Conference play across most of the Big Ten started on Saturday in Week 4, and it did not disappoint.
We had some massive games between teams like the Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans, and Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Michigan Wolverines, plus some big-time upsets, like Wisconsin beating Penn State, and Minnesota beating Washington.
It's starting to look like the middle of the Big Ten may be pretty good this year, isn't it?
The Ducks left Los Angeles with a massive win over the Trojans, despite a scary injury to QB Dante Moore, and the Washington Huskies fell in some Big Ten After Dark to the unranked Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Now, after Week 4, we are starting to get a real sense of the power balance in the conference. There are still some dominant teams at the top,
but the middle of the league is seeing quite a shake-up.
Here are our Big Ten power rankings after Week 3:
18 - Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Previous Ranking: 18
Week 4 Result: 58-7 win vs. Howard
Record: 1-3
Analysis: The offensive momentum Rutgers had last week against USC rolled over into a dominant win against Howard. Antwan Raymond and KJ Duff both dominated again, and the Scarlet Knights played turnover-free football for the first time. Ultimately, I don't think a win against Howard tells us anything about Rutgers moving forward, especially with Indiana coming to town next week.
17 - Michigan State Spartans
Previous Ranking: 17
Week 4 Result: 31-13 loss vs. Nebraska
Record: 2-2
Analysis: Not much went right for the Spartans again this week. Alessio Milivojevic is looking more like he is not the guy to lead the offense, and Michigan State seems to know it too, but Cam Fancher was so awful in relief, the Spartans just said, "Wait, go back." Michigan State really can't get out of its own way, whether it's dropped passes, three turnovers, or blocked punts that are erased by penalties. To make matters even worse, running back Cam Edwards suffered a gruesome knee injury, and he was the Spartans' only reliable piece on offense. Lots of soul-searching to do in East Lansing.
16 - Purdue Boilermakers
Previous Ranking: 16
Week 4 Result: 49-10 loss vs. Notre Dame
Record: 1-3
Analysis: Notre Dame's defense has been dominant this season, so I wasn't expecting Purdue to light it up offensively, although that's all the Boilermakers have done this season. Still, I was expecting more. The Boilermakers didn't finish drives. They turned the ball over on downs after a 12-play drive in the first quarter, and later did it again at the goal line and failed to capitalize on an interception. Ryan Browne was ineffective, there was no running game to speak of, and Purdue was manhandled up front on both sides of the ball. Maybe the offense will get back on track next week against Illinois.
15 - Maryland Terrapins
Previous Ranking: 14
Week 4 Result: 54-3 loss vs. UCLA
Record: 2-2
Analysis: Maryland couldn't have looked much worse at home against UCLA. Malik Washington had his worst collegiate outing and tossed four interceptions, and the Terrapins couldn't slow down UCLA's running game. I expected Maryland to make UCLA earn it a bit more, but the offense looked out of sync from the start and folded relatively quickly. It's starting to look like it's going to be a long season for the Terrapins.
14 - Minnesota Golden Gophers
Previous Ranking: 15
Week 4 Result: 27-24 win at Washington
Record: 3-1
Analysis: I don't really know what to make of Minnesota. The Gophers got smacked on the head with a shovel a couple weeks ago against Mississippi State, but the defense was great on the road in Seattle, holding Washington to just 40 rushing yards. Minnesota dominated the clock, and Drake Lindsey managed the game. It's a big road win for a Minnesota team that needed a confidence boost, but we still need to see some consistency on both sides of the ball. The Gophers probably deserve to be a touch higher, but their ceiling is still so unknown.
13 - Northwestern Wildcats
Previous Ranking: 13
Week 4 Result: 29-23 loss at Indiana
Record: 2-1
Analysis: While the fight in the second half was impressive, Aidan Chiles crumbles under pressure and holds the ball far too long. He made plays late to keep Northwestern in it on the road, but the blueprint to force him into mistakes is clear. The Wildcats also couldn't stop anything on the ground as Indiana rushed for 271 yards and didn't get one stop in the second half as the offenses traded blows. There is optimism in Evanston, however, and they could try again to shake up the Big Ten next week when they host Penn State.
12 - Illinois Fighting Illini
Previous Ranking: 9
Week 4 Result: 42-19 loss at Ohio State
Record: 2-2
Analysis: Illinois had multiple long drives going but failed to finish them with touchdowns, and that was ultimately a big difference in the game. The Illini ran the ball well, and Katin Houser hit on some chunk plays in the passing game, but the defense was no match for Jeremiah Smith, no matter how much attention they gave him. It was a bad matchup for Illinois to begin with, but it was the second time this season Illinois' defense was dominated by one player doing one thing. Even when they know it's coming, they still can't stop it.
11 - Nebraska Cornhuskers
Previous Ranking: 11
Week 4 Result: 31-13 win at Michigan State
Record: 4-0
Analysis: Anthony Colandrea dropped dimes in East Lansing, and it was needed after Nebraska lost Jamal Rule early on. Colandrea's legs were a big factor, and the defense forced three turnovers and racked up six sacks in the road win. Nebraska was expected to handle business in this spot, and the Cornhuskers did.
10 - Wisconsin Badgers
Previous Ranking: 12
Week 4 Result: 24-20 win at Penn State
Record: 3-1
Analysis: Last week, I said Wisconsin looked like a team that might just wake up one day and run through a team that it shouldn't. The Badgers didn't exactly dominate Penn State, as Colton Joseph tossed three bad interceptions, but they had a consistent running game and hit enough throws late in the game to pull off the upset. It wasn't a pretty game, but the Badgers outgained the Nittany Lions 355-233, and converted a pair of fourth downs. Wisconsin is a sneaky dangerous team that has enough offensive firepower to overcome turnovers, and the defense frequently got its hands on the ball to slow down the opposing passing attack.
9 - Washington Huskies
Previous Ranking: 7
Week 4 Result: 27-24 loss vs. Minnesota
Record: 3-1
Analysis: Somehow this loss for Washington looks closer than it was. Washington was just 1-for-10 on third down, and Demond Williams turned it over twice. The Huskies averaged just 1.5 yards per carry, and the defense missed tackles on a routine basis. Washington simply hasn't lived up to its potential so far this season and will now head on the road to face a hungry USC team, also coming off a loss. The Huskies are still a one-man show, led by Williams, and if he isn't at his best, the rest of the team suffers.
8 - Michigan Wolverines
Previous Ranking: 5
Week 4 Result: 20-19 loss vs. Iowa
Record: 3-1
Analysis: Bryce Underwood had a solid day through the air, but Michigan again didn't trust him to close it out against Iowa. The Wolverines had blunders on special teams, including allowing a kickoff return touchdown, and while the defense was great again, it couldn't get off the field on the final drive and committed a costly penalty. Some will say this is karma for how Michigan began the season against Western Michigan, but this was earned by Iowa, despite what the stats might say. The concerns about Michigan's offense aren't going away any time soon.
7 - UCLA Bruins
Previous Ranking: 10
Week 4 Result: 54-3 win at Maryland
Record: 4-0
Analysis: UCLA's offense continues to score in bunches, and the defense even contributed a pair of pick-sixes in a blowout on the road. I'm still unsure of how far Nico Iamaleava will take the Bruins in bigger games, but Wayne Knight is the MVP so far. He rushed for 100 yards again and was a target out of the backfield. He is the Swiss Army Knife that makes the UCLA offense dangerous. The Bruins were underwhelming on third down, but they were handed so many short fields that it's hard to look into it much. The bye is next, so UCLA's offensive momentum will need to survive the break before heading to Oregon.
6 - Penn State Nittany Lions
Previous Ranking: 3
Week 4 Result: 24-20 loss vs. Wisconsin
Record: 3-1
Analysis: I still don't understand how Penn State lost this game. After snagging an interception while leading by 10 with eight minutes left, Penn State threw incompletions and didn't take any time off the clock. Then, the Nittany Lions gave up a lengthy touchdown drive, quickly punted, and then allowed a quick-strike touchdown that wound up winning the game for Wisconsin, while the Penn State secondary looked like it was pursuing in slow motion. It was a poor effort, a mismanaged game by Matt Campbell, and a horrendous outing for Rocco Becht. Penn State's demons aren't gone just yet.
5 - USC Trojans
Previous Ranking: 4
Week 4 Result: 41-27 loss vs. Oregon
Record: 4-1
Analysis: This was a must-win game not only for USC, but for Lincoln Riley specifically. It was a rivalry game at home against an opponent that had to use a backup quarterback for most of the game, and still the Trojans couldn't get a stop defensively. USC gained momentum on offense in the third quarter, but after Oregon converted on fourth down in the fourth quarter and later scored, all the air came out of USC's balloon. Riley is now squarely on the hot seat, and the road only gets tougher from here for the Trojans.
4 - Iowa Hawkeyes
Previous Ranking: 8
Week 4 Result: 20-19 win at Michigan
Record: 4-0
Analysis: In a game where Iowa's running game was nowhere to be found, Hank Brown rose to the occasion for an 11-play, 91-yard drive in less than two minutes to win the game in the Big House. The Hawkeyes' defense did enough in the second half to knock the ball around and give the offense a chance. Iowa will need to running game to return next week against Ohio State, but this game was all about Brown proving he has what it takes when he is asked to take control.
3 - Oregon Ducks
Previous Ranking: 6
Week 4 Result: 41-27 win at USC
Record: 3-1
Analysis: Oregon battled through mental and physical pain in a big win over USC, losing Dante Moore early on to an injury. Dan Lanning's efforts in the portal, however, paid off, as Dylan Raiola threw for nearly 300 yards and kept the Ducks' offense humming throughout. Oregon also ran the ball well for the first time this season, and the defense came through with clutch stops in the fourth quarter. After lots of talk about leadership and accountability, Oregon's culture was on full display, honoring their injured teammate and turning the pain and anger into composure and winning football. The Raiola-led offense inspired plenty of hope if Moore is out for an extended amount of time.
2 - Indiana Hoosiers
Previous Ranking: 1
Week 4 Result: 29-23 win vs. Northwestern
Record: 4-0
Analysis: Facing its first real competition of the season, Indiana left something to be desired. The Hoosiers ran the ball well, but Josh Hoover didn't exactly step up when he needed to. Indiana had long drives but didn't always capitalize, and too many penalties hurt the Hoosiers. There will be times this season when Curt Cignetti will need Hoover to win games with his arm, and I'm still a bit unsure of his decision-making in those moments. Still, the Hoosiers' pass rush and stifling run defense are arguably the best in the country.
1 - Ohio State Buckeyes
Previous Ranking: 2
Week 4 Result: 42-19 win vs. Illinois
Record: 3-1
Analysis: Ohio State reclaims the top spot simply because it was so impressive against Illinois, and Indiana had trouble pulling away from Northwestern. Jeremiah Smith went crazy, racking up 217 yards and four touchdown catches, matching the school record in a single game. The Buckeyes' game plan is simple: throw it to Smith, and everyone else get out of the way. The game was well in hand before Illinois boosted its numbers in the box score, so don't be deceived. The Buckeyes still feel like the team to beat in the Big Ten.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Big Ten power rankings after Week 4: Ducks jump Trojans after win
