Hello there and welcome to the Big Ten Power Rankings! Each week we’ll rank how the teams across the conference are playing, in the hopes of seeing just who is a contender, and who is a pretender over the course of the season.
The rules are few, but resolute:
Teams are ranked by how they’re playing at that time. Not body of work, not rankings in the polls, but simply how each team is playing at that point in the season.
The approach to the rankings is not necessarily on the field results (though those
do count, as an obvious, tangible data point), but more generally if the two teams played at a neutral site 100 times, which team would win 51 times (or more).
These rankings are subjective. As the author I get to follow the rules as closely or loosely as I want to, and if you don’t like the rankings, you’re wrong.
Week 5 is in the books, with not quite as much chaos as one might expect. Let’s get to it!
Tier 1: Playoff Locks
Teams that are all but guaranteed to make the playoffs, if they continue to play the way they have played thus far.
1. Indiana
The Hoosiers took down Rutgers 47-15 in another dominant showing. A road trip to undefeated (but somehow unranked) Nebraska will be an excellent test of Indiana’s mettle.
2. Ohio State
The Buckeyes slowly but surely pulled away from Iowa in a 31-14 win. They’ll host Maryland next in what should be a bloodbath.
Tier 2: Playoff Hopefuls
Teams that could very well end up in the playoffs, but need to continue to improve their resume and move up the rankings before they can make it.
3. Oregon
The Ducks were on their bye week, and get back to it by hosting #21 UCLA.
4. Nebraska
The Cornhuskers are undefeated following a 48-23 drubbing of Maryland. They’ll get to host #7 Indiana to see if they really are a playoff hopeful.
5. USC
The Trojans defeated west coast rival Washington 25-21 to get back in the win column. A cross-country night game against the spiraling Nittany Lions looks less daunting than it did to start the season.
6. Iowa
The Hawkeyes lost 31-14 to Ohio State, their first loss of the season. The door is still open for them, however, and they’ll head on the road to play Washington next.
Tier 3: High-Level Bowl Teams
Teams that likely won’t make the playoffs, but will represent the conference in quality bowls, including the Citrus Bowl and the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
7. Northwestern
The Wildcats ran wild on Penn State, winning 34-13. They get an odd-ball game next, welcoming Ball State to close out their out-of-conference games.
8. UCLA
The Bruins were on a bye week, and will now head on the road to play #13 Oregon in a classic Pac-12 matchup.
9. Wisconsin
The Badgers kept up their winning ways, dismantling Michigan State 31-3. They’ll head to the bye week having outperformed many expectations so far.
Tier 4: Low-Level Bowl Teams
Teams that will end up making it to a bowl game, but likely the bowls that aren’t quite as prestigious, including the Pinstripe Bowl and the Music City Bowl.
10. Minnesota
The Golden Gophers took down Michigan 20-14, and have firmly placed themselves in the early discussions for a trip to Indianapolis. They’ll take on upstart Purdue next.
11. Michigan
The luster has worn off in Ann Arbor with the 20-14 loss to Minnesota. A bye week comes at the best time for the Wolverines to try to sort some things out.
12. Penn State
The loss to Wisconsin was not as fluky as we all thought, as the Nittany Lions appear to be much worse than expected, including their 34-13 loss to Northwestern. A visit from #19 USC won’t make things much easier.
13. Washington
The Huskies couldn’t quite pull the upset over USC, falling 25-21. Now, they’ll get #20 Iowa coming to town to see if they can get a ranked win.
14. Michigan State
The Spartans got pretty well dominated by Wisconsin 31-3, and are trending in a bad direction. They’ll try to right the ship back at home against Illinois.
Tier 5: Bowl-Ineligible Teams
Teams that are on a trajectory to end the season below .500 and miss out on a post-season bowl game.
15. Purdue
The Boilermakers made some noise in upending Illinois 24-17, and sit just one game below .500. They’ll host a game Minnesota squad next.
16. Illinois
One of the few upsets this week had Illinois on the wrong end, losing to Purdue 24-17. They’ll travel to take on Michigan State next to see who may take one step closer to the The Basement™.
17. Maryland
The Terrapins hung with Nebraska for a little bit, but ultimately couldn’t keep up in a 48-23 loss. They’ll play host to #5 Ohio State next in what should be a very close game, right? Right?
Tier 6: The Basement™
The worst of the worst, teams whose fans wear paper bags over their heads and count down the days until they have a new head coach.
18. Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights lost to Indiana 47-15 and are warmly welcomed back into the dank coziness of The Basement™. They head to the bye week and will therefore remain down here for at least 2 weeks.
Bowl of spaghetti mixed with a whole bunch of food dye.
Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon hold at the top, with Nebraska and USC on the rise. Iowa dips, but USC climbs. UCLA holds steady, while Wisconsin and Minnesota continue to climb. Michigan and Penn State fall, while Washington and Michigan State stand pat. Purdue leaps up the board, but Illinois, Maryland, and Rutgers all trudge downward.
On to Week 6!
