Penn State remains near the top of the Big Ten power rankings

The first weekend in October of college football did not look too appetizing on paper but boy did it surprise and deliver. Seven top 25 teams went down in flames including five in the top 11. It certainly was a consequential Saturday. With all of the upsets around the country, Penn State football took care of UCLA. The Nittany Lions remain undefeated. Two of those upsets occurred in the Big Ten. Here’s how the crazy Saturday shook up this week’s Big Ten power rankings.

18. Purdue, 1-4 (Last week 18)

Do not have much to say about the Boilermakers except they are a bad team. Like really bad. They were steamrolled by Wisconsin 52-6. Looking at their remaining schedule with five ranked opponents, not sure how Purdue even wins another game. They hold the last position in the Big Ten power rankings.

One of those five ranked opponents will be Illinois who is up next for Purdue.

17. UCLA, 1-4 (Last week 17)

The Bruins dropped their fourth straight game, a road loss at Penn State football. With starting quarterback Ethan Garbers out, the Bruins turned to Justyn Martin who played well considering his first start came in hostile Beaver Stadium. The Bruins kept fighting until the end to get a late touchdown and two-point conversion.

UCLA returns home to face Minnesota this coming Saturday.

16. Northwestern, 2-3 (Last week 15)

Northwestern lost their second conference game in a row, falling to Indiana 41-24. The Wildcats did provide a challenge to the Hoosiers and quarterback Jack Lausch had a good game with 243 yards and tossing a pair of touchdowns. Unfortunately for Northwestern it was not enough.

Northwestern will now travel to Maryland this Friday evening.

15. Michigan State, 3-3 (Last week 12)

The Spartans have now dropped three in a row with their latest being a 31-10 loss at Oregon. The game was not as close as the final score indicated, with the Spartans being held to only 59 yards on the ground.

Michigan State now has two weeks to prepare for a home game against Iowa.

14. Minnesota, 3-3 (Last week 16)

The Gophers upset USC this past Saturday at home. Tied at 17 a piece with less than a minute to go, PJ Fleck’s decision to go for it on 4th and goal was a gutsy call. It paid off as the Gophers scored a touchdown. On USC’s ensuing drive, Minnesota sealed the win with an interception in their own endzone.

Minnesota will now travel to the Rose Bowl to face UCLA. This will be the two schools’ first meeting since 1978.

13. Maryland, 3-2 (Last week 13)

Maryland had an off week after their loss at Indiana. The Terps will now host Northwestern this Friday night.

12. Wisconsin, 3-2 (Last week 14)

Wisconsin destroyed Purdue 52-6. Quarterback Braedyn Locke threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns although he did also toss two interceptions. Think the game showed more about how awful Purdue is rather than how good the Badgers are.

Wisconsin now takes a road trip to face Rutgers. The Badgers have won all five games in the series since the Scarlet Knights joined the conference.

11. Iowa, 3-2 (Last week 8)

Did not expect the Hawkeyes to stand much a chance in Columbus and that proved to be right. Iowa lost to Ohio State 35-7. The Hawkeyes turned over the ball three times while being held to 226 total yards.

Iowa does return home but faces a decent opponent in Washington.

10. Illinois, 4-1 (Last week 9)

The Illini were on a bye week after their loss to Penn State the previous Saturday. They should bounce back by hosting a bad Purdue team this Saturday. (I’ll keep saying it. Purdue is really bad.)

9. Nebraska, 5-1 (Last week 11)

In a defensive battle, Nebraska defeated Rutgers 14-7. The Huskers are now one win away from bowl eligibility, a feat that has eluded them for seven straight seasons.

Nebraska now gets some rest on an off week before a challenging game at Indiana.

8. USC, 3-2 (Last week 5)

USC was sluggish to start their game against Minnesota and eventually they paid the price with an upset loss to the Gophers. The Trojans missed a field goal and turned over the ball three times. They went from ranked 11th in the AP poll to dropping out completely.

USC returns home to face 4th-ranked Penn State. The teams last faced off in the 2017 Rose Bowl thriller.

7. Rutgers, 4-1 (Last week 6)

Rutgers dropped their first game of the season with a loss at Nebraska. Star running back Kyle Monangai was held to his lowest yardage output of the season, also failing to reach the endzone for the first time this year.

Rutgers will look to bounce back against Wisconsin this Saturday.

6. Washington, 4-2 (Last week 10)

Washington bounced back from their loss at Rutgers to win their rematch of last year’s national championship game against Michigan. The Huskies were boosted by a strong outing from quarterback Will Rogers.

With their second conference victory under their belts, the Huskies now travel to Iowa and have sen a boost in their power rankings.

5. Michigan, 4-2 (Last week 4)

Michigan gave up the final 13 points of their game against Washington on their way to a 27-17 defeat. Once again no semblance of a competent passing attack was a major part of the Wolverines’ woes.

At the midway mark, the Wolverines now have a bye week before traveling again to face Illinois.

4. Indiana, 6-0 (Last week 7)

It is time to give Indiana more credit. The Hoosiers are undefeated and the first Big Ten team to bowl this season to be bowl-eligible.

Against Northwestern, after a turnover on downs and a punt, the Hoosiers scored on seven straight possessions with five touchdowns and two field goals. They racked up nearly 530 yards of total offense. This is a solid Hoosiers team.

Indiana now gets an off week at a good time to rest up for the second half of their season and has now jumped much higher in the power rankings.

3. Oregon, 5-0 (Last week 3)

Oregon took care of business at home against Michigan State this past Friday night. Since beginning their season with less-than-convincing wins over Idaho and Boise State, the Ducks have looked much better on both sides of the ball.

Now comes a real test as the Ducks welcome the Buckeyes to Autzen Stadium Saturday night for a top 3 showdown.

2. Penn State, 5-0 (Last week 2)

Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images

Think most people were expecting Penn State to wallop UCLA but it turned out to be kind of a boring game. It never felt like the Nittany Lions were in danger of losing in their 27-11 defeat of the Bruins. However they just were not as explosive.

Without star Nick Singleton, the Nittany Lions were sluggish on offense. But on a wild Saturday full of upsets, Penn State football fans should be happy with the victory and move on.

Penn State football now gets their toughest test to date. A road trip to LA to face USC. The Trojans coming off an upset loss will be looking to keep their season from spiraling so the Nittany Lions will need to bring their A game to LA to maintain in the Big Ten power rankings.

1. Ohio State, 5-0 (Last week 1)

It took longer than expected, but the Buckeyes buried Iowa after a clumsy first half. After scoring on their opening possession, the Buckeyes turned it over on downs, punted, and committed two turnovers. They led only 7-0 at the halftime break.

Ohio State would turn it into a rout in the second half while racking up over 400 total yards of offense and maintain atop of the power rankings.

Now comes the biggest test of Ohio State’s season. A road trip to Oregon for a Big Ten game will be must see tv Saturday night.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation, one of the fastest-growing outlets covering Penn State athletics. Part of the Full Ride network, we are an alumni-owned, community-operated, credentialed media outlet dedicated to providing you with updated and reliable insights for all your favorite Nittany Lion sports. Whether it’s Penn State football, basketball, wrestling, or anything in between, you can find it all on Basic Blues Nation!

Please follow us on our social channels, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and subscribe to our newsletter on Substack for breaking news and notifications. For feedback, questions, or concerns, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on social media.