Big Ten power rankings: Indiana continues to rise, three-point loss helps Gophers
The Big Ten has the football teams you’d expect at the top — Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Michigan and USC — and then it keeps getting interesting.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 1, 2024 at 4:52PM
1. Ohio State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten): Freshman wideout Jeremiah Smith (six touches, 102 yards, two TDs) shows off his versatility in 38-7 rout of Michigan State.
2. Oregon (4-0, 1-0): Ducks QB Dillon Gabriel reaches 16,000 career passing yards, leads 34-13 win at UCLA.
3. Penn State (4-0, 1-0): Nick Singleton (94 yards), Kaytron Allen (102 yards) and stingy defense lead Nittany Lions to 21-7 win over Illinois.
4. Michigan (4-1, 2-0): Lack of passing offense nearly cost Wolverines vs. Gophers. They’ll need some offense at Washington to run with the Huskies.
5. USC (3-1, 1-1): Trojans score 28 second-half points in 38-21 romp against Wisconsin.
6. Indiana (5-0, 2-0): QB Kurtis Rourke, a transfer from Ohio U., passes for 359 yards and three TDs in 42-28 win over Maryland.
7. Rutgers (4-0, 1-0): Kyle Monangai (132 yards) leads 21-18 win over Washington. Trip to Nebraska will be more challenging for Scarlet Knights.
8. Iowa (3-1, 1-0): Hawkeyes were idle, now face trip to Ohio State, where Iowa hasn’t won since 1991.
9. Illinois (4-1, 1-1): Fighting Illini score first at Penn State but can’t keep up with Nittany Lions in 14-point loss.
10. Nebraska (4-1, 1-1): Huskers hold Boilermakers to 50 yards on the ground in 28-10 win.
11. Michigan State (3-2, 1-1): Spartans muster only 47 rushing yards against No. 3 Ohio State, will face No. 6 Oregon on Friday.
12. Wisconsin (2-2, 0-1): Badgers gain only 82 second-half yards in loss to USC.
13. Gophers (2-3, 0-2): First-half mistakes, phantom onside kick penalty were too much to overcome for Gophers at Michigan.
14. Maryland (3-2, 0-2): Loss of top WR Tai Felton against Indiana could haunt Terrapins.
15. Washington (3-2, 1-1): Huskies had every chance to beat Rutgers but three missed field-goal attempts and 2-for-12 third-down performance told the story.
16. Northwestern (2-2, 0-1): Wildcats had bye week to prepare for visit from high-scoring Indiana.
17. UCLA (1-3, 0-3): Bruins rank 127th in points scored (14.8) and 105th in points allowed (30.8).
18. Purdue (1-3, 0-1): Boilermakers fired offensive coordinator Graham Harrell after 28-10 loss to Nebraska.
Gophers’ final home game of season comes against Nittany Lions team in contention for College Football Playoff.
