2024 Big Ten Football Week 2 Power Rankings: Ohio State, Penn State, and USC, Lead the Pack After Opening Wins

Breaking Down Week 1 Performances: Ohio State, Penn State, USC, and Oregon are Early College Football Playoff Contenders

Week 1 of the college football season is in the books, and the Big Ten’s top teams came away unscathed, though Oregon and Michigan survived scares. USC started its debut in the Big Ten with an impressive 27-20 win over LSU in Las Vegas on Sunday. Here’s a breakdown of where each team stands heading into Week 2.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Huston / Threads

Tier 1 - College Football Playoff Contenders

1. Ohio State (1-0)

AP Ranking: No. 2

Last week: 52-6 win against Akron

This week: Western Michigan

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard completed 17-of-28 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns. Despite dropping a 50 piece, the Buckeyes’ offense is still “a work in progress.” Like the Huskies, the Buckeyes had an uneven first half against their outmatched opponent, scoring only two touchdowns in its six first-half possessions.

2. Penn State (1-0)

AP Ranking: No. 8

Last week: 34-12 at West Virginia

This week: Bowling Green

Considering the hostile road environment at West Virginia and the Mountaineers being an actual FBS team, Penn State had the second-most impressive win (after USC) of week one. Quarterback Drew Allar threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns in the win. The Nittany Lions will likely be 5-0 heading into their Oct. 12 game at USC.

3. USC (1-0)

AP Ranking: No. 13

Last week: 27-20 win vs. LSU

This week: Utah State

The Trojans took care of a business in its neutral-site opener against LSU. This was the Big Ten’s best win of week one and it vaults USC into the CFP contention tier of these power rankings. The schedule is friendly to USC. They host a cupcake game against Utah State, and then get a bye week, giving them two weeks to prep for a big game against Michigan.

4. Michigan (1-0)

AP Ranking: No. 10

Last week: 30-10 win vs. Fresno State

This week: Texas

If you watched Michigan’s win against Fresno State, you’ll know that the final score is not indicative of how close the game was. The Bulldogs were in striking distance, down only 13-3 entering the fourth quarter. College Gameday will be at Ann Arbor for perhaps the biggest game next week as Michigan faces off against Texas.

5. Oregon (1-0)

AP Ranking: (No. 7)

Last week: 24-14 win against Idaho

This week: Boise State

The Ducks inevitably fall in these rankings after escaping a nightmarish season-opening loss to Idaho. Things got scary for Oregon when it narrowly led 17-14 with ten minutes left in the game. But, the Ducks were ultimately able to pull away. A win is a win, but there were more impressive ones this week.

Tier 2 - Outside, Looking In

6. Iowa (1-0)

AP Ranking: (No. 21)

Last week: 40-0 win vs. Illinois State

This week: Iowa State

After leading 6-0 at the end of the first half, it looked like the Hawkeyes were going to deliver a typical bad offense, incredible defense type of game. But, shockingly, the Hawkeyes put up 34 more unanswered points in the second half. We’ll get a better sense for how good quarterback Cade McNamara is this weekend.

Tier 3 - Bowl Bound

7. Washington (1-0)

Last week: 35-3 win vs. Weber State

Washington Dominates Weber State, Jonah Coleman and Huskies Run Away With 35-3 Win

This week: Eastern Michigan

We at least know the Huskies aren’t bad, but besides that, it’s difficult to draw any other conclusions from the team’s 35-3 romping over Weber State. The Huskies get a gradually more difficult test against the MAC’s Eastern Michigan this week. The game plan for UW should be this: feed Jonah Coleman.

8. Nebraska (1-0)

Last week: 40-7 win vs. UTEP

This week: Colorado

The Cornhuskers took care of business against UTEP, and now get their rivalry game against Colorado. As of Saturday night, Nebraska opened up as 7.5-point favorites over Colorado. Deion Sanders’ squad escaped with a win against North Dakota State last week.

9. Wisconsin (1-0)

Last week: 28-14 win vs. Western Michigan

This week: South Dakota

The Badgers were locked in a close one, with Western Michigan leading 14-13 early in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin eventually rallied with two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, but overall, its offense struggled. In the win, the offense had zero passing plays over 20 yards and no run plays over 15 yards.

10. Rutgers (1-0)

Last week: 44-7 win vs. Howard

This week: Akron

Rutgers will remain a run-heavy team, relying on running back Kyle Monangai, who rushed for 165 yards, 1 touchdown on 16 carries. The Scarlet Knights rushed on 65.7% of its offensive plays against Howard. Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis had a solid day, going 15-of-24 passing, throwing three touchdowns and adding 43 yards on the ground.

Tier 4 - Bottom Half

11. Maryland (1-0)

Last week: 50-7 win vs. Connecticut

This week: Michigan State

Maryland racked up 629 yards of total offense against a UConn football team led by Jim Mora Jr. Yes, that same Jim Mora who lasted one season as the Seahawks head coach and also played college football at Washington. Maryland came out of the gate ready to play, ripping off 75 and 92-yard touchdown drives in its first two possessions.

12. Michigan State (1-0)

Last week: 16-10 win vs. FAU

This week: Maryland

It will be interesting to see how Jonathan Smith’s squad responds in its first Big Ten game against Maryland, after squeaking by FAU in its opener last week. The Spartans were plagued by turnovers and penalties throughout its opener against FAU. Quarterback Aidan Chiles voiced his displeasure after the game with his performance.

13. Northwestern (1-0)

Last season: 13-6 win vs. Miami (Oh.)

This week: Duke

The storyline of the game was not Northwestern’s ugly win against Miami, but rather the beautiful setup of the school’s temporary stadium:

14. UCLA (1-0)

Last week: 16-13 win at Hawai’i

This week: BYE

The Bruins perhaps had the Big Ten’s ugliest win last week over a subpar Hawaii team, but a win is a win. Former Husky Ethan Garbers struggled for UCLA, throwing two interceptions. The Bruins get two weeks to fix things before opening up their Big Ten schedule against Indiana.

15. Minnesota (0-1)

Last week: 19-17 loss to North Carolina

This week: Rhode Island

Minnesota opened up its season on a sour note, dropping a 19-17 heartbreaker to North Carolina last Thursday night. North Carolina kicker Noah Burnette converted four field goals, including a game-winning 45-yarder with 1:44 left in the game. Minnesota is hoping to get back in the win column this weekend.

16. Purdue (1-0)

Last season: 49-0 win vs. Indiana State

This week: BYE

Last week was a statement win from Purdue against Indiana State. Purdue quarterback Hudson Card was nearly perfect, completing 24 of 25 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns. Purdue’s defense forced 10 punts, holding them to the minimum 12 offensive plays in Indiana State’s first four possessions.

17. Illinois (1-0)

Last week: 45-0 win vs. Eastern Illinois

This week: Kansas

The Illini opened up as six-point underdog against Kansas after its blowout win over Eastern Illinois. The early grades on quarterback Luke Altmyer are coming back positive, with him being able to spread the ball around to 10 different pass catchers in the Illinois offense.

18. Indiana (1-0)

Last week: 31-7 win vs. FIU

This week: Western Illinois

The Curt Cignetti era is off to a successful start. Running back Ty Son Lawton scored two touchdowns and quarterback Kurtis Rourke threw for another touchdown to lead the Hoosiers offense. Indiana, like the Huskies are dealing with an overhauled roster. This past week may have calmed any nerves for Indiana fans dealing with the new roster.