Big Ten Football Week 9 Power Rankings: Illinois, Wisconsin Are Surging

The Illini are looking good after beating Michigan, but national No. 1 Oregon awaits them next

Steven Greenberg | Oct 20, 2024

Oct 19, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; The Illinois Marching Illini Band and Flag Corps, perform in front of the Red Grange statue on the 100th anniversary of the opening of Memorial Stadium before kickoff of the Illinois Fighting Illini and Michigan Wolverines game at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

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Two of the Big Ten’s biggest boppers – Penn State and Ohio State – were off in Week 8, but that doesn’t mean the league had a quiet weekend.

Quite the opposite, in fact. Illinois’ win against Michigan was an attention getter. Michigan State’s upset of Iowa was another. Maryland rallied excitingly to sneak past USC – are the Trojans cursed? – and Wisconsin’s defense stayed ridiculously hot.

There’s some good stuff going on as we head into Week 9. Some bad stuff, too. Let’s take it from the bottom (all game times Central):

Something special happening in Champaign. #Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/kom7rmHCBx
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) October 20, 2024

18. PURDUE (1-6, 0-4)

The Boilermakers might as well not have shown up for a 35-0 loss to Oregon on the Friday-night FOX stage. On the bright side, they managed to avoid defeat on Saturday.

Polls: N/A.

Next up: Nov. 2 vs. Northwestern.

17. UCLA (2-5, 1-4)

Props to the Bruins for winning their first Big Ten game ever at Rutgers, which is kind of like having your first kiss ever with a cordless Hoover in the vacuum aisle.

Polls: N/A.

Next up: Nov. 2 at Nebraska.

16. RUTGERS (4-3, 1-3)

Yes, we still have the Scarlet Knights ahead of the Bruins. Those wins against Virginia Tech and Washington might not seem like big deals anymore – and they aren’t – but they have to count for something.

Polls: N/A.

Next up: Friday at USC (10 p.m., FOX).

The block heard around the world 🚫🌎 pic.twitter.com/EkVFhWGyHk
— Maryland Football (@TerpsFootball) October 20, 2024

15. MARYLAND (4-3, 1-3)

Get blown out by Northwestern by four touchdowns one week, beat USC the next. Same field, same sport, same Terps – go figure.

Polls: N/A.

Next up: Saturday at Minnesota (2:30 p.m., FS1).

14. NORTHWESTERN (3-4, 1-3)

Is it too late for coach David Braun and offensive coordinator Zach Lujan to reconsider absurdly trying to throw the ball from their own 8-yard line with 47 seconds left in the first half against Wisconsin?

Polls: N/A.

Next up: Saturday at Iowa (2:30 p.m., BTN).

13. USC (3-4, 1-4)

Death, taxes and the Trojans blowing it in the fourth quarter. And not necessarily in that order.

Polls: N/A.

Next up: Friday vs. Rutgers (10 p.m., FOX).

12. NEBRASKA (5-2, 2-2)

And then Indiana 56, Nebraska 7 happened. Will anyone other than the single AP voter who inexplicably kept the Huskers on their top 25 ballot ever look at them the same again?

Polls: No. 31 AP, No. 35 coaches.

Next up: Saturday at Ohio State (11 a.m., FOX).

Back on track. pic.twitter.com/aqfAZKKVSg
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) October 20, 2024

11. MICHIGAN STATE (4-3, 2-2)

Take that, Iowa. Who knew Sparty had it in them? Winning the next one – a rather serious rivalry affair – suddenly seems quite possible.

Polls: N/A.

Next up: Saturday at Michigan (6:30 p.m., BTN).

10. MICHIGAN (4-3, 2-2)

From national champs to not receiving a single vote in either of the two major polls? We all figured you’d fall off a bit, Wolverines, but what you’ve done is called overcorrecting.

Polls: N/A.

Next up: Saturday vs. Michigan State (6:30 p.m., BTN).

9. MINNESOTA (4-3, 2-2)

A killer pass defense – led by sensational freshman Koi Perich, who has four interceptions – is keeping the Gophers relevant.

Polls: N/A.

Next up: Saturday vs. Maryland (2:30 p.m., FS1).

8. WASHINGTON (4-3, 2-2)

Take the weekend off, move up three spots. Sometimes life is good that way.

Polls: N/A.

Next up: Saturday at Indiana (11 a.m., BTN).

7. IOWA (4-3, 2-2)

A week ago, we said 10-2 was possible. That was so clueless, it qualified us for a turn as Hawkeyes offensive coordinator.

Polls: N/A.

Next up: Saturday vs. Northwestern (2:30 p.m., BTN).

great lake day 😎🌊 pic.twitter.com/PFilPDRqCV
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) October 20, 2024

6. WISCONSIN (5-2, 3-1)

The Badgers have scored 117 points over their last three games, which is mighty nice. They’ve allowed 16, which is even more encouraging. This weekend, it all ramps up big-time.

Polls: No. 32 coaches.

Next up: Saturday vs. Penn State (6:30 p.m., NBC).

5. ILLINOIS (6-1, 3-1)

The Illini have managed to put themselves in the conversation. Fortunately or unfortunately, that means a heck of a lot of eyeballs will be on their next game.

Polls: No. 20 AP, No. 21 coaches.

Next up: Saturday at Oregon (2:30 p.m., CBS).

4. INDIANA (7-0, 4-0)

You know what the Hoosiers can say that no other Power 4 squad can? They’ve yet to trail – even for a second – in a game. Talk about their schedule all you want, that’s still wildly impressive.

Polls: No. 13 AP, No. 13 coaches.

Next up: Saturday vs. Washington (11 a.m., BTN).

3. PENN STATE (6-0, 3-0)

The sooner running back Nicholas Singleton gets back to full speed, the better. Until then, this team still has zero glaring weaknesses.

Polls: No. 3 AP, No. 3 coaches.

Next up: Saturday at Wisconsin (6:30 p.m., NBC).

2. OHIO STATE (5-1, 2-1)

The loss at Oregon is behind the Buckeyes. From here, they’re all about going 9-0. Yes, that would mean winning the national title, in case you were struggling with the math.

Polls: No. 4 AP, No. 4 coaches.

Next up: Saturday vs. Nebraska (11 a.m., FOX).

1. OREGON (7-0, 4-0)

No. 1 in the Big Ten, No. 1 in the country. It must be nice.

Polls: No. 1 AP, No. 1 coaches.

Next up: Saturday vs. Illinois (2:30 p.m., CBS).

7-0. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/DDZqAmBzCc
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) October 20, 2024