Big Ten power rankings: Indiana continues to rise, three-point loss helps Gophers

The Big Ten has the football teams you’d expect at the top — Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Michigan and USC — and then it keeps getting interesting.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 1, 2024 at 4:52PM
Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) celebrates a touchdown against UCLA in the Rose Bowl stadium on Sept. 14. (Kyusung Gong)

Big Ten football power rankings

1. Ohio State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten): Freshman wideout Jeremiah Smith (six touches, 102 yards, two TDs) shows off his versatility in 38-7 rout of Michigan State.

2. Oregon (4-0, 1-0): Ducks QB Dillon Gabriel reaches 16,000 career passing yards, leads 34-13 win at UCLA.

3. Penn State (4-0, 1-0): Nick Singleton (94 yards), Kaytron Allen (102 yards) and stingy defense lead Nittany Lions to 21-7 win over Illinois.

4. Michigan (4-1, 2-0): Lack of passing offense nearly cost Wolverines vs. Gophers. They’ll need some offense at Washington to run with the Huskies.

5. USC (3-1, 1-1): Trojans score 28 second-half points in 38-21 romp against Wisconsin.

6. Indiana (5-0, 2-0): QB Kurtis Rourke, a transfer from Ohio U., passes for 359 yards and three TDs in 42-28 win over Maryland.

7. Rutgers (4-0, 1-0): Kyle Monangai (132 yards) leads 21-18 win over Washington. Trip to Nebraska will be more challenging for Scarlet Knights.

8. Iowa (3-1, 1-0): Hawkeyes were idle, now face trip to Ohio State, where Iowa hasn’t won since 1991.

9. Illinois (4-1, 1-1): Fighting Illini score first at Penn State but can’t keep up with Nittany Lions in 14-point loss.

10. Nebraska (4-1, 1-1): Huskers hold Boilermakers to 50 yards on the ground in 28-10 win.

11. Michigan State (3-2, 1-1): Spartans muster only 47 rushing yards against No. 3 Ohio State, will face No. 6 Oregon on Friday.

12. Wisconsin (2-2, 0-1): Badgers gain only 82 second-half yards in loss to USC.

14. Maryland (3-2, 0-2): Loss of top WR Tai Felton against Indiana could haunt Terrapins.

15. Washington (3-2, 1-1): Huskies had every chance to beat Rutgers but three missed field-goal attempts and 2-for-12 third-down performance told the story.

16. Northwestern (2-2, 0-1): Wildcats had bye week to prepare for visit from high-scoring Indiana.

17. UCLA (1-3, 0-3): Bruins rank 127th in points scored (14.8) and 105th in points allowed (30.8).

18. Purdue (1-3, 0-1): Boilermakers fired offensive coordinator Graham Harrell after 28-10 loss to Nebraska.

about the writer

Randy Johnson

College football reporter

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

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