McMaster's Big Ten Football Power Rankings After Week 2

Now that the season has had a couple of weeks play out for most teams, Matt McMaster has released his first Big Ten Football Power Rankings.

Nebraska wide receiver Jaylen Lloyd celebrates a Husker first down against Colorado. / Amarillo Mullen

Now that the season has had a couple of weeks play out for most teams, Matt McMaster has released his first Big Ten Football Power Rankings.

18. UCLA (1-0)

Aug 31, 2024; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive back K.J. Wallace (7) can’t pull in an interception over Hawaii Rainbow Warriors wide receiver Pofele Ashlock (5) during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. / Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

The Bruins looked terrible in their three-point win at Hawai'i.

Week 2: OFF
Week 3: vs. Indiana

17. Northwestern (1-1)

Sep 6, 2024; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Duke Blue Devils linebacker Tre Freeman (12) tries to tackle Northwestern Wildcats quarterback Mike Wright (5) during the first half at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium. / David Banks-Imagn Images

The Wildcat defense looks really good, but the offense is the opposite story. Despite having solid weapons and a serviceable offensive line they have the worst QB situation in the conference. After Mike Wright’s abysmal performance against Duke, which cost them the game, David Braun is replacing him with redshirt sophomore gunslinger Jack Lausch.

Week 2: LOSS 26-20 vs. Duke (OT)
Week 3: vs. Eastern Illinois

16. Maryland (1-1)

Sep 7, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Tai Felton (10) runs after a catch during the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at SECU Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Terrapins bludgeoned UConn but couldn’t carry that momentum into last week's game against Michigan State.

Week 2: LOSS 27-24 vs. Michigan State
Week 3: at Virginia

15. Minnesota (1-1)

Sep 7, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers linebacker Matt Kingsbury (49) celebrates his teams win against the Rhode Island Rams after the game at Huntington Bank Stadium. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Golden Gophers bounced back after a tough loss to North Carolina but still have work to do to climb these rankings.


Week 2: WIN 48-0 vs. Rhode Island
Week 3: vs. Nevada

14. Purdue (1-0)

Purdue Boilermakers defensive end Will Heldt (15) celebrates with Purdue Boilermakers defensive lineman Damarjhe Lewis (34) Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, during the NCAA football game at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Boilermakers have their first true test of the season when they welcome the No. 18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish this Saturday.

Week 2: OFF
Week 3: vs. No. 18 Notre Dame

13. Michigan State (2-0)

Sep 7, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Michigan State Spartans place kicker Jonathan Kim (97) reactors after making the eventual game winning field goal against the Maryland Terrapins during the second half at SECU Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

For a team whose win total to begin the season was set at 4.5, the Spartans have been impressive. They held off a competitive Florida Atlantic team in week one and then went to Maryland as an eight-point underdog and got the win. It’s hard to get overly excited about this MSU squad, but they’ve surprised many to begin the year.

Week 2: WIN 27-24 at Maryland
Week 3: vs. Prairie View A&M

12. Wisconsin (2-0)

Despite starting the season perfect, the Badgers have been unimpressive in their wins against Western Michigan and South Dakota. At the end of the day, I don’t think quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has the ability to run Luke Fickell’s offense.


Week 2: WIN 27-13 vs. South Dakota
Week 3: vs. No. 4 Alabama

11. Indiana (2-0)

Indiana's Mikail Kamara (6) sacks Western Illinois' Nathan Lamb (12) during the Indiana versus Western Illinois football game at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Looked good against lesser opponents.

Week 2: WIN 77-3 vs. Western Illinois
Week 3: at UCLA

10. Washington (2-0)

Sep 7, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies running back Adam Mohammed (24) carries the ball against the Eastern Michigan Eagles during the second half at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Same as Indiana.

Week 2: WIN 30-9 vs. Eastern Michigan
Week 3: vs. Washington State

9. Iowa (1-1)

Iowa State’s Kyle Konrardy (97) kicks the game-winning field goal against Iowa during Saturday's Cy-Hawk game at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. / Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Nothing to say other than it’s the same old, same old for the Hawkeyes. Running back Kaleb Johnson is great, but Iowa’s incredible defense is still being let down by poor quarterback play.

Week 2: LOSS 20-19 vs. Iowa State
Week 3: vs. Troy

8. Illinois (2-0)

Sep 7, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Kansas Jayhawks cornerback Mello Dotson (3) pursues Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) during the second half at Memorial Stadium. / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Illinois is the definition of a Bret Bielema team. They’re tough, hard nosed, and disciplined. Quarterback Luke Altmeyer is much improved from last season, and this defense is on par with some of the best in the Big Ten.

Week 2: WIN 23-17 vs. No. 19 Kansas
Week 3: vs. Central Michigan

7. Nebraska (2-0)

Sep 7, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Dante Dowdell (23) jumps over the pile for a first down against the Colorado Buffaloes during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The defense picked up where it left off from last season, and true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola is playing well above his years. After the Huskers' 28-10 victory over Colorado, they’re rightfully ranked in the top half this week.

Week 2: WIN 48-10 vs. Colorado
Week 3: vs. Northern Iowa

6. Rutgers (2-0)

Aug 29, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Ajani Sheppard (15) looks to hand off to running back Antwan Raymond (21) during the second half at SHI Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

This is a tough football team. The Scarlet Knights have above-average lines on both sides of the ball and have Doak Walker Award hopeful Kyle Monongai in their backfield. If quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis can continue to improve, Rutgers will see a number by its name this season.

Week 2: WIN 49-17 vs. Akron
Week 3: OFF

5. Michigan (1-1)

Sep 7, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Quintrevion Wisner (26) rushes in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

It’s been a tough start for the defending champs after being obliterated 31-12 at the hands of the Texas Longhorns. It goes without saying that this is not the Wolverines of last season, but Sherrone Moore and Michigan need to rediscover their identity quickly if they’re to make it back to the College Football Playoff.

Week 2: LOSS 31-12 vs. No. 3 Texas
Week 3: vs. Arkansas State

4. Oregon (2-0)

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel scrambles with the ball as the Oregon Ducks host the Boise State Broncos Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Ducks have stumbled out of the gates but still have two wins. They nearly were victims to one of the biggest upsets in college football history to Idaho and nearly lost to - albeit a solid team - Boise State. With how much talent and good coaching this team has, the Ducks' margin of victory through two weeks should be way higher than 13.

Week 2: WIN 37-34 vs. Boise State
Week 3: at Oregon State

3. Penn State (2-0)

Sep 7, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Bowling Green Falcons at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Bowling Green 34-27. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

I’ll give Bowling Green a ton of credit. They gave the Nittany Lions a run for their money in one of the toughest places to play in the country, but Penn State’s defense buckled down in the second half and got the job done. I was more encouraged by Drew Allar’s performance against West Virginia, but he still stands as one of the three best quarterbacks in the conference. Their running back Nick Singleton is a superstar who has run for 233 yards in 26 attempts (8.9 YPC) through two games.

Week 2: WIN 34-27 vs. Bowling Green
Week 3: vs. OFF

2. USC (2-0)

Sep 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) scores a touchdown against the Utah State Aggies during the fourth quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

The Trojan defense is the surprise of the season in college football. Lincoln Riley did a stellar job bolstering his defensive coaching staff with former UCLA defensive coordinator D’anton Lynn at the same position and former North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz as the linebackers coach. They, along with the rest of the defensive staff, have unlocked the tremendous amount of talent they have on that end of the ball. USC currently has the best win in the conference with a 27-20 victory over LSU in week 1.

Week 2: WIN 48-0 vs. Utah State
Week 3: OFF

1. Ohio State (2-0)

Sept. 7, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) sings “Carmen Ohio” with teammates following a 56-0 win over Western Michigan on Saturday at Ohio Stadium. / Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Buckeyes have played no one but are handling business. They’ve outscored their opponents 108-6 and haven't allowed a touchdown. They’re not only the best team in the conference but the best team in the nation.

Week 2: WIN 56-0 vs. Western Michigan
Week 3: OFF

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