Penn State pushing for top of Big Ten power rankings as conference play begins

Penn State football rolled out of its bye week and then continued to roll right over Kent State, earning a resounding 56-0 victory inside Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions now head into conference play with a primetime matchup with No. 19 Illinois on Saturday evening. Among the last remaining undefeated programs in the Big Ten, James Franklin appears to have righted the ship after a Week 2 scare against Ball State. Will the historic outing with the Golden Flashes be enough to give Ohio State a run for the top spot in this week’s Big Ten power rankings?

Penn State football pushing for No. 1 in Week 4 Big Ten power rankings

How are we a quarter of the way through the season already? Over half of the 18 teams in the Big Ten have played four games, with a third of the programs playing a conference game. For the most part, the non-conference slate is over. USC and UCLA do play Notre Dame and Fresno State, respectively, to conclude their seasons. But Big Ten play now starts in full, and we will get a real sense of where teams stand over the next few weeks.

So, heading into the last weekend of September, let’s take a look at how the conference shakes out in this week’s power rankings.

18. Purdue, 1-2 (Last week 18)

Purdue followed up its big loss against Notre Dame with another to Oregon State. Quarterback Hudson Card was not good, only throwing for 56 yards on seven completions. The Boilermakers defense was gashed for 341 yards on the ground.

Purdue returns home to face Nebraska next Saturday.

17. UCLA, 1-2 (Last week 17)

Mandatory Credit: UCLA Bruins running back TJ Harden leaps over LSU Tiger Javien Toviano.

The Bruins held their own against LSU, going into the halftime break tied with the Tigers. But it was all LSU in the second half, and the Bruins lost their second consecutive game.

UCLA hosts Oregon next Saturday in an 11 p.m. Eastern kickoff time. Anyone up for Big Ten after dark?

16. Minnesota, 2-2 (Last week 16)

Minnesota lost at home against Iowa 31-14. The Gophers allowed 272 yards on the ground and got shutout in the second half after leading 14-7 at halftime.

The Gophers travel to face Michigan next Saturday. Minnesota has not beaten the Wolverines since 2014, their only win in the last eleven meetings between the programs.

15. Northwestern, 2-2 (Last week 15)

The Wildcats pulled off the rare feat of scoring five points in their loss to Washington on the road. The anemic Northwestern offense only gained 112 yards on the day.

Northwestern now has a bye week to regroup before it takes on Indiana.

14. Wisconsin, 2-1 (Last week 7)

Dropping Wisconsin seven spots in the Big Ten power rankings seems harsh, given the Badgers were on a bye week. But it is more of an adjustment. This team lacks any kind of identity offensively. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke is done for the year with a torn ACL, and Braedyn Locke will now be under center. The Badgers travel out west this Saturday to take on USC.

13. Maryland, 3-1 (Last week 13)

The Terps built a 24-0 lead against Villanova and cruised to a 38-20 victory. Quarterback Billy Edwards played well in the win, passing for 328 yards and throwing two touchdowns.

Maryland travels to Indiana next to face the Hoosiers.

12. Nebraska, 3-1 (Last week 6)

Surprise, surprise. The Huskers dropped another one-score game. This time, it was to Illinois on Friday night. Since 2018, the Huskers are 8-31 in one-possession games. Friday was their 25th straight loss against a ranked opponent. It seems the program is cursed.

Nebraska will try to recover next week on the road at Purdue.

11. Michigan State, 3-1 (Last week 9)

Michigan State had its chances to beat Bill O’Brien and Boston College, but Aidan Chiles’ late interception, his third of the game, sealed Sparty’s fate.

The Spartans better regroup quickly because they host Ohio State Saturday night.

10. Indiana, 4-0 (Last week 14)

The Hoosiers cruised to victory yet again to remain undefeated. Their latest victim was an overmatched Charlotte team. Indiana is outscoring its opponents 202-37. How good is this team? Hard to say because of the quality of the opponents played. But 4-0 is 4-0 right now and the Hoosiers will take it.

Up next is a visit from Maryland.

9. Illinois, 4-0 (Last week 12)

Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The Illini were two-score underdogs, yet came out on top against Nebraska 31-24 in overtime. Quarterback Luke Altmyer played superbly, tossing four touchdowns on the night.

Illinois is a surprising 4-0 with two ranked victories. An even bigger test awaits them this coming Saturday night in Happy Valley against James Franklin and Penn State football.

8. Rutgers, 3-0 (Last week 11)

Rutgers squandered a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter against Virginia Tech but bounced back to win by a field goal with less than two minutes to go. The Scarlet Knights are also unscathed so far this season, but the competition will pick up some this week with a visit from Washington to Piscataway.

7. Iowa, 3-1 (Last week 10)

Who needs passing when you have a potent rushing attack? Kaleb Johnson rushed for over 200 yards and three scores in the Hawkeyes’ win over rival Minnesota. Iowa gained back the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy after the Gophers’ controversial win a year ago.

An off week is up next for Iowa, followed by a trip to Columbus.

6. Washington, 3-1 (Last week 8)

Washington rebounded from its Apple Cup loss to defeat Northwestern in its Big Ten conference debut. The Husky defense stymied the Wildcats all night, and quarterback Will Rogers tossed a pair of touchdowns in the first half.

Washington now travels across the country to take on Rutgers Friday night.

5. USC, 2-1 (Last week 2)

USC’s Big Ten debut did not go as planned in the Big House, as the Trojans fell to the Wolverines 27-24. USC outgained Michigan in yardage, but a costly pick-six allowed Michigan to run all over its defense, ultimately leading to the loss. As a result, the Trojans fall three spots in this week’s Big Ten power rankings.

The Trojans will look to bounce back at home against Wisconsin.

4. Michigan, 3-1 (Last week 5)

Michigan bullied its way to victory against USC, scoring the game-winning touchdown with less than 40 seconds to go in the game. The Wolverines only passed for 32 yards but racked up nearly 300 yards on the ground as a team. Running back Kalel Mullings had over half of those himself, with 159 yards and two scores.

Can Michigan continue winning while being one-dimensional? It will be interesting to find out. The Wolverines stay at home to face Minnesota for the Little Brown Jug Trophy.

3. Oregon, 3-0 (Last week 4)

Oregon had the week off, but now the Ducks kick off their Big Ten season PAC 12 style with a trip to the Rose Bowl to face UCLA.

2. Penn State, 3-0 (Last week 3)

Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State football started slow but got rolling in the last three quarters as the Nittany Lions shut out Kent State 56-0 in a game that was not even as close as the final score indicated. It could have been a lot worse. The Nittany Lions racked up a school record 718 yards while holding Kent State to only 67 yards, a yardage differential not seen by anyone in college football against an FBS opponent in two decades.

Not to take away anything from Penn State; it played well for the most part and pulled off some fun offensive formations to put on film. But this was a really awful Kent State team. Arguably, the Golden Flashes are the worst team in the FBS right now.

Penn State football will have much tougher competition moving forward, starting with a top-2o showdown with Illinois in Happy Valley on Saturday night. James Franklin is calling for White Out Energy as the Nittany Lions look to defeat the Fighting Illini for a second straight season.

1. Ohio State, 3-0 (Last week 1)

The Buckeyes wrapped up their fairly easy non-conference slate with a 49-14 win over Marshall. Guess if you want to be nitpicky, Ohio State gave up its first touchdowns on the season. But it did not matter, the Buckeyes remain at the top of our Big Ten power rankings for one more week.

The Buckeyes start conference play next Saturday with a trip to Michigan State.

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