ranked opponent the rest of the way in No. 6 Oregon. 

Having navigated the first two chunks with only two losses, USC now enters the home stretch still in the mix for the College Football Playoff, even if its odds of qualifying are long. But anything less than a 9-3 final mark will intensify the already immense pressure on fourth-year head coach Lincoln Riley. 

6. Iowa (6-2 overall, 4-1 Big Ten)

Result: 41-3 home win over Minnesota

A game that many people envisioned as a low-scoring slugfest transformed into a rout when Iowa exploded by scoring touchdowns on the ground, through the air, on defense and even on special teams — all in the first half — as the Hawkeyes built an impenetrable 31-point lead at the break. 

The non-traditional scores came on an interception return by defensive back Zach Lutmer, whose 34-yard scamper increased Iowa’s lead to 17-0 late in the second quarter, and a 50-yard punt return by wide receiver Kaden Wetjen early in the second quarter that pushed the advantage north of 30, stunning a Minnesota team that had won three of its last four games. This marked the first time Iowa created touchdowns in all three phases since the Hawkeyes knocked off USC in the 2019 Holiday Bowl. 

Such a significant halftime lead allowed defensive coordinator Phil Parker and his unit to play aggressively, selling out against the pass knowing that the Gophers needed points in a hurry. The Hawkeyes tallied three interceptions off Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey, who had only thrown three picks all season entering Saturday’s game, and limited the Gophers’ rushing attack to just 24 yards on 25 attempts. Parker’s group, which has had to replace seven starters from last year’s unit, now ranks second nationally in total defense (234.9 yards per game) and sixth in scoring defense (13.1 points per game). 

Result: 42-25 home win over No. 23 Illinois 

For the second consecutive week, Washington faced what amounted to a survival game in the race for a potential berth in the College Football Playoff. The Huskies stumbled at Michigan in their first attempt, sputtering with a flurry of turnovers in the second half of an eventual 24-7 loss that thinned their margin of error for the remainder of the season. But on Saturday afternoon against No. 23 Illinois — a team that, at one point, was ranked as highly as No. 9 in the country — head coach Jedd Fisch’s team responded with an impressive victory by scoring 21 straight points from the late second quarter through the early stages of the fourth quarter, breaking open what finished as a blowout win. 

Quarterback Demond Williams Jr. completed 26 of 33 passes for 280 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions while also carrying 10 times for 66 yards. His connection with wide receiver Denzel Boston proved particularly potent as the pair connected 10 times for 153 yards and one score. Boston also threw a touchdown pass on a trick play in which he connected with tailback Jonah Coleman for a 12-yard score late in the second quarter. As a team, the Huskies reached the end zone on six of their first seven possessions while converting nine of 12 times on third down and racking up 449 yards of total offense. 

Result: 28-21 home win over Northwestern

At this point in the season, despite reaching bowl eligibility with more than a month to spare, it’s difficult to know just how good Nebraska really is — or how good they might be in late November. Except for a season-opening, neutral-site victory over Cincinnati that has aged extremely well — the Bearcats are now 7-1 and ranked 17th in the latest AP Poll — none of the Cornhuskers’ victories are impressive: Akron, Houston Christian, Michigan State, Maryland and Northwestern. They even squandered a 15-point lead against Northwestern in the third and fourth quarter before a late touchdown run by tailback Emmett Johnson with 2:44 remaining bailed them out. Quarterback Dylan Raiola has also thrown six interceptions in his last five games after navigating his first three outings without one. 

The more optimistic interpretation, however, would center on the fact that Nebraska has already banked six victories and will only face one ranked opponent the rest of the way. It’s not impossible to imagine a scenario where the Cornhuskers grind their way to 10 victories and enter the discussion to reach the College Football Playoff. But the elephant in the room remains head coach Matt Rhule’s potential candidacy for the opening at Penn State, where Rhule played linebacker from 1994-97 and where his close friend — athletic director Pat Kraft — will be making the hire. 

Result: 42-25 road loss to Washington

A season brimming with so much promise and expectation has officially fizzled out following Saturday’s loss at Washington, which saddled Illinois with a third defeat that will keep head coach Bret Bielema’s team out of the College Football Playoff. The Illini have now played four games against strong or elite competition — at then-No. 19 Indiana, home vs. then-No. 21 USC, home vs. No. 1 Ohio State, at Washington — and only have one victory to show for it, with the three losses coming by a combined 88 points. 

Though Illinois’ offense was far from spectacular against the Huskies with only 337 total yards and two turnovers, this latest setback falls largely on a defense coordinated by Aaron Henry, now in his third season. Henry’s group surrendered touchdowns on six of Washington’s first seven possessions and yielded 449 yards of total offense, failing to stop the Huskies on nine of 12 third-down attempts. Illinois proved unable to contain either quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (280 passing yards, 66 rushing yards, 4 TDs) or wide receiver Denzel Boston (10 catches, 153 yards, 1 TD) while giving up at least seven points in every quarter. The Illini have now slipped into a tie for 89th in scoring defense (27.5 points per game) and rank 85th in total defense (380.8 yards per game). 

Result: 28-21 road loss to Nebraska

Northwestern deserves some credit for traveling to a difficult road environment and clawing back from a 15-point deficit to tie the score, 21-21, with 11:16 remaining in the fourth quarter when tailback Caleb Komolafe (17 carries, 125 yards, 2 TDs) broke loose on a 56-yard scoring run. But the next two offensive possessions ended in disastrous fashion as quarterback Preston Stone tossed his second interception of the game and then the Wildcats failed on fourth down with a little more than one minute left.

Stone’s performance has been particularly volatile this season, his first at Northwestern since transferring from SMU. He’s now thrown eight combined interceptions in the Wildcats’ three losses — including a ghastly quartet of INTs in a 23-3 road loss to Tulane on Aug. 30 — and only one interception in the team’s five victories. 

Head coach David Braun and his staff now have an extra week to regroup before a tricky two-game stretch in which they travel to No. 23 USC on a Friday night and then fly back to host No. 21 Michigan at Wrigley Field eight days later. The Wildcats’ most winnable remaining games might be against Minnesota (home) and Illinois (road) over the final two weeks of the regular season. Northwestern has only qualified for a bowl game twice in the last six years. 

The Rest

Result: 41-3 road loss to Iowa

One week after Minnesota dished out an impressive and punishing 24-6 win over then-No. 25 Nebraska — outgaining the Cornhuskers by 150 yards on the ground — the Gophers landed on the other end of that spectrum in a disheartening blowout defeat. Head coach P.J. Fleck’s group allowed two rushing touchdowns, one passing touchdown, one defensive touchdown and one special teams touchdown on an afternoon when Minnesota was thumped in all three phases. 

Freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey, who’d only tossed three interceptions entering Week 9, matched his season total with three picks against the Hawkeyes, one of which was returned 34 yards for a score. The Gophers only produced 133 yards of total offense. “We just did not play our best football tonight,” Fleck said. “Three hours of bad football.”

Result: Idle

The Terrapins were in desperate need of a reset following three consecutive losses to Washington (24-20), Nebraska (34-31) and UCLA (20-17) in which they squandered a fourth-quarter lead in each game. And to make matters worse, that was supposed to be the relatively favorable portion of Maryland’s schedule. Now, head coach Mike Locksley will bring his team into a brutal November slate that includes games against No. 2 Indiana (home), Illinois (road) and No. 21 Michigan (home). The cleanest path toward bowl eligibility would require Maryland win at Rutgers on Nov. 8 and win a neutral-site game against Michigan State at Ford Field in Detroit on Nov. 29. 

Result: 56-6 road loss to No. 2 Indiana

All the warm and fuzzy feelings surrounding UCLA following three straight wins over then-No. 7 Penn State, Michigan State and Maryland quickly evaporated amid an incredibly one-sided loss. The first pass by quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who’d produced nine touchdowns and only two interceptions during the Bruins’ winning streak, was intercepted by linebacker Aiden Fisher and returned 25 yards for a touchdown in a harbinger of the beatdown to come.

UCLA was outgained 475-201 in total yardage, lost the turnover battle 3-2, committed twice as many penalties as the Hoosiers and only converted a single third down on 11 attempts. Interim coach Tim Skipper and his team trailed by 28 before converting the first of two meaningless field goals on an afternoon when Indiana pulled its starters long before the game concluded. 

Result: Idle

Speaking of teams that need to regroup, Penn State’s remaining coaches and players were probably quite eager for last weekend’s reprieve after three straight losses prompted the firing of head coach James Franklin, around whom a media circus swirled, and a fourth consecutive loss to Iowa plunged the Nittany Lions into a five-way tie at the bottom of the Big Ten standings. They’ll need all the prep time they can possibly get to navigate a brutal two-game stretch against No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 1 (away) and No. 2 Indiana on Nov. 8 (home). It’s still hard to believe that Penn State will enter November without beating anyone from the power conferences. 

Result: 27-24 road win over Purdue 

A bizarre fumble by Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne, who caught his own pass on a deflection before getting stripped by Rutgers defensive lineman Farell Gnago, gave the visitors possession in scoring range with 1:05 remaining. Back-to-back running plays pushed the Scarlet Knights even closer and set up a game-winning, 30-yard field goal from Jai Patel as time expired. The kick capped an explosive effort from offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca’s unit, which manufactured 543 yards of total offense and would have produced more points were it not for drives that ended with a missed field goal, a turnover on downs and a fumble on Purdue’s half of the field. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, the former Minnesota transfer, notched his fourth 300-yard game of the season by completing 19 of 27 passes for 359 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. 

Result: 31-20 home loss to No. 25 Michigan

Despite trailing 24-7 entering the fourth quarter, Michigan State responded with a quick touchdown that trimmed the margin to 11 with 12:34 remaining. But quarterback Aidan Chiles’ fourth-down run was stopped short of the line to gain during the Spartans’ ensuing possession, which had advanced to the Michigan 29-yard line and provided a momentary threat. That capped a particularly sloppy game for Chiles, who completed just 14 of 28 passes for 130 yards with no touchdowns. And while Chiles added a 1-yard rushing score midway through the second quarter, he also lost a fumble and finished with minus-7 yards on the ground. The Spartans’ defense couldn’t stop a Michigan ground game that churned out 276 yards while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. 

Result: 21-7 road loss to No. 6 Oregon 

That Wisconsin entered the weekend riding a five-game losing streak featuring back-to-back shutouts — the second of which prompted athletic director Chris McIntosh to release a statement backing embattled head coach Luke Fickell — made it fair to wonder what the Badgers could conjure after a long flight to face sixth-ranked Oregon. The effort couldn’t be questioned during a respectable 14-point loss to the Ducks on a night when Wisconsin was missing its top two tailbacks and only allowed one score in the first half, even as rain whipped through Autzen Stadium. A touchdown pass from quarterback Hunter Simmons to tight end Lance Mason with 7:57 remaining meant the Badgers avoided a third straight scoreless outing, something that hadn’t happened since 1968.

Result: 27-24 home loss to Rutgers

The Boilermakers have now dropped 14 consecutive conference games after squandering leads of 10-0, 17-7 and 24-21 against the Scarlet Knights. A 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Browne to wide receiver Nitro Tuggle with 4:43 remaining nudged Purdue closer to its first Big Ten win since Nov. 25, 2023, until a porous defense proved unable to stop Rutgers from tying the game and then a costly fumble in the waning moments facilitated the winning field goal as time expired. Everything about the losing streak — during which the Boilermakers have surrendered 34.2 points per game — must be painful for first-year head coach Barry Odom, a former defensive coordinator at Arkansas, Missouri and Memphis. Odom’s team now ranks 92nd nationally in scoring defense (27.8 points per game). 

Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.

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