The contenders in the Big Ten revealed themselves, while the pretenders could no longer hide. Unfortunately for USC football, the Trojans did not prove the doubters wrong, as they were humbled by Oregon. The Trojans' former Pac-12 rivals are rising past them to start the season.
Here are my Big Ten football rankings after Week 4:
1. Indiana Hoosiers (4-0)
The Indiana Hoosiers faced their first test of the season, and Northwestern gave them everything they possibly could have. That game does not lessen how great Indiana is. It is just a reflection of how good the Big Ten can be on any given Saturday. Hoosiers are still the best team in the Big Ten.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (3-1)
Jeremiah Smith is the best player in college football and maybe one of the players who could be on the all-time great list.
He can win Ohio State games by himself; it is hard to see anyone standing in their way besides Indiana in the Big Ten. That game will be monumental.
3. Oregon Ducks (3-1)
The Oregon Ducks definitely are not the national title contender they were last season. This team is different, but they can beat everyone in the Big Ten besides the top 2. They may have found something with backup quarterback Dylan Raiola as well.
4. UCLA Bruins (4-0)
It is hard, after 4 weeks, not to look at this team as one of the best teams in the conference. They have put it all together this season, and Bob Chesney turning things around this quickly feels a little bit reminiscent of Indiana with Curt Cignetti.
5. Iowa Hawkeyes (4-0)
Iowa pulled off a major win yesterday. The Hawkeyes may have just gotten their signature win of the season, prompting them to their best season in the past few years. Their defense and run game make them a nightmare matchup for anybody.
6. USC Trojans (4-1)
USC is still a good football team. However, they haven't proved yet that they can win the big games. Against Oregon, they instead proved they are far from that. It is still early in the year, and they have time to make up for their wrongs, but confidence has plummeted.
7. Wisconsin Badgers (3-1)
Wisconsin pulled off a huge comeback. Wisconsin showed they can handle adversity and completely shut down a high-caliber team in the second half. A win like this will help Wisconsin potentially overachieve this season.
8. Michigan Wolverines (3-1)
Michigan got their karma for their Week 1 win against Western Michigan. Michigan was exposed in this game. They have gotten away with their offense not playing to standard in the first few weeks because of their elite defense. Against a team that wanted it more and a team that is capable of winning a big game, they were on the wrong side of things. This game revealed that Michigan is not a top team in the Big Ten.
9. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-1)
Penn State was up 17-0 early in this game, and they gave up a huge comeback victory to Wisconsin. This Penn State team looks like it can compete this season, but this loss was very telling. Elite teams can finish games.
10. Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-1)
Drake Lindsey outplayed Demond Williams, and he helped lead the Gophers to a huge win. The game against Mississippi State looks a lot better. With a win like this, it is hard to count out the Gophers. Especially if Lindsey will be outplaying the opposing quarterbacks and the Gophers' defense can force turnovers.
11. Washington Huskies (3-1)
Demond Williams and the Huskies came up short at home against the Gophers. This is a loss that kills the hope that this team can be up in the standings with other top Big Ten teams. Washington is a good team, but they are not with the best of the best just yet.
12. Illinois Fighting Illini (2-2)
Illinois had no answer defensively for Jeremiah Smith. This team was outmatched against Ohio State, and that has been the story for this team against top teams in the Big Ten.
13. Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-0)
Nebraska is 4-0 now in the season, but with their schedule to start the year, it has not been an impressive start. Time will tell how good this team is against the Big Ten. I am on the cautious side of things in terms of looking at them as a contender in the Big Ten.
14. Northwestern Wildcats (2-1)
Northwestern proved themselves against a juggernaut this past week. Chip Kelly's offense had great success. Aidan Chiles gave Indiana a scare. It looks like he and Chip Kelly are a great combination. Indiana is the better football team, so they pulled it out; however, Chiles and the Wildcats definitely are a team to take a second look at this year.
16. Michigan State Spartans (2-2)
Michigan State can play better than expected in a lot of games this season. However, this is not a winning football team just yet. Pat Fitzgerald could turn it into that down the road in the next few years, but Nebraska walked all over them. This is not their year.
16. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-3)
Did USC make Rutgers a whole new football team? Probably not; this team is still bad. However, they have great pieces on offense that propel this team to have some success. KJ Duff and Antwan Raymond both looked special as Rutgers got their first win of the season. I think they can get 2 Big Ten wins this season.
17. Purdue Boilermakers (1-3)
Purdue got steamrolled by Notre Dame, and this defense once again for the Purdue Boilermakers puts them right at the bottom of the Big Ten rankings.
18. Maryland Terrapins (2-2)
This game is the one that should have had Mike Locksley fired on the spot. Bad all across the board. I did not think a team could look much worse than Rutgers did the first 2 weeks, but Maryland took the cake with their performance against UCLA.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Big Ten football power rankings after Week 4 - USC gets humbled
