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Big Ten football power rankings after Week 1
After thinking we know what each team in the new — and can we say approved — Big Ten conference will bring into the 2024 season, we now finally have real, live games to inspect and draw some knee-jerk conclusions to. After all, one week a season doesn’t make, but at least it’s something, right?
We’ve been doing this for a few years now. We let all of the Big Ten football games play out each week then do our level best to make sense of what the pecking order is in the conference. With the additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington, we now have more to take into consideration, including later nights and more teams to try and sift through.
But hey, that’s OK, we get paid to try and figure this all out, so we’re here for it. So, how did conference favorites Ohio State and Oregon look? Is there concern in Ann Arbor about Michigan after having to replace so much lost talent and coaching personnel? What about Penn State, can the it finally elbow its way to the top of the league?
Here’s a look at how we see the power rankings of the Big Ten after just one Week in the books. Don’t sling mud at us just yet because we’re sure this thing will change a hundred different ways from now until the end of the season when we get even juicier matchups.
18. Northwestern Wildcats
Why the Ranking
Northwestern won, but it was a struggle at home against MAC opponent Miami (OH). The Wildcats might be looking for offense more than the newly improved stadium on campus in 2024.
Next Up … vs. Duke
Why the Ranking
Look, I get that going to play at Hawaii can be a little bit of a underrated road trip, but there’s no way the Rainbow Warriors should hang (loose) with the Bruins. It looks like it could be a difficult year in Westwood. At least UCLA came away with a narrow win vs. the alternative.
Next Up … Off Week
16. Indiana Hoosiers
Why the Ranking
It’s tempting to want to elevate Indiana higher because of an easy win in Game 1, but we have to remember that it’s still Indiana we are talking about and that the win came against Florida International. So yeah, pump the brakes.
Next Up … vs. Western Illinois
15. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Why the Ranking
Minnesota actually had one of the tougher nonconference games to start the year, but losing at home to an unranked ACC North Carolina team isn’t going to calm the whispers for P.J. Fleck to move on. The boat has rowed itself into a sandbar and is stuck without an oar early in the season.
Next Up … vs. Rhode Island
14. Michigan State Spartans
Why the Ranking
The Spartans had an awful year last season and didn’t do anything to make fans think they’ll have a Spartan effort this year after struggling against Florida Atlantic on Saturday. We have to see massive improvement to believe in this team over the next couple of weeks.
Next Up … at Maryland
Why the Ranking
Let’s not let the walk in the park victory over Eastern Illinois fool you. The Illini are going to have more issues as the competition gets stiffer throughout the season. Color us unimpressed until we see more.
Next Up … vs. Kansas
12. Purdue Boilermakers
Why the Ranking
It’s so hard to tell how good some of these teams are with the competition level in these early nonconference games. Purdue looks improved over last season, but what do we really know at this point. Choo! Choo!
Next Up … Off Week
11. Wisconsin Badgers
Why the Ranking
We really thought Wisconsin would have had a better showing under new head coach Luke Fickell, but something is just not right with this Badger program. We still think Wisconsin will improve and not be near the bottom of the league, but from what we saw Saturday against Western Michigan, there are some real issues on offense that need to be ironed out.
Next Up … vs. South Dakota
Why the Ranking
Is this a turn the corner type of year for head coach Matt Rhule? Cornhuskers fans think so after the 40-7 win over UTEP. We say, let’s wait to see wins over teams that aren’t so corny (see what we did there?).
Next Up … vs. Colorado
Why the Ranking
Hey look! Maryland won a nonconference game easily. That’s exactly on brand for the Terrapins. Also on brand is to start losing at an alarming rate once the Big Ten season begins so we’ll refrain from getting too excited.
Next Up … vs. Michigan State
Why the Ranking
Can Rutgers surprise some folks this year? Head coach Greg Schiano has slowly been building the talent level in Piscataway and pulling in more wins. This looks like his best team since tenure 2.0 began.
Next Up … vs. Akron
7. Washington Huskies
Why the Ranking
Washington lost a ton of talent but hit the transfer portal to try and fill in the gaps. It looks like efforts might have been pretty good after Week 1, but there are bigger obstacles ahead when we’ll know more. Not next week, though.
Next Up … vs. Eastern Michigan
6. Iowa Hawkeyes
Why the Ranking
We must be in the end of days because Iowa put up 40 points, all on the offensive side of the ball. The defense still looks stout but we still want to see the offense not move backwards next week against Iowa State before we are sold.
Next Up … vs. Iowa State
5. Michigan Wolverines
Why the Ranking
If you watched the same game as the rest of us in Week 1, there’s no doubt this year’s Michigan team is not nearly as talented as last season’s. There’s still enough talent to be in the mix, but it doesn’t look like enough to win the Big Ten.
Next Up … vs. Texas
Why the Ranking
Offense? Check. Defense? Yeah, it looks much better, at least after one game. It was actually the offense that struggled at times vs. LSU, but that was against a fast and physical bunch. The offense will continue to come along and it’s pretty evident there’s some serious athleticism in L.A. with a statement win against a top-15 opponent.
Next Up … vs. Utah State
3. Penn State Nittany Lions
Why the Ranking
The Nittany Lions had a very underrated win on the road in Morgantown. After one week, at least, it looks like the offense might be a little more explosive with big plays, and we already felt pretty good about the defense being disruptive.
Next Up … vs. Bowling Green
Why the Ranking
Even though Oregon clinked and clunked its way to a tougher than expected victory over FCS opponent Idaho, you can chalk a lot of that up to the rust and bumps that go with the first week of the season. This is still a very good football team that’s going to be awfully hard to stop on offense as it gets things smoothed out.
Next Up … vs. Boise State
Why the Ranking
Ohio State also started slow — at least in the first half against MAC opponent Akron — but the Buckeyes started cooking with gas in the second half, winning impressively. The defense looks fast, deep, and talented, and the offense will continue to gel with fantastic skill players. Will Howard looks more than adequate at quarterback.
Next Up … vs. Western Michigan
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Big Ten football power rankings after Week 1
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