Big Ten Power Rankings ahead of Week 4 of college football

The Big Ten is off to a solid start to the college football season. Ahead of Week 4, ESPN has released an in-depth look at the conference’s power ranking.

FPI (Football Power Index Rank vs all FBS teams) is ESPN’s measurement used to grade and rank teams based on criteria like strength of schedule, game control, and strength of rank.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (10) – Ohio State struggled on defense for the third consecutive week. For the majority of the game, the Buckeyes allowed Tulsa to hang around and keep them on upset alert. Thanks to a ridiculous day running the ball by freshman TreVeyon Henderson and his 277 yards rushing, Ohio State was able to pull away late and win the game, 41-20.

2. Michigan Wolverines (19) – The Wolverines look like the dominant program they once were. So far this year they have scored 30-plus points in all three of their wins.

3. Penn State Nittany Lions (6) – Penn State won a dogfight at home against the Auburn Tigers Saturday night in a battle of top-25 teams. Quarterback Sean Clifford was money for the Nittany Lions, completing 28 of 32 passes in the game. That level of efficiency helped Penn State maintain the lead and secure a 28-20 victory.

4. Iowa Hawkeyes (5) – The Hawkeyes have taken down multiple top-ranked opponents this year. They started off the season by disrobing the Indiana Hoosiers. Then followed that up with a victory over then top 10 ranked in-state rival the Iowa State Cyclones.

5. Michigan State Spartans (20) – The Spartans enter Week 4 with a No. 20 ranking and a 3-0 record with wins on the road at Northwestern and Miami. The Spartans have more than doubled their average points per game from last year, moving from 18 in 2020 to 39.3 in 2021 thus far. 

6. Wisconsin Badgers (18) – The Badgers were off last week after beating Eastern Michigan in Week 2. Their only game of note is an opening day loss to Penn State. They face off against top-ranked Notre Dame this weekend.

7. Nebraska Cornhuskers – The Cornhuskers put up an unexpected fight against the Oklahoma Sooners last week. They held an explosive offense to just three scores, as the Sooners’ other two points in the 23-16 win came as a result of a blocked extra point. 

8. Minnesota Golden Gophers – The Golden Gophers lost to Ohio State last in their season opener. Since then, Minnesota has rattled off two-straight wins, including a 30-0 shutout of the Colorado Buffalos last week.

9. Purdue Boilermakers – Purdue started the season off with two wins, one a 49-0 shutout of the Uconn Huskies. But in last week’s game against Notre Dame, the Boilermakers came up short as they let the Fighting Irish pull away late.

10. Rutgers Scarlet Knights – The Scarlet Knight are off to a sneaky 3-0 start to the season. In those three games, they’ve allowed just over 11 points a game. This week’s game against the Wolverines will test just how good the Rutgers defense really is.

11. Maryland Terrapins – Behind the respectable play of Taulia Tagovailoa, younger brother of the Miami Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagolailoa, the Terrapins are off to a 3-0 start. They have two wins against power five schools with a win over West Virginia to start the season and last week beating Illinois in a close one.

12. Indiana Hoosiers – Once believed to be the sleeper team of the Big Ten, Indiana has suffered a hard fall from grace. The Hoosiers kicked off their season taking a beat down at the hands of Iowa 34-6. And just last week they suffered another loss at the hands of the No.8 Cincinnati Bearcats 38-24.

13. Northwestern Wildcats – The Wildcats have not been particularly good to start out. Their only win so far on the season is against Indiana State. They will look to pick up a win this week at home when they face the Ohio Bobcats.

14. Illinois Fighting Illini – Illinois is 1-3 as of now. But surprisingly in second place in the Big Ten West. That is in thanks to a season-opening win against Nebraska. Since then it’s been all downhill for the Fighting Illini.

ESPN still holds Ohio State in high regard. They have basically been the face of Big Ten football since the NCAA rolled out the CFP (College Football Playoffs) system. But with an early loss to an Oregon team they’ve dominated and shakey defensive play; the Buckeyes could fall victim to one of the other Big Ten teams on the rise.

On3’s Ashton Pollard contributed to this article.