College Football

Big Ten Power Rankings: Ohio State still leads, Wisconsin moves up

Published Oct. 24, 2022 7:48 a.m. ET

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By Michael Cohen
FOX Sports College Football Writer

During a weekend when No. 4 Michigan and No. 17 Illinois were idle, the Big Ten’s two other ranked teams solidified their standing among the league’s elite.  

No. 2 Ohio State pounded Iowa, 54-10, in a game that showcased the Buckeyes’ defensive prowess under first-year coordinator Jim Knowles. And No. 13 Penn State discarded an undermanned Minnesota squad, 45-17, to keep pace in the Big Ten East. 

The only surprise in Week 8 was red-hot Purdue losing ground in the Big Ten West following a disappointing 35-24 loss to Wisconsin. The Boilermakers trailed by three touchdowns in the first quarter and never put up a fight. 

Defense fuels Buckeyes' dominance over Iowa

RJ Young reacts to Ohio State's impressive victory over Iowa on Saturday.

Here are our Big Ten power rankings ahead of Week 9: 

1. Ohio State

Record: 7-0, 4-0 Big Ten 
Last week: 54-10 win vs. Iowa 
Up next: at No. 13 Penn State 
Previous ranking: 1

The Buckeyes trailed 7-3 early in Saturday’s eventual destruction of Iowa before the defense sprung to life on an afternoon when the offense struggled through two quarters. Knowles’ group forced six turnovers, racked up five sacks and 10 tackles for loss, limited the Hawkeyes to one third-down conversion on 13 tries, and put the ball in the end zone on a 15-yard interception return for a touchdown by inside linebacker Tommy Eichenberg. Excitement surrounding the return of star wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba from a hamstring injury was short-lived as he caught just one pass for seven yards. Though Smith-Njigba appeared to aggravate the injury after chasing a long throw, head coach Ryan Day told reporters the junior was simply on a limited snap count. Ohio State’s other elite receivers — Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming — all caught touchdown passes from quarterback C.J. Stroud.  

2. Michigan

Record: 7-0, 4-0 Big Ten 
Last week: Idle 
Up next: vs. Michigan State
Previous ranking: 2 

The Wolverines rolled through their first four conference games with wins over Maryland (34-27), Iowa (27-14), Indiana (31-10) and then-No. 10 Penn State (41-17) on the strength of a rushing attack ranked third nationally among Power 5 programs. Tailback Blake Corum is tied with Pittsburgh’s Israel Abanikanda and Air Force’s Brad Roberts for the most rushing touchdowns in FBS with 13. He’s climbed the list of Heisman Trophy candidates after gaining 666 yards and six touchdowns to begin conference play. The defense led by first-year coordinator Jesse Minter allows just 250 yards per game and ranks fifth nationally. A primetime showdown with rival Michigan State affords head coach Jim Harbaugh’s team the chance to correct the only regular-season blemish from its 2021 ledger.

3. Illinois 

Record: 6-1, 3-1 Big Ten 
Last week: Idle 
Up next: at Nebraska
Previous ranking: 3 

The Illini were given a huge boost in their pursuit of a Big Ten West title when top challenger Purdue suffered an unexpected loss at Wisconsin over the weekend. Now head coach Bret Bielema’s squad is the only team in the West with a single conference loss. Halfback Chase Brown remains one of the best players in college football despite his limited exposure outside the league. He leads the nation in rushing with 1,059 yards and has topped 100 yards in every game this season. Brown’s ability to consistently move the chains is the driving factor behind an Illinois offense that ranks third nationally in time of possession at nearly 35 minutes per game. By marrying a downhill running game with the best statistical defense in the country — first in total defense, first in scoring defense, second in rushing defense, second in passing defense — the Illini are beating opponents with the kind of smash-mouth approach Bielema adores.  

4. Penn State

Record: 6-1, 3-1 Big Ten 
Last week: 45-17 win vs. Minnesota
Up next: Vs. Ohio State  
Previous ranking: 4 

Quarterback Sean Clifford answered the fan base’s frustration by throwing for 295 yards and four touchdowns against one of the best defenses in the conference, if not the country. Three different Nittany Lions finished with at least 50 receiving yards, and all four of Clifford’s touchdown throws found a different target: WR Theo Johnson, WR Parker Washington, WR Mitchell Tinsley and TE Tyler Warren. An even split of 13 carries for Nicholas Singleton and 15 for Kaytron Allen allowed the highly touted freshmen tailbacks to gain 156 combined yards and two scores. Penn State’s defense feasted on backup quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who made the first start of his career in place of sixth-year senior Tanner Morgan (head injury). The Nittany Lions allowed just nine pass completions the entire game and tallied seven tackles for loss while selling out to slow the excellent Minnesota tailback Mohamed Ibrahim (30 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD). Now James Franklin’s crew welcomes undefeated Ohio State to Beaver Stadium.

5. Maryland 

Record: 6-2, 3-2 Big Ten 
Last week: 31-24 win vs. Northwestern 
Up next: Bye week
Previous ranking: 6

The Terrapins kept their impressive season afloat with a come-from-behind win over Northwestern thanks to a 75-yard touchdown run by tailback Roman Hemby with 3:22 remaining. The score was Hemby’s third of the game in a fabulous 24-carry, 179-yard performance that paced Maryland’s offense without quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who missed the game with a knee injury. Wake Forest transfer Billy Edwards Jr. started in Tagovailoa’s place and posed enough of a dual threat to frustrate the Wildcats. He completed 18 of 28 passes for a modest 166 yards and a score, but added 66 rushing yards on 16 attempts to keep the defense honest. Head coach Mike Locksley’s group erased a 17-7 deficit to become bowl eligible in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2007-08. A difficult closing run features games against Wisconsin, Penn State and Ohio State that likely caps the Terrapins’ potential.

6. Purdue 

Record: 5-3, 3-2 Big Ten 
Last week: 35-24 loss at Wisconsin  
Up next: Bye week 
Previous ranking: 5 

A four-game winning streak crumbled in frustrating fashion for the Boilermakers, who slipped a full loss behind Illinois in the Big Ten West. One week after turning in what some Purdue beat writers described as the best game of his career, quarterback Aidan O’Connell laid an egg at Camp Randall Stadium. His 320 passing yards were undone by three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown in the first quarter, as the Boilermakers fell behind 21-0 and never recovered. They entered the fourth quarter trailing by 25 points and only trimmed the margin to two scores with a meaningless touchdown in the final 90 seconds. Purdue’s defense has allowed just 96.2 rushing yards per game in its five wins the season, but the Badgers ran for 178 yards and two scores. Head coach Jeff Brohm’s team will host Iowa on Nov. 5 after the bye.

7. Wisconsin

Record: 4-4, 2-3 Big Ten 
Last week: 35-24 win vs. Purdue 
Up next: Bye week 
Previous ranking: 11 

The Badgers jump four spots from 11th to seventh following a comprehensive win over the Boilermakers, who entered the weekend as one of the league’s top-five teams. Few people saw this type of performance coming from a Wisconsin program still reeling following the unexpected dismissal of head coach Paul Chryst. But interim coach Jim Leonhard rallied his troops in the wake of a disappointing loss to Michigan State (34-28) the week prior and scored a victory in his first appearance at Camp Randall Stadium. Sophomore tailback Braelon Allen — an in-state product from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin — chipped in his third consecutive 100-yard game behind an offensive line that displaced the Boilermakers to the tune of 6.1 yards per rush. Without a ranked opponent remaining on the schedule, the Badgers have an opportunity to climb the Big Ten West standings if Leonhard continues to extract the requisite buy-in from his players.

8. Minnesota 

Record: 4-3, 1-3 Big Ten 
Last week: 45-17 loss at No. 16 Penn State 
Up next: vs. Rutgers 
Previous ranking: 7 

There’s no question Saturday’s blowout loss to Penn State was ugly. The Gophers surrendered 479 yards of total offense, allowed the Nittany Lions to convert six of 12 attempts on third and fourth downs, yielded 38 points in the second and third quarters alone, gave up 5.1 yards per carry, and committed twice as many penalties (eight for 52 yards) as their opponent (four for 35 yards). What head coach P.J. Fleck and his assistant coaches will be asking each other is how much of Saturday’s implosion was the unearthing of legitimate flaws, and how much of it was tied to the absence of Morgan. Minnesota punted on five of its first six possessions before reaching the end zone on Saturday and opened the second half with a crippling three-drive sequence of punt, interception, punt as the Nittany Lions built an insurmountable lead. Kaliakmanis completed just 40.9% of his passes and negated his only touchdown pass with an interception.

9. Michigan State

Record: 3-4, 1-3 Big Ten 
Last week: Idle 
Up next: at No. 4 Michigan 
Previous ranking: 9

The Spartans and Wolverines both have two weeks to prepare for this year’s pursuit of the Paul Bunyan Trophy, which has resided in East Lansing the last two seasons. Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker is 2-0 against Harbaugh in a rivalry that has seen the Spartans prevail in 10 of the last 14 meetings overall. That includes a run of four straight MSU wins from 2008-11 and three consecutive victories from 2013-15. With their chances of contending for the Big East title evaporated, the Spartans will circle Saturday’s trip to Michigan Stadium and the season finale at Penn State as their greatest sources of potential joy this season. Quarterback Payton Thorne turned in just his second interception-free performance of the year in Michigan State’s win over Wisconsin on Oct. 15, and that’s a level of play he’ll need to match against an attack-minded Wolverines’ defense.

10. Nebraska

Record: 3-4, 2-2 Big Ten 
Last week: Idle 
Up next: vs. No. 17 Illinois 
Previous ranking: 10 

Given everything that’s happened at Nebraska this season, it’s difficult to believe the Cornhuskers are one loss behind Illinois in the Big Ten West. The only thing separating Nebraska from a tie atop the standings is the unsightly season-opening loss to Northwestern in Dublin, Ireland, that marked the beginning of the end for head coach Scott Frost. An offense that averages 29.7 points per game gives the Cornhuskers a chance in most games — their losses to Northwestern, Georgia Southern and Purdue were by a combined nine points — but the defense is tied for 123rd nationally with an allowance of 471.7 yards per game. No other Big Ten team gives up more than 422.3 yards per game. The third-worst turnover margin in the league at minus-3 is another debilitating factor for interim coach Mickey Joseph to address.

11. Iowa

Record: 3-4, 1-3 Big Ten 
Last week: 54-10 loss at No. 2 Ohio State 
Up next: vs. Northwestern 
Previous ranking: 8 

It’s hard not to feel sympathetic toward Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker and his excellent group of players. The Hawkeyes’ defense rose to the occasion at Ohio Stadium and limited the high-flying Buckeyes to 19 points in the first half, forcing four field goals on drives that began in plus-territory for Ohio State. A lesser unit could have surrendered enough touchdowns for the Hawkeyes to trail by 40 at the break. Even the steadfast head coach Kirk Ferentz couldn’t stomach sending his erratic, inaccurate and unreliable starting quarterback Spencer Petras (6-of-14 for 49 yards, two INTs and one lost fumble) onto the field for the second half, turning instead to backup Alex Padilla. But Padilla fumbled his first snap and threw an interception on his third snap to plunge the Hawkeyes deeper into despair during an eventual 44-point loss. Ferentz is now under pressure from the local media in Iowa to fire his son, Brian Ferentz, and find a new offensive coordinator.

Defense sparks Iowa to early lead vs. Ohio State

C.J. Stroud was sacked by Joe Evans, who recovered the ball and returned it for an 11-yard touchdown Saturday.

12. Rutgers

Record: 4-3, 1-3 Big Ten 
Last week: 24-17 win vs. Indiana 
Up next: at Minnesota 
Previous ranking: 14

Head coach Greg Schiano made the choice Ferentz hasn’t, firing offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson earlier this month in an effort to salvage the season and progress toward bowl eligibility. The Scarlet Knights used their bye week to integrate tight ends coach Nunzio Campanile as the interim offensive coordinator, then responded by beating Indiana. The win snapped a 21-game home losing streak against Big Ten opponents and pushed Rutgers above .500 on the year. A brutal finishing stretch against Minnesota (away), Michigan (home), Michigan State (away), Penn State (home) and Maryland (away) will make it difficult for Schiano’s team to find its fifth and sixth wins. But overcoming a 14-point deficit to beat the Hoosiers is a start.

13. Indiana

Record: 3-5, 1-4 Big Ten 
Last week: 24-17 loss at Rutgers 
Up next: Bye week 
Previous ranking: 12 

The Hoosiers are in free fall. Head coach Tom Allen’s team began the year with an impressive win over Illinois — the Illini haven’t lost since — and followed it up with victories over Idaho and Western Kentucky that got IU halfway to bowl eligibility before the end of September. Since then, Indiana has lost five consecutive games to Cincinnati (45-24), Nebraska (35-21), Michigan (31-10), Maryland (38-33) and Rutgers (24-17). The Hoosiers led 27-24 early in the fourth quarter against the Terrapins and 14-0 over the Scarlet Knights before collapsing. With just five wins in his last 20 games, Allen needs to turn things around in a hurry.

14. Northwestern

Record: 1-6, 1-3 Big Ten 
Last week: 31-24 loss at Maryland 
Up next: at Iowa 
Previous ranking: 13

Saturday’s date with Maryland felt like a perfect opportunity for the Wildcats to snap a five-game losing streak. The Terrapins were without their best player in Tagovailoa (knee), and the backup was making his first collegiate start. Northwestern built a 17-7 lead in the second quarter when tailback Evan Hull caught a 10-yard touchdown pass, but Maryland proceeded to score 17 unanswered points and 24 of the next 31 to saddle the Wildcats with a sixth consecutive defeat. The winning touchdown came on a 75-yard run by Hemby just 12 seconds after Northwestern tied the game. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald has never lost more than nine games in a season with the Wildcats but might exceed that mark in 2022.

Read more:

• Ohio State (with defense!) is now a clear No. 1
• ‘They’re buying in': This defense is why Ohio State hired Jim Knowles
• Bo Nix continues to re-write his story, leading Oregon past UCLA
• Three takeaways from Ohio State's win over Iowa
• Heisman Watch: Are Stroud, Hooker entering a two-man race?

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13.

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