Big Ten football power rankings: Win over Texas puts Ohio State at No. 1

Sixteen of the league’s 18 teams won their season openers.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 1, 2025 at 3:26AM
Ohio State cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. (7) celebrates during the Buckeyes' 14-7 victory over Texas on Saturday. (Jay LaPrete/The Associated Press)

1. Ohio State (1-0): Behind an impressive defensive performance, the No. 3-ranked Buckeyes beat No. 1 Texas 14-7, limiting Longhorns QB Arch Manning to 17-for-30 passing for 170 yards. Ohio State also stopped Texas twice on fourth down inside the Buckeyes 10-yard line.

2. Penn State (1-0): The Nittany Lions’ tandem of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for three rushing touchdowns in a 46-11 victory over Nevada.

3. Oregon (1-0): New starting QB Dante Moore passed for three TDs as the Ducks rolled to a 59-13 win over Montana State, last year’s FCS national runner-up.

4. Illinois (1-0): Luke Altmyer threw three short TD passes as the Illini toyed with FCS-level Western Illinois.

5. USC (1-0): Nine players combined to score 10 touchdowns for the Trojans in their 73-13 walloping of Missouri State, which is in its first season as an FBS program.

6. Indiana (1-0): The Hoosiers outlasted Old Dominion 27-14 as Maryland transfer RB Roman Hemby rushed for 110 yards and a TD.

7. Iowa (1-0): QB Mark Gronowski, a transfer from South Dakota State, passed for only 44 yards but rushed for 39 and a TD in a 34-7 victory over FCS-level Albany.

8. Michigan (1-0): The Wolverines tuned up for a trip to Oklahoma by beating New Mexico 34-17 as Justice Haynes rushed for 159 yards.

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9. Nebraska (1-0): The Huskers edged Cincinnati 20-17 in Kansas City, Mo., thanks to Malcolm Hartzog Jr.’s end zone interception with 34 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

10. Gophers (1-0): Minnesota amassed 443 total yards as Drake Lindsey passed for 290 and Darius Taylor rushed for 141 in a 23-10 win over Buffalo.

11. Michigan State (1-0): The Spartans defense limited Western Michigan to 217 total yards, scored a safety and didn’t allow an offensive point in a 23-6 victory.

12. Washington (1-0): Tied with Colorado State late in the third quarter, the Huskies scored the final 17 points for a 38-21 victory.

13. Wisconsin (1-0): Badgers QB Billy Edwards Jr. sprained a knee in a 17-0 win over Miami (Ohio), and his status is considered week-to-week.

14. Rutgers (1-0): Scarlet Knights raced to 31 first-half points before hanging on for a 34-31 win over Ohio.

15. Maryland (1-0): True freshman QB Malik Washington threw three TD passes and the Terrapins defense picked off six passes in a 39-7 win over Florida Atlantic.

16. Purdue (1-0): The Boilermakers scored 40 seconds into a 31-0 rout of Ball State, ending an 11-game skid and giving coach Barry Odom a win in his Purdue debut.

17. UCLA (0-1): The Bruins surrendered 286 rushing yards and 30 first downs in a 43-10 loss to Utah, which had the ball for 37 minutes, 28 seconds.

18. Northwestern (0-1): QB Preston Stone, a transfer from SMU, threw four interceptions and lost a fumble in the Wildcats’ 23-3 loss at Tulane.

about the writer

about the writer

Randy Johnson

College football reporter

Randy Johnson covers University of Minnesota football and college football for the Minnesota Star Tribune, along with Gophers hockey and the Wild.

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