2024 Big Ten power rankings: Ohio State, conference powers, keep rolling

On a weekend of college football in which three top-10 teams were felled — No. 2 Georgia at the hands of Alabama, No. 6 Ole Miss at the hands of Kentucky and No. 10 Utah at the hands of Arizona — the aristocracy of the Big Ten remained largely intact. Of the six Big Ten teams ranked in last week’s AP Poll, five of them scored important victories on Saturday. And the lone ranked program to lose, No. 19 Illinois, did so in a hard-fought game on the road against No. 9 Penn State. 

The conference race is beginning to take shape as the calendar turns from September to October in the coming days. Ohio State remains the clear-cut favorite after demolishing Michigan State over the weekend. Oregon, Penn State, USC, Michigan and Iowa form a group of realistic challengers. Surprise unbeatens Indiana and Rutgers are still trying to convince everyone else that they’re for real.

[Related: RJ Young’s College Football Top 25]

Here’s a fresh batch of Big Ten Power Rankings following Week 5:

1. Ohio State (4-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten)

Result: 38-7 road win over Michigan State

A three-point game after the first quarter quickly transformed into a lopsided affair as five-star freshman wideout Jeremiah Smith scored twice in the final 7:22 of the opening half. Smith, who was the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle, reached the end zone on a 19-yard end around to extend Ohio State’s lead to double digits, and then he punctuated the second quarter with a breathtaking one-handed touchdown reception from backup quarterback Devin Brown, who briefly replaced starter Will Howard due to injury. Smith finished with five catches for 83 yards and two total scores on a night when his fellow receiving threat, Emeka Egbuka, caught seven passes for 96 yards and a score to remind viewers just how dangerous the Buckeyes’ one-two punch really is on the perimeter. 

After an early wobble, Ohio State’s defense blanketed Michigan State for the remainder of the game and forced three turnovers in the red zone, including two by quarterback Aidan Chiles. The Buckeyes limited the Spartans’ offense to just a pair of third-down conversions on the night. Ohio State hosts Iowa on Saturday.

2. Penn State (4-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten)

Result: 21-7 home win over No. 19 Illinois

In the 10 quarters of football since Penn State’s stunning first-half collapse against Bowling Green — a game in which the Nittany Lions surrendered 24 points in the first 27 minutes before clawing their way back to win — a defense under the direction of first-year coordinator Tom Allen has only given up 10 points to three different opponents combined: a second-half field goal to the Falcons, zero points to Kent State and a lone touchdown against No. 19 Illinois on Saturday night. Penn State limited the Illini to 219 total yards of offense, including a measly 34 rushing yards on 32 attempts (1.1 yards per carry), while also forcing two turnovers. The defense now ranks seventh nationally in scoring (11.5 points per game) and fourth in the country overall (226.5 yards per game), with only Ohio State ahead of them from the Big Ten. Offensively, the running back tandem of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined to rush for 196 yards and two scores on 34 carries. The Nittany Lions will host UCLA on Saturday.

3. Oregon (4-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) 

Result: 34-13 road win over UCLA

In a performance that Oregon head coach Dan Lanning described as “a complete game,” the Ducks pulled away from UCLA by the middle of the second quarter for a wire-to-wire victory in the Rose Bowl. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed 31 of 41 passes for 278 yards and a season-high three scores as he entered a tie for third on the NCAA’s career passing touchdown list with 134 across his time at UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon. His star wideout, Tez Johnson, caught 11 passes for a season-high 121 yards and two touchdowns, including a 52-yard score in the second quarter that gave the Ducks a 22-point lead. An improving Oregon defense held the Bruins without an offensive touchdown on Saturday as UCLA’s only points came from two field goals and a 96-yard interception return for a score. The Ducks only allowed two conversions on 12 combined third- and fourth-down attempts, which led to an advantage of more than seven minutes in time of possession.

4. Michigan (4-1 overall, 2-0 Big Ten)

Result: 27-24 home win over Minnesota

A second consecutive week of aggressive defense and run-heavy offense allowed the Wolverines to build a 24-3 lead through three quarters on Saturday before disaster nearly struck. An untimely interception by quarterback Alex Orji, a poorly timed three-and-out on a subsequent offensive possession and poor coverage on a lengthy punt return by Minnesota defensive back Koi Perich laid the groundwork for a 21-point fourth quarter for the Gophers, who fell just shy of completing the comeback. Orji, who is now 2-0 as Michigan’s starter, threw for fewer than 100 yards for a second consecutive game as tailback Kalel Mullings shouldered most of the workload with 24 carries for 111 yards and two scores. A strong defensive front anchored by interior linemen Mason Graham (two sacks) and Kenneth Grant (one sack) limited the Gophers to just 38 rushing yards on 24 attempts. The Wolverines finished with nine tackles for loss and five sacks to consistently bother quarterback Max Brosmer, who attempted an uncharacteristically high 40 passes and threw one costly interception. Michigan plays its first road game of the season this weekend against Washington. 

5. USC (3-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten)

Result: 38-21 home win over Wisconsin

A week after he was hit seven times, sacked four times and pressured on 24 of his 55 dropbacks in a road loss to Michigan, quarterback Miller Moss responded with an excellent performance in a come-from-behind win over Wisconsin. Moss completed 30 of 45 passes for 308 yards, four total touchdowns and one interception as the Trojans scored 28 unanswered points in the second half. Seven different USC receivers made at least two catches against the Badgers, led by star wideout Ja’Kobi Lane, who caught 10 passes for 105 yards and two scores. The Trojans converted an astonishing 13 of 19 times on third and fourth down combined to manage the clock and dominate time of possession by more than 20 minutes. Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn’s group played excellent coverage in the back seven to limit Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke to a 50% completion rate despite only pressuring him three times and not recording a single sack. Linebacker Mason Cobb returned an interception 55 yards for a score to seal the win in the fourth quarter.

6. Illinois (4-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten)

Result: 21-7 road loss to No. 9 Penn State

There’s little shame in falling short on the road against Penn State, especially in the kind of raucous prime-time environment Illinois encountered at Beaver Stadium on Saturday night. Head coach Bret Bielema’s team clung within a touchdown of the Nittany Lions until a late scoring run from tailback Kaytron Allen with 1:55 remaining in the fourth quarter. But the Illinois offense proved incapable of answering in the waning moments, just as it had been stymied for most of the game. Illinois opened the scoring with an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on its first possession but cobbled together only a single drive longer than 35 yards from that point forward. Quarterback Luke Altmyer, who has been excellent this season, was sacked seven times on a night when the Nittany Lions racked up 13 tackles for loss and overwhelmed Illinois’ offensive line. The Illini only converted five times on 15 combined third- and fourth-down attempts.

7. Rutgers (4-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) 

Result: 21-18 home win over Washington

After nearly coughing up an 11-point second-half lead, the Scarlet Knights survived a late comeback attempt from their West Coast visitors to improve to 4-0 overall for the first time since 2012. Tailback Kyle Monangai, who led the conference in rushing last season, carried 25 times for 132 yards and a score to post his third 100-yard game of the season. He now ranks fifth nationally in rushing yards with 589 and third nationally in rushing yards per game with an average of 147.3, nearly 10 yards ahead of the next-closest player. Friday’s victory against Washington gave Rutgers a second win over a Power 4 opponent already this season after the Scarlet Knights toppled Virginia Tech last week. The only two ranked opponents remaining on their schedule are No. 11 USC on Oct. 25 and No. 24 Illinois on Nov. 23. Rutgers hasn’t won more than seven games in a season since 2014.

8. Indiana (5-0 overall, 2-0 Big Ten)

Result: 42-28 home win over Maryland

Yes, Indiana is 5-0 for the first time since 1967. Yes, the Hoosiers are on pace to qualify for a bowl game for the first time since 2020 and just the fifth time this century. But does anybody know if head coach Curt Cignetti’s team is any good? The Hoosiers have walloped all five opponents they’ve played this season and travel to Northwestern this weekend with an offense tied for third nationally in scoring (48.8 points per game) and a defense ranked 13th nationally in scoring (13 points per game). Still, the combined record of Indiana’s opponents is far from flattering — the quintet of FIU, Western Illinois, UCLA, Charlotte and Maryland is just 9-14 overall this season — which invites plenty of questions about the Hoosiers’ staying power in an expanded Big Ten. A soft conference schedule in which Indiana won’t play a ranked opponent until it hosts No. 10 Michigan on Nov. 9 will stave off the answers to those questions for a while longer.

9. Iowa (3-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) 

Result: Idle

Iowa had the week off following an impressive road win at Minnesota on Sept. 21. The Hawkeyes will travel to No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday to face the only remaining ranked opponent on their schedule. 

10. Nebraska (4-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten)

Result: 28-10 road win over Purdue

After an overtime collapse against Illinois two weeks ago and a sloppy, sluggish, sludge-filled performance on Saturday against Purdue — which is arguably the worst team in the Big Ten this season — it’s difficult to know just how good the Cornhuskers really are despite a 4-1 overall record. Does head coach Matt Rhule’s team more closely resemble a group that was held scoreless by the hapless Boilermakers until the 2:49 mark of the third quarter? Or is the real Nebraska more like the explosive unit that roared to life with 28 unanswered points to blow Purdue out of the water in fewer than 13 minutes of game time? The answer is probably somewhere in the middle, which means Nebraska should reach bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016. A difficult back half of the schedule means the Cornhuskers will face at least three ranked opponents in No. 23 Indiana, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 11 USC.

11. Michigan State (3-2 overall, 1-1 Big Ten)

Result: 38-7 home loss to No. 3 Ohio State

Though the final score from Michigan State’s loss to Ohio State was lopsided, the early portions of Saturday’s game revealed some of the progress that first-year head coach Jonathan Smith and his staff are making. The Spartans only trailed 3-0 at the end of the first quarter and pulled to within 10-7 near the midway point of the second quarter before freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith flipped the game in favor of the Buckeyes. Three turnovers in the red zone became a driving factor behind Michigan State’s undoing as quarterback Aidan Chiles continues to struggle with ball security. He’s now tossed eight interceptions and fumbled three times through his first five games as the starter. The Spartans will have a short week of preparation before traveling to play No. 6 Oregon on Friday night.

12. Washington (3-2 overall, 1-1 Big Ten)

Result: 21-18 road loss to Rutgers 

The first of three cross-country flights this season as a member of the Big Ten didn’t go as planned for Washington, which fell behind 14-3 at halftime against Rutgers and never recovered. Head coach Jedd Fisch’s team outgained the Scarlet Knights 521-299 in total offense, but the Huskies performed miserably on third down (2-for-12) and endured three missed field goals from kicker Grady Gross, who misfired from 42 yards, 37 yards and then 55 yards as time expired. Washington only produced points on two of its five journeys into the red zone, including only one drive that resulted in a touchdown. The Huskies host No. 10 Michigan on Saturday in a rematch of last year’s national championship game.

13. Wisconsin (2-2 overall, 0-1 Big Ten)

Result: 38-21 road loss to No. 13 USC

It must have felt like a long flight home from Los Angeles for head coach Luke Fickell and his staff on Saturday after the Badgers blew a 21-10 halftime lead and failed to score in the final two quarters against No. 13 USC. Quarterback Braedyn Locke completed 13 of 26 passes for 180 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his first start since taking over for Tyler Van Dyke, who suffered a season-ending knee injury earlier this month. The offense only converted twice on 12 combined third- and fourth-down attempts, repeatedly failing to sustain drives and control the clock. The Badgers finished with fewer than 20 minutes in time of possession.

14. Northwestern (2-2 overall, 0-1 Big Ten)

Result: Idle

The Wildcats were embarrassed by Washington in their most recent outing two weeks ago, failing to score a touchdown in what ended as a humbling 24-5 defeat. Now, Northwestern will welcome red-hot and unbeaten Indiana to their makeshift stadium along Lake Michigan on Saturday afternoon. 

15. Maryland (3-2 overall, 0-2 Big Ten)

Result: 42-28 road loss to Indiana

There are signs of concern for defensive coordinator Brian Williams and his staff as the Terrapins were gouged by a middle-tier Big Ten opponent for the second time this season. Maryland surrendered 27 points and 484 yards of total offense in a loss to Michigan State earlier this year, and on Saturday the Hoosiers decimated Williams’ group to the tune of 42 points and 510 yards of total offense — including 359 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air for quarterback Kurtis Rourke. With the loss, the Terrapins sunk to 90th nationally in total defense with an allowance of 381 yards per game.

16. Minnesota (2-3 overall, 0-2 Big Ten)

Result: 27-24 road loss to No. 12 Michigan 

Beginning with the 2019 season, during which head coach P.J. Fleck guided Minnesota to an impressive 11-2 record — the program’s best mark since former coach Henry L. Williams finished 13-0 and won the national championship in 1904 — the Gophers have embraced running the football as their primary identity. And over the last five years, from 2019-23, Fleck’s offense has enjoyed an average ranking of 39th nationally in rushing yards per game. This year, however, the run game has regressed significantly, falling all the way to 114th nationally after carrying the ball 25 times for just 38 yards against Michigan. It’s still unclear what the identity of this year’s team will be.

17. UCLA (1-3 overall, 0-2 Big Ten)

Result: 34-13 home loss to No. 8 Oregon

A disjointed and largely ineffective UCLA offense reached its nadir on Saturday night when the Bruins failed to score an offensive touchdown against Oregon. The 13 points that UCLA managed came via two field goals and a lengthy interception return for a touchdown. Quarterbacks Ethan Garbers and Justyn Martin combined to average just 5.2 yards per attempt. The Bruins’ stable of runners only managed to grind out two yards per carry on 24 attempts. And now UCLA has sunk to 127th in total offense ahead of a difficult road game against No. 7 Penn State. 

18. Purdue (1-3 overall, 0-1 Big Ten)

Result: 28-10 home loss to Nebraska

Here’s all that needs to be said about Purdue: At 7 p.m. on Sunday evening, head coach Ryan Walters announced the firing of offensive coordinator Graham Harrell barely a month into the regular season. The Boilermakers have scored just 38 points in their last three games combined and rank outside the top 100 nationally in total offense (110th), scoring offense (t-104th) and passing offense (110th).

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.

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