Big Ten football power rankings: Gophers and Hawkeyes climb again
The Gophers were rewarded after their comeback win at UCLA. Iowa took a hit against Ohio State two weeks ago, but recovered nicely against Washington.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 14, 2024 at 5:45PM
1. Oregon (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten): Ducks QB Dillon Gabriel (23-for-34, 341 yards, two TDs, rushing TD) comes up big in 32-31 win over Ohio State. Don’t be shocked to see Ducks vs. Buckeyes in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game.
2. Ohio State (5-1, 2-1): QB Will Howard couldn’t beat the clock late as Buckeyes fall to 1-7 against top-five teams under coach Ryan Day.
3. Penn State (6-0, 3-0): Down 14 points to USC at halftime, Nittany Lions use monster game by tight end Tyler Warren (17 catches, 224 yards, one TD) to edge Trojans 33-30 in overtime.
4. Indiana (6-0, 3-0): Hoosiers, idle last weekend, can bolster their resume with a home win over Nebraska on Saturday.
5. Iowa (4-2, 2-1): Hawkeyes methodically wore down Washington in 40-16 rout as Kaleb Johnson rushed for 166 yards and scored three TDs. Schedule is ripe for a long win streak for Iowa.
6. Illinois (5-1, 2-1): Up 24-3 at halftime, Illini escape with 50-49 OT win over Boilermakers with sack on Purdue’s two-point conversion attempt. Illinois gets visit from Michigan on Saturday.
7. Nebraska (5-1, 2-1): Idle over the weekend, Huskers travel to unbeaten Indiana on Saturday.
8. Michigan (4-2, 2-1): Wolverines had a bye, now travel to Illinois, which they’ve beaten six straight times and 12 times in the past 14 meetings.
9. Gophers (4-3, 2-2): First of two byes this season comes at a good time for a banged-up Gophers team that just finished sweeping the Big Ten’s California schools.
10. Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1): Badgers shut down Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai and held Athan Kaliakmanis to 12-for-32 passing in 42-7 Wisconsin romp.
11. USC (3-3, 1-3): Trojans have lost to Michigan, the Gophers and Penn State by a combined 13 points. They’ll take out their frustrations at Maryland this week.
12. Washington (4-3, 2-2): Huskies have had trouble away from home in Big Ten play, falling 40-16 at Iowa and 21-18 at Rutgers. They still meet Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon on the road.
13. Rutgers (4-2, 1-2): Scarlet Knights offense has hit a wall, scoring only seven points each against Wisconsin and Nebraska.
14. Michigan State (3-3, 1-2): Spartans were off last weekend, get visit from Iowa on Saturday.
15. Northwestern (3-3, 1-2): Wildcats feast on four Maryland turnovers in 37-10 road romp.
16. Maryland (3-3, 0-3): Loss to Northwestern was costly for Terrapins considering their final six opponents are a combined 23-8.
17. Purdue (1-5, 0-3): After scoring 10 points or fewer in three games this season, Boilermakers somehow put up 49 on Illinois.
18. UCLA (1-5, 0-4): Bruins led Gophers 10-0 at halftime, but three interceptions thrown by Ethan Garbers and 10 penalties help lead to 21-17 loss.
Seven of the players have eligibility for 2025 should they decide to return to the program.
