2025 B1G Power Rankings - Week 4

We've made it to the fist big week of the B1G conference season.  The biggest matchup is UCLA traveling to Northwestern, kicking off at 3:30 EST on Big Ten Network.  That's a huge matchup for the conference flagship station.  I can't believe that NBC, CBS, and FOX all passed on this matchup.  The winner will have the inside track on not finishing 0-9 in the conference, looking at a strong 1-8 conference record.  

In other games, we have Penn State hosting Oregon in a whiteout.  Big Game James Franklin has yet another chance for a signature win.  We'll go with the coaches poll, which has Oregon at #5.  Franklin is 1-18 in games against top 5 opponents, 4-20 against top 10.  After playing three creampuffs, no one has any clue if Penn State is good or not.  Oregon, while not playing the toughest schedule, have at least played a B1G game as well as two OSU's.   

Now for the power rankings:

1. Ohio State (3-0) - The Bucks were off and travel to Washington this week.  They'll be looking to continue their dominant start defensively.  There were some redzone struggles in the Ohio game that will hopefully be rectified.  Husky Stadium is not an easy place to play, and with a good team the crowd is going to be bringing the passion.

2. Penn State (3-0) - The Lions were off and welcome Oregon to State College for the annual whiteout game.  Penn State is 13-8 all-time in Whiteout games, with six straight wins.  Thanks to the new TV contracts, the Whiteout game isn't always the biggest game on the schedule, with Ohio State not being featured since 2018.  The Bucks are 3-2 in official Whiteout games.  I was at the 2007 game and it sure seemed like a Whiteout though it's not listed.  As far as the game goes, Penn State hasn't played anyone, so who knows how good they are.  Thankfully for James Franklin, Oregon is ranked #6 and this won't count as another top 5 loss.  

3. Oregon (4-0) - The Ducks beat Oregon State in the Civil War to set up a top 10 matchup against Penn State.  College Gameday is leaving the SEC to head to Happy Valley.  The Ducks have been dominant in their first four games.  Quarterback Dante Moore has never experienced anything like he will this Saturday night.  I think the only way the Ducks lose is if Moore is too rattled and can't handle the Whiteout, ala Troy Smith 2005.  

4. Indiana (4-0) - The Hoosiers slaughtered Illinois 63-10 in a statement win for Curt Cignetti, their biggest win in his two seasons.  They travel to Iowa this weekend in a big road test.  

5. USC (4-0) - The Trojans beat Michigan State, scoring at will.  They travel to Illinois for Big Noon this week, squaring off against a defense that gave up 63 to Indiana.  Expect another big scoring week.   

6. Washington (3-0) - The Huskies had no trouble in the Apple Cup against Washington State.  They host Ohio State this week in Seattle, looking to extend their 22-game home winning streak.  The Huskies opened as 13.5-point underdogs, but the spread as moved in the Washington's way to only 7.5 points.  Quarterback Demond Williams has been great at quarterback and will have to have a big afternoon if they're able to upset the Buckeyes.  

7. Illinois (3-1) - The Illini severely disappointed as they were blown out 63-10 at Indiana.  An injured secondary opened the flood gates as the Hoosiers kept the pedal down all four quarters.  The Illini host USC in a Big Noon clash, with most of the secondary still out.  They may need to get into a shootout with the Trojans if they have a chance to win.  

8. Michigan (3-1) - The Wolverines held off Nebraska in the second half for a big road win in Lincoln.  Quarterback Bryce Underwood had another big game as he gets more comfortable in the offense.  Interim coach Biff Poggi finished 2-0 in the role for cheating Sherrone Moore as Moore turns for their game against Wisconsin in two weeks.  

9. Iowa (3-1) - The Hawkeyes scored on the opening kickoff and pulled away in the second half to beat Rutgers in a Friday night blackout.  They look to pull the upset as Indiana comes to Iowa City this week.  

10. Michigan State (3-1) - The Spartans fell to USC early Sunday morning and travel to Nebraska in two weeks.

11. Nebraska (3-1) - The Huskers lost another game to a ranked team, as Michigan left Lincoln with a win.  They tied the game at the end of the first half after bad Michigan clock management, then allowed Michigan to jump out to a quick ten point lead in the third quarter.  The defense allowed big touchdowns of 37, 54, and 75 yards, with Michigan only getting in to the redzone at the end of game for a game sealing field goal.  The Huskers are off this week, before hosting Michigan State.

12. Rutgers (3-1) - The Scarlet Knights lost to Iowa at home on Friday night and travel to Minnesota this week.

13. Maryland (4-0) - The Terps are 4-0 after beating a bad Wisconsin team.  They miss Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, and USC on the schedule coming up.  Six wins seems like a sure thing, in season that many expected to up at 4-8 or worse.  True freshman Malik Washington has been good through four games.  They are off this week, before hosting Washington next week.

14. Minnesota (2-1) - The Gophers were off and host Rutgers this week.

15. Purdue (2-2) - The Boilermakers lost to Notre Dame, giving up 35 first half points before falling 56-30.  They are off this week and host Illinois next week.

16. Wisconsin (2-2) - The Badgers were embarrassed at home against Maryland, falling 27-10.  It's time for Luke Fickell to go.  He came in and tried to modernize Wisconsin football.  Unfortunately, you need a quarterback to do that.  Injuries at the position haven't helped, as transfer starters have gotten hurt each season.  I'm not sure where I see in a win on the schedule the next two months as their remaining schedule is Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State, Oregon, Wasingtion, Indiana, Illinois, and Minnesota.  They'll be underdogs in every game.  Does Fickell make it to see the inevitable 2-10?

17. Northwestern (1-2) - The Wildcats host UCLA this week in a battle to see who goes 1-8 in the B1G.  Turn in to BTN at 3:30 EST!

18. UCLA (0-3) - The Bruins travel to Northwestern this week in a battle to see who goes 1-8 in the B1G.  Turn in to BTN at 3:30 EST!

2025 B1G Power Rankings - Week 3

The Big Ten went 12-5 in week 3, with two conference losses.  Minnesota fell to Cal, UCLA was bludgeoned by New Mexico, and Wisconsin lost at Alabama.   

The big matchups this week feature Michigan at Nebraska and Illinois at Indiana, two games that will help determine the upper middle of the B1G.  

1. Ohio State (3-0) - The Bucks were good enough against Ohio and may have found a new RB1, with Bo Jackson going for 100+ again. They're off this week, before heading to Washington in week 5.  

2. Penn State (3-0) - The Lions beat another NOBODY and have their fourth straight bye this week.  Their season starts next week, as Oregon comes to town for a proper whiteout.  

3. Oregon (3-0) - The Ducks won the sleepy 11 am game in Evanston in front of a raucous Big Noon Kickoff crowd.  They host a really bad Oregon State team this week in the Civil War before the big whiteout ahead.

4. Illinois (3-0) - The Illini shutout Western Michigan and travel to Indiana on Saturday night as underdogs.  They've looked great through three games.  

5. USC (3-0) - The Trojans beat Purdue and host Michigan State on Saturday night.  The offense has been on fire through three games.  Are the Trojans back?  

6. Washington (2-0) - The Huskies were off  and travel to Pullman to face off against Washington State in the Apple Cup.  The Cougars are coming off a 49-point loss to North Texas after starting 2-0.  

7. Indiana (3-0) - The Hoosiers shut out Indiana State and host Illinois on Saturday night in a "which team is for real" game.  

8. Michigan State (3-0) - The Spartans beat Youngstown State and travel to USC this weekend for an 11 pm east coast start.  The big question is, when will Ohio State have the pleasure of playing an 11 pm game?  Sometime down the road against a bad UCLA team would be my guess.  All for the TV networks... 

9. Nebraska (3-0) - The Huskers beat FCS Houston Christian and host Michigan this week.  This game will go a long way in determining if "Nebraska is back".  

10. Rutgers (3-0) - The Scarlet Knights moved to 3-0 against Norfolk State and open B1G play next Friday against Iowa.  

11. Michigan (2-1) - The Wolverines won 63-3 against Central Michigan, with Biff Poggi at the helm.  They travel to Nebraska this week.

12. Wisconsin (2-1) - The Badgers lost soundly to Alabama.  They were unable to get anything going offensively and let Ty Simpson throw for 382 yards.  They host Maryland this week in B1G play.  It will be an important game to determine whether the Badgers get to six wins.  

13. Iowa (2-1) - The Hawkeyes had no issues with UMass and travel to Rutgers on Friday night.  

14. Minnesota (2-1) - The Gophers lost at Cal on Saturday night.  They struggled without star running back Darius Taylor, who they are hoping to have back as they travel to Rutgers after their off week.  

15. Maryland (3-0) - The Terps beat FCS Towson and travel Wisconsin this week to start B1G play.  

16. Purdue (2-1) - The Boilermakers lost to USC to open B1G play.  They travel to winless Notre Dame this Saturday in the Battle for the Shillelagh Trophy.  The Irish won big last year in West Lafayette.  

17. Northwestern (1-2) - The Wildcats hung with Oregon for a while, before falling 34-14 on Big Noon Kickoff.  They are off this week, before hosting UCLA in week 5. 

18. UCLA (0-3) - Things have gotten very bad in Westwood.  After losing to New Mexico by 25 on Friday night, the Bruins parted ways with DeShaun Foster after only 15 games.  He probably didn't a fair shot, but this season was a lost cause and UCLA decided to get a jump start on their next coaching search.  The Bruins are off this week, before traveling to Northwestern in week 5.  

2025 B1G Power Rankings - Week 2

The second week of college football has come and gone.  The Big Ten went 15-3 on the week, with Michigan and Iowa losing Power 4 games and UCLA falling to 0-2 against UNLV.  

There were five Power Four matchups as Oregon thumped Oklahoma State, Illinois handled Duke, and Michigan State held off Boston College as well as the Michigan loss to Oklahoma and Iowa loss to Iowa State.  

Week 2 was highlighted by an exciting finish in Ames as Iowa State hit a 54-yard field goal with under two minutes left.  The, supposed to be improved Iowa offense, struggled with only 213 yards of total offense, with only 83 of those coming through the air.  

In East Lansing, the Spartans beat Boston College in double overtime with a successful two-point conversion.  Aiden Chiles had four touchdowns for the Spartans as they look to return to relevance for the first time in years.  

In the last big game, Michigan traveled to Norman, where freshman QB Bryce Underwood was welcomed to college football.  After being described as "generational" and "transcendent", he looked more like Tate Forcier or Steven Threet.  The Wolverines look to improve without their coach the next two weeks, as he'll be serving a two game suspension as a result of several years of systemic cheating by the program.  Lesser infractions used to lead to bowl bans and coaches/players being suspended for significant time, welcome to 2025 College Football!

B1G play starts in week 3 with Oregon traveling to Northwestern and USC traveling to Purdue.  The only other Power 4 games are Wisconsin heading to Alabama and Minnesota at California.  

1. Ohio State (2-0) - The Bucks throttled an overmatched Grambling team.  They host Ohio this week.  The Bobcats hung with Rutgers week 1 and beat West Virginia in week 2.  Can they come in to Columbus and pull the upset?  

2. Penn State (2-0) - The Lions shut out FIU in week 2 and host FCS Villanova this week.  Eventually they'll play an actual football game and we may see if they're any good.  

3. Oregon (2-0) - The Ducks bludgeoned Oklahoma State 69-3.  Dante and Dakorien Moore both looked great.  They travel to Evanston for Big Noon and an early kick this week and then have the Civil War and a whiteout to Happy Valley on the horizon.  

4. Illinois (2-0) - The Illini pulled away in the 2nd half to win 45-19 at Duke.  Luke Altmyer carved up the Blue Devils and the defense shut down Duke in the 2nd half.  They host Western Michigan this week.

5. USC (2-0) - Jayden Maiava threw for 412 yards and 4 TD's on only 16 completions as the Trojans handled Georgia Southern.  They open B1G play this week in West Lafayette.  

6. Washington (2-0) - The Huskies beat UC Davis 70-10 and are off this week, with the Apple Cup on deck in week 4.

7. Indiana (2-0) - After a slow start in week 1, the Hoosiers dispatched Kennesaw State early 56-9.  They host FCS Indiana State on Friday night to wrap up a cupcake non conference schedule.  We'll find out in week 4 if they are the 2024 Hoosiers or the 1887-2023 Hoosiers, when they host Illinois in a Saturday night showcase.

8. Michigan State (2-0) - Sparty held off Boston College in a double overtime thriller.  Things get a bit easier this week as they host FCS Youngstown State.  

9. Minnesota (2-0) - The Gophers walloped Northwestern State 66-0 in a weather shortened game.  They travel to Berkeley to face a good Cal team on Saturday night.  

10. Nebraska (2-0) - The Huskers shut out Akron 68-0.  Let's discuss the Zips a little bit.  Led by former offensive whiz Joe Moorhead, the Zips are the only scoreless team in FBS.  They travel to UAB this week.  The Blazers have given up 80 points in two games.  Can Akron finally score?  Nebraska hosts FCS Houston Christian this week before starting B1G play in week 4.  

11. Wisconsin (2-0) - The Badgers had no issues with Middle Tennessee in week 2.  The schedule starts to get dicey this week as they travel to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama.  After falling in week 1, the Tide bounced back with a big win in week 2.  

12. Rutgers (2-0) - The Scarlet Knights started 2-0 with a win over Miami University.  They host FCS Norfolk State this week and open B1G play next Friday against Iowa.  

13. Michigan (1-1) - The Wolverines came back to Earth after being physically and mentally dominated by Oklahoma.  Bryce Underwood was atrocious in his second start.  Some are blaming it on the play calling and calling for Sherrone Moore to be canned.  Well, they get two weeks with out him starting with this week's banger against ally Central Michigan.  

14. Iowa (1-1) - Iowa did a lot of Iowa things in the Cy-Hawk game.  The offense was abysmal as they fell 16-13.  They host UMass this week.

15. Maryland (2-0) - The Terps held off a bad Northern Illinois team on Friday night.  They get another cream puff this week as they host FCS Towson.  B1G play starts next week as they travel to Wisconsin.  

16. Purdue (2-0) - The Boilermakers are 2-0 after beating Southern Illinois.  They host USC in their B1G opener this week.  Last year they finished 1-11, so they've already improved on 2024.  Can they get past two wins in 2025?  A week 8 clash against Northwestern could determine doesn't finish 0-9 in the B1G.  

17. Northwestern (1-1) - They beat Western Illinois.  Big Noon Kickoff is going to Evanston this week as they Wildcats host Oregon in an 11 am local start.  Can they catch the Ducks sleeping?  Doubtful.  

18. UCLA (0-2) - The Bruins are a pretty bad football team, falling to UNLV in week 2.  They host New Mexico this week before traveling to Northwestern next week.  Lose both of those and 0-12 is very possible.  

2025 B1G Power Rankings - Week 1

The first full week of college football has come and gone.  The Big Ten went 16-2 on the week, with all 16 favorites and underdogs UCLA and Northwestern falling.  

There were only three Power Four matchups as Ohio State beat Texas, Nebraska held off Cincinnati and UCLA fell to Utah.  

The highlight of the weekend was in Columbus as 107,000+ sent off Lee Corso in style, as the legendary Gameday analyst put on the Brutus head in his final Gameday appearance.  It was a great moment leading in to a great defensive game that saw the Buckeyes defense make Arch Manning look like Cooper Manning.  

1. Michigan (1-0) - The Wolverines have beaten the defending champs four years in a row.  Freshman QB Bryce Underwood looked good in his first start.  The defense was a little shaky.  They head to Norman this weekend to face Oklahoma in their first test of the season.

2. Ohio State (1-0) - The defending champs beat "#1 Texas" in Columbus.  The defense stepped up to the occasion with multiple redzone stops and a crucial pick against Arch Manning.  The offense was frustrating at times, but the Texas defense was great.  The Bucks host Grambling this week and look to explode offensively.

3. Penn State (1-0) - The Lions throttled Nevada and host FIU in week 2.  It's a shame that James Franklin is a coward and doesn't play any good out of conference games.  Look for an Oregon whiteout upset in a few weeks.  

4. Oregon (1-0) - The Ducks dominated Montana State and host Oklahoma State in week 2.  Dante Moore looked good in his first start in Eugene.  

5. Illinois (1-0) - The Illini had no issues with Western Illinois and travel to Duke this week.

6. USC (1-0) - The Trojans welcomed Missouri State to FBS football by hanging 73 on them, behind a big game from Jayden Maiava.  They host Georgia Southern this week, before starting B1G play in week 2.  

7. Washington (1-0) - The Huskies beat Colorado State and host UC Davis in week 2.

8. Iowa (1-0) - After beating Albany in week 1, the Hawkeyes travel to Ames for Big Noon Kickoff.   

9. Michigan State (1-0) - Sparty held off Western Michigan in week 1 and host Boston College on Saturday night.  

10. Indiana (1-0) - Coming off the best season in school history, the Hoosiers looked very sluggish against Old Dominion, needing a special teams touchdown to pull away.  They host Kennesaw State in week 2.

11. Minnesota (1-0) - The Gophers handled Buffalo and host Northwestern State in week 2.

12. Nebraska (1-0) - The Huskers held off Cincinnati last Thursday.  They host a really bad Akron team, looking to improve to 2-0.  

13. Wisconsin (1-0) - The Badgers shutout Miami in week 1 and host Middle Tennessee this week before the schedule starts to get tough.

14. Rutgers (1-0) - The Scarlet Knights had a strong 2nd quarter and held off a 3rd quarter comeback by Ohio.  They host Miami (OH) this week.  

15. Maryland (1-0) - The Terps had an impressive week 1 win over FAU.  They host Northern Illinois this Friday.  

16. Purdue (1-0) - The Boilermakers started the season with a shutout win for the 2nd year in a row.  Last year after defeating Indiana State 49-0 and ended up finishing 1-11.  Can the Boilers start off 2-0 by beating Southern Illinois?  I sure hope so.  

17. UCLA (0-1) - The Bruins fell to Utah and travel to 2-0 UNLV this week.  

18. Northwestern (0-1) - It's going to a long season on the shores of Lake Michigan.  The Wildcats fell to Tulane 23-3.  They host Western Illinois this week with a chance to get, maybe, their only win this season.