Matt McMaster has released his latest set of Big Ten Football Power Rankings.
18. Northwestern (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten)
17. UCLA (1-2, 0-1 Big Ten)
16. Purdue (1-2, 0-0 Big Ten)
15. Minnesota (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten)
14. Wisconsin (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
The door is still open for Tyler Van Dyke to return later this year after undergoing ACL surgery, but running an Air Raid offense with a backup quarterback is a thing of nightmares for any coach. Especially when his first start will be against a really good USC squad.
13. Maryland (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten)
12. Michigan State (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten)
11. Washington (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten)
10. Indiana (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
9. Iowa (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten)
It’s a good win for the Hawkeyes but I just can’t buy into this team. Kaleb Brown is a great running back - he leads the nation in rushing - but Cade McNamara threw for just 62 yards in the victory over Minnesota. Until the quarterback play gets better, I can’t mark Iowa as being legit contenders for anything this season.
8. Nebraska (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten)
A tough loss against a really good opponent. Despite falling out of the AP Top 25, the Huskers still received votes, which is appropriate. Nebraska is a good team, but the problem is still the same despite the program's resurgence under head coach Matt Rhule: they can’t close. NU had ample opportunity to secure a win but failed at every step. The Cornhuskers enter their contest against Purdue as 10-point favorites.
7. Rutgers (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
6. Illinois (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
5. USC (2-1, 0-1 Big Ten)
4. Michigan (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten)
3. Oregon (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
2. Penn State (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
1. Ohio State (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten)