Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 2 of college football

On3 imageby:Ashton Pollard•09/16/21•

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The Big Ten had a rollercoaster weekend in Week 2 as conference juggernaut Ohio State lost to Oregon, but Iowa and Michigan had no problem taking down their relatively high-profile non-conference opponents. 

Let’s take a look at the Big Ten Power Rankings, which utilize ESPN’s Football Power Index, prior to Week 3.

Big Ten Power Rankings:

  1. Ohio State Buckeyes (1-1): ESPN FPI: 5; national ranking: 9
  2. Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0): ESPN FPI: 8; national ranking: 10
  3. Michigan Wolverines (2-0): ESPN FPI: 12; national ranking: 25
  4. Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0): ESPN FPI: 13; national ranking: 5
  5. Wisconsin Badgers (1-1): ESPN FPI: 15; national ranking: 18
  6. Michigan State Spartans (2-0): ESPN FPI: 26; national ranking: NR
  7. Purdue Boilermakers (2-0): ESPN FPI: 37; national ranking: NR
  8. Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-1): ESPN FPI: 38; national ranking: NR
  9. Indiana Hoosiers (1-1): ESPN FPI: 39; national ranking: NR
  10. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-0): ESPN FPI: 45; national ranking: NR
  11. Maryland Terrapins (2-0): ESPN FPI: 51; national ranking: NR
  12. Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-1): ESPN FPI: 60; national ranking: NR
  13. Northwestern Wildcats (1-1): ESPN FPI: 67; national ranking: NR
  14. Illinois Fighting Illini (1-2): ESPN FPI: 87; national ranking: NR

Despite being the highest-ranked Big Ten team in the AP Poll, No. 5 Iowa has the fourth-best power ranking in the conference. All five Big Ten teams ranked in the Top 25 of the ESPN FPI are also ranked in the AP Poll. 

Ohio State and Iowa are the favorites to win their respective divisions and clash in Indianapolis in the Big Ten Championship Game, and the Buckeyes have a 42% chance to win the conference. Currently, eight teams have a greater than 75% chance of winning six games to become bowl eligible, including unranked Michigan State, Purdue and Rutgers.

A couple of teams are knocking at the door of the AP Poll despite very different FPI rankings

A couple of teams unranked in the AP Poll could sneak in if they continue winning over the next few weeks. Michigan State, who is sixth on the FPI list and the highest on the list unranked in the AP Poll, received 44 votes in this week’s poll making them the fourth team out, or the equivalent of No. 29. If Michigan State beats Miami this weekend, they will likely hop into the Top 25.

Maryland, who falls in the bottom quarter of the Big Ten FPI rankings, received 14 votes in the AP Poll this week. They are currently averaging 46 points per game, which leads the Big Ten.

Big non-conference-game weekend for the conference

In Week 3, several Big Ten teams have a chance to prove their worth against non-conference opponents. 

Auburn at Penn State: Saturday will start and end in Happy Valley as Auburn travels to its first Big Ten road game since 1931. ESPN’s College Gameday will be live from outside of Beaver Stadium on Saturday morning, and the evening will entail two Top-25 teams battling against the backdrop of the annual Penn State Whiteout Game. Both quarterbacks, Bo Nix at Auburn and Sean Clifford at Penn State, have been wildly inconsistent at times. Whoever settles in and runs an efficient offense will likely walk away with a win. 

Purdue at Notre Dame: The Boilermakers travel to South Bend on Saturday to take on a clearly vulnerable Notre Dame team. The Irish are 2-0, but both of their wins were by three points over Florida State and Toledo. A high-powered offense scoring 39.5 points per game for Purdue could challenge an Irish defense that leads the country in plays of over 40 yards. 

Nebraska at Oklahoma: To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the “Game of the Century,” Nebraska heads to Norman as a heavy underdog. The Cornhuskers are unlikely to notch a win, but Tulane demonstrated that the Oklahoma defense is not as sound as experts believed preseason. Quarterback Adrian Martinez will need to have a big day if Nebraska wants to have a shot at making this a close game. 

Indiana at Cincinnati: Had Iowa not blown Indiana out, this game would have a little more shine to it. Nevertheless, the Top-10 Bearcats come to Bloomington hoping to prove that they can beat a Power Five opponent to boost their playoff resume. The schools are just 125 miles apart and often recruit similar players, so this is a big game regardless of immediate playoff implications for the Bearcats.