Week 4 is complete in college football and we had some good games to gauge competition with the first mostly full week of conference play. We saw some of those early out-of-conference cupcakes go by the wayside and see teams in the conference measure against each other.
And, yeah, that means a lot.
What we observed has changed our perception and thoughts about what the pecking order is in the Big Ten. We saw Wisconsin not measure up against Ohio State, Minnesota show its might against Michigan State, Michigan come back to Earth a wee bit against Maryland and more.
Here’s an updated look at our Big Ten football power rankings after all the action from Week 4.
Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-3)
Why the Ranking?
Nebraska didn’t play this week, so at least it couldn’t lose. Nothing to see here aside from what we’ve already seen through the first four miserable games of the year.
| Previous week | Change |
| 14 | no change |
Next Up
vs. Indiana
Northwestern Wildcats (1-3)
Why the Ranking?
Oh, boy. Remember when we thought Northwestern might have a bounce-back year when it beat Nebraska in Ireland? Little did we know that was likely a matchup between the two worst teams in the league. The Wildcats have been awful since, with a loss against MAC opponent Miami (Ohio) to keep that trend going this week.
| Previous week | Change |
| 13 | no change |
Next Up
at Penn State
Illinois Fighting Illini (3-1)
Why the Ranking?
It’s tempting to catapult the Illini further than this with a 3-1 record, but we can’t forget about the loss to Indiana a couple of weeks back. The other three wins are against some pretty suspect competition, so until we see a win against an opponent that means something, this is where we’re comfortable placing a program still looking to build toward better things.
| Previous week | Change |
| 11 | -1 |
Next Up
at Wisconsin
Indiana Hoosiers (3-1)
Why the Ranking?
We had a feeling Indiana would run out of gas after a 3-0 start, and that’s exactly what happened against a very good Cincinnati team. It wasn’t just a loss though, it was a bad one. Still, the Hoosiers beat Illinois, and it’s hard to believe this team is any worse than what we’ve seen in Lincoln and Evanston. This was far from a heading in the right direction type of game.
| Previous week | Change |
| 10 | -1 |
Next Up
vs. Nebraska
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-1)
Why the Ranking?
Rutgers might have been exposed a little against an Iowa team that had struggled. The Scarlet Knight got out of the shrink wrap early with a 3-0 record, but we’re starting to see that the Boston College win wasn’t what it seemed at the time. There’s no way around it, this past week was a disappointing return to reality. It probably will not get any better with a trip to Columbus next week.
| Previous week | Change |
| 6 | -4 |
Next Up
at Ohio State
Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1)
Why the Ranking?
There are clearly some offensive struggles to work out, but the Iowa defense is still lights out. Rutgers looked like a much-improved team this year, but the Hawkeyes had no problem winning on the road, largely because of big, timely plays on defense. This is usually about when Iowa starts to figure things out and might be on the rise.
| Previous week | Change |
| 12 | +3 |
Next Up
vs. Michigan
Purdue Boilermakers (2-2)
Why the Ranking?
I always say a team shouldn’t get credit for a loss no matter what, but in this case, it’s hard to get credit for the win either. Purdue struggled against Florida Atlantic, narrowly escaping with a 28-26 win at home. It’s a narrow miss type of win considering the Boilers had to do it without starting quarterback Aidan O’Connell. Even with that, the showing should have been better. Moving up a spot is more about the realization of where Rutgers is as opposed to Purdue making a statement.
| Previous week | Change |
| 9 | +1 |
Next Up
at Minnesota
Michigan State (2-2)
Why the Ranking?
I feel a little oily moving Michigan State up a spot after such a dismal performance vs. Minnesota, but I really think the Gophers are that good — and again — Rutgers almost has to move down below an Iowa team that handled it. So, here we are. It’s clear though that the Spartans aren’t nearly the team they were last season. If only Mel Tucker could have found himself another Kenneth Walker III in the transfer portal.
| Previous week | Change |
| 8 | +1 |
Next Up
at Maryland
Wisconsin Badgers (2-2)
Why the Ranking?
What I just said about Michigan State could play here, too. The Badgers didn’t belong on the same field with Ohio State on Saturday and probably wish they weren’t. This no longer looks like a team that’s going to be in the running for the West division title, but I’m not sure the Badgers are worse than all the teams behind them here. This is still likely a solid bowl team, but that’s about it.
| Previous week | Change |
| 7 | +1 |
Next Up
vs. Illinois
Maryland Terrapins (3-1)
Why the Ranking?
We’re not giving credit to Maryland for a close loss to a very good team in Michigan, but we’re not going to penalize them either. The ‘Terps look like they can create some problems for teams down the road as long as Taulia Tagovailoa can remain healthy. There are still a lot of unknowns here, but Maryland looks like an improved bunch.
| Previous week | Change |
| 5 | no change |
Next Up
vs. Michigan State
Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0)
Why the Ranking?
After a big win on the road in SEC country last week, Penn State seemed to have a bit of a hangover this week against Central Michigan, but found things late. I’m not sure that Auburn win is going to look as good as it did last week through the rest of the year, but the Nittany Lions still look like a team that could potentially challenge Ohio State and Michigan in the East.
| Previous week | Change |
| 3 | -1 |
Next Up
vs. Northwestern
Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-0)
Why the Ranking?
It’s time to give Minnesota its due. Many had a wait-and-see approach with the dominating fashion the Gophers had early on with a rather easy schedule, but after a dominating win against Michigan State, it’s time to take notice. I’m not feeling Minnesota about the Gophers being on the same level as Ohio State and Michigan, but they look like the best team in the West right now … by far.
| Previous week | Change |
| 4 | +1 |
Next Up
vs. Purdue
Michigan Wolverines (4-0)
Why the Ranking?
I know Ohio State fans are going to want to pile on Michigan for only beating Maryland by a touchdown, but there’s more to it. Sure, the Wolverines may not deserve all the praise they’ve received for beating up on three of the worst teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, but this was a character-building win against what looks like a pretty good Maryland team. Michigan still has a decent chance of facing off with Ohio State for everything on the line at the end of the regular season. Now we’ll see how this offense does against an excellent Iowa defense next week.
| Previous week | Change |
| 2 | no change |
Next Up
at Iowa
Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0)
Why the Ranking?
Ohio State looks like it might be separating itself after two straight weeks of the offense really coming alive. The defense continues to be much improved, but the offensive skill is going to be hard for anyone to stop, especially if a very good Wisconsin defense gave up 52 points with the Buckeyes’ best receiver sidelined with injury.
| Previous week | Change |
| 1 | no change |
Next Up
vs. Rutgers
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