The first full stretch of Big Ten play has already turned the league upside down, and the weekend’s biggest results hit these rankings hard. Wisconsin’s road win at No.
13 Penn State stood out as the kind of upset that forces a reshuffle, but it wasn’t the only result that mattered. Minnesota beating Washington, Oregon taking down USC, and Iowa knocking off Michigan all fed into the chaos.
At the top, Indiana holds firm at No. 1 after surviving a real test from Northwestern. The Hoosiers had not faced much resistance before that, and the Wildcats gave them their first real scare of the season. Still, Indiana came through and stays unbeaten at 4-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
Ohio State stays right behind them at No. 2 after the kind of emphatic response the Buckeyes needed following the Texas loss. They blew past Illinois, and the win was so decisive that Bret Bielema fired his defensive coordinator during the game. That result keeps Ohio State’s College Football Playoff hopes squarely alive.
Iowa’s rise to No. 3 comes after a gritty finish in Ann Arbor. The Hawkeyes put up 13 points in the fourth quarter to beat Michigan, and that road win demands attention.
Even with Iowa climbing, the bigger lingering issue is what Michigan actually is right now. The Hawkeyes get Ohio State this week, which should tell us plenty about whether they’re pretenders or contenders.
UCLA checks in at No. 4 after a 54-3 demolition of Maryland that made the Bruins look every bit the part of a team worth taking seriously. They are 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten, but the real test comes next against Oregon.
Nebraska follows at No. 5 after a strong win over Michigan State, and the Cornhuskers are also sitting at 4-0 and 1-0 in conference play. Maryland is next on their schedule, and that could keep the climb going.
The biggest jump belongs to Wisconsin, which lands at No. 6 after the best win of the week. The Badgers went into a tough road environment and beat No.
13 Penn State despite not getting the cleanest quarterback play, getting flagged more than the Nittany Lions, and having to deal with the crowd noise all night. That’s the sort of win that changes how people look at a team.
Oregon sits just behind them at No. 7.
The Ducks may be the better team on paper, but Wisconsin’s win over No. 13 Penn State gets the edge over Oregon’s win against No.
12 USC, especially since Oregon was ranked No. 20 when it beat the Trojans. And yes, the logic here comes with a little Badger bias.
USC drops to No. 8 after a home loss to Oregon that raised real questions about whether the Trojans belong in the Big Ten contender conversation at all. Their defense was a mess against the Ducks, and the 4-1 record is the main thing still propping them up.
Minnesota comes in at No. 9 after going into Husky Stadium and beating Washington. The Gophers took advantage of a Huskies team that may be worse than expected, but it still counts as a solid road upset for PJ Fleck’s group. Penn State falls to No. 10 after the loss to Wisconsin, though the expectation here is that Matt Campbell’s first-year team will rebound and handle Northwestern this week.
Washington is down at No. 11 after a rough start to conference play and a fast slide in the Pacific Northwest. The Huskies nearly lost to Utah State and then actually lost to Minnesota at home.
Northwestern follows at No. 12 after giving Indiana everything it could handle. The Wildcats beat Colorado earlier and came close to the weekend’s wildest upset, so there’s at least some life there.
Michigan sits at No. 13 after another underwhelming performance, this time in the loss to Iowa. Illinois is No. 14 after getting handled by Ohio State, a result that reminded everyone they are not a real Big Ten contender.
Michigan State is No. 15, and while the Spartans were never expected to be a major factor, the schedule gives them a chance to make some noise. Their game against Wisconsin this week is a big one, especially at Camp Randall.
Purdue checks in at No. 16 after running into Notre Dame. The Boilermakers have shown some life, but they’re still stuck near the bottom.
Maryland is No. 17, and Rutgers rounds out the list at No. 18.
Rutgers is still the worst team in the conference, though the win over Howard at least gave them a feel-good moment.
In Other News...
Wisconsin Just Sent The AP Poll Debate Into Overdrive
Wisconsins upset of No. 13 Penn State did exactly what a statement win is supposed to do, but it still did not quite push the Badgers into the AP Top 25. They remain unranked in the latest poll, yet they landed 102 points and now sit at the top of the received votes list, which is about as close as a team can get without actually cracking the rankings.
The path back in is clear enough, even if it is not guaranteed. If Wisconsin takes care of Michigan State next and gets a little help elsewhere, next week could finally be the one where the Badgers break through. For now, the poll debate they sparked after beating Penn State is still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Suddenly Has A Chance To Prove Penn State Was No Fluke
Wisconsins upset at Penn State did more than grab attention around the Big Ten. The Badgers walked out of Beaver Stadium with a 24-20 win, their first there since 2003, and suddenly the conversation around the program changed from surprise to scrutiny. Beating a ranked opponent on the road is one thing, but backing it up is where a team starts to earn real credibility.
Now Wisconsin gets a chance to show that performance was no one-off as it heads into a matchup with Michigan State as a double-digit favorite. The line reflects how much stock the market is putting into the Penn State result, and it puts the Badgers in a spot where expectations are no longer about hanging around. For Wisconsin, the next game is less about the upset itself and more about proving it says something real about where this team stands. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Faces A New Kind Of Pressure After Its Penn State Stunner
Wisconsins comeback at Penn State gave Luke Fickell the kind of road win that can change the feel of a season. Down 17-0 and staring at a tough afternoon in a hostile building, the Badgers rallied to knock off the No. 13 team in the country, a result that stands as one of the clearest markers yet of progress in this era. Even so, the reward has been more about momentum than recognition, with Wisconsin still sitting outside the AP Top 25 as it turns its attention to the next Big Ten test.
Michigan State comes to Madison for the conference home opener carrying its own concerns, including an injury to key player Cam Edwards and a recent stretch of uneven play. For Wisconsin, the new pressure is obvious: after a statement win, there is less room to treat anything as a stepping stone. The Badgers now have to show that the Penn State rally was not just an emotional peak, but the start of something sturdier as the schedule keeps tightening. [Read more 🡒]