Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 4

Ohio State keeps the top spot and Michigan takes another huge tumble after an embarrassing loss to Wisconsin.

We hinted last week that we thought Michigan, for some reason our preseason No. 1 pick, might be a fraud, and it was proven in big way Saturday when the Wolverines got pounded at Wisconsin, 35-14.

There was a time with just a few minutes to go in the third quarter that Michigan was losing 35-0, and a few garbage touchdowns that followed against the Wisconsin backups don’t mean anything. The Wolverines have gone from No. 1 to No. 3 to No. 7 in just a few weeks, and I was half-tempted to drop them all the way to No. 14, that’s how disgusted I am with that team.

Ohio State holds down the top spot after another impressive performance. Michigan State moved up two spots after a nice win at Northwestern, and we're looking forward to having six conference games on the schedule this week.

Here are my rankings after the games of Sept. 21, with last week’s ranking and this week’s opponent included:

1. Ohio State (4-0)      ***      Last week: 1

Last week: Beat Miami-Ohio 76-5

This week: Ohio State at Nebraska (3-1), 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: ABC)

The skinny: It’s almost comical that Miami led this game 5-0 halfway through the first quarter and some fools on Twitter were talking potential upset. Once the Buckeyes settled down, they reeled off 76 unanswered points. That second quarter, where Ohio State scored six touchdowns, was definitely the most impressive 15 minutes of football played in the Big Ten so far this season. Quarterback Justin Fields threw for four touchdowns and ran for two more in that quarter, the first time I can ever remember one guy accounting for six touchdowns in one quarter.

2. Wisconsin (3-0)      ***      Last week: 2

Last week: Beat Michigan 35-14

This week: Northwestern (1-2) at Wisconsin, Noon ET (TV: ABC)

The skinny: It would be easy to put the Badgers at No. 1 if it wasn’t for Ohio State’s greatness so far. They simply crushed Michigan, leading 35-0 late in the third quarter. At that moment, Wisconsin had outscored their first three opponents 145-0. That’s really something. This team is really something, and I again firmly admit I totally whiffed on them in the preseason.

3. Penn State (3-0)      ***     Last week: 4

Last week: Bye week

This week: Penn State at Maryland (2-1), Friday 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: FS1)

The skinny: Penn State moves up a notch after Michigan’s loss without even playing a game. The Nittany Lions have looked good so far, so it’s going to be interesting to see them head on the road on Friday night against Maryland. The Terps could be a challenge at home, especially in this stand-alone Friday night game.

4. Iowa (3-0) *** Last week: 5

Last week: Bye week

This week: Middle Tennessee (1-2) at Iowa, Noon ET (TV: ESPN2)

The skinny: Iowa bumps up a notch too, and then is the only Big Ten team this weekend playing a nonconference game. The Hawkeyes shouldn’t have any trouble with Middle Tennesee, and they’ve been sharp enough so far. I’m not entirely sold on them being a top-four team in the league yet, but they haven’t stumbled so I’ll stick with them, especially with that stout defense and a veteran quarterback in Nate Stanley.

5. Michigan State (3-1)      ***      Last week: 7

Last week: Beat Northwestern 31-10

This week: Indiana (3-1) at Michigan State, 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: BTN)

The skinny: We had questions about this Michigan State offense once again after that ugly 10-7 loss to Arizona State, but they answered in a big way on the road with an impressive win at Northwestern. The yardage total wasn’t all that great — just 228 yards passing and 109 rushing — but quarterback Brian Lewerke was great in the red zone, throwing three touchdown passes of 11, 8 and 7 yards.

6. Minnesota (3-0)      ***      Last week: 8

Last week: Bye week

This week: Minnesota at Purdue (1-2), 3:30 p.m. ET, (TV: ESPN2)

The skinny: The Gophers had a bye week and moved up a couple of notches, but they still seem like the Big Ten’s least impressive unbeaten team. It’s going to be interesting to see how they look with Big Ten play starting for them this weekend on the road at Purdue.

7. Michigan (2-1)      ***      Last week's ranking: 3

Last week: Lost to Wisconsin 35-14

This week: Rutgers (1-2) at Michigan, Noon ET (TV: BTN)

The skinny: Michigan is a mess right now, a compete dumpster fire. I was actually going to drop them even further — like maybe No. 10 or so — but figured we’ll give them more time to figure it out. Who could have ever guessed that Michigan would be this bad five years into the Jim Harbaugh era? This one is a total shocker to me.

8. Nebraska (3-1)      ***      Last week: 6

Last week: Beat Illinois 42-38

This week: Ohio State (4-0) at Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: ABC)

The skinny: It’s very rare that you win a Big Ten game on the road and still drop a couple of spots in the rankings, but that’s what happened to the Cornhuskers. They were trailing Illinois by two touchdowns late in the third quarter before rallying for the win. This team still has way too many questions marks for me, and with Ohio State coming to town, Saturday night could get real ugly.

9. Indiana (3-1)     ***     Last week: 10

Last week: Beat Connecticut 38-3

This week: Indiana at Michigan State (3-1), 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: BTN)

The skinny: Indiana bounced back nicely from the blowout against Ohio State, beating Connecticut by 35 and playing well on both sides of the ball. The Hoosiers are still a very hard team to figure out, winning two games by a combined 90-3 around the 41-point loss to the Buckeyes. It’s going to be interesting to see what they bring to the table next Saturday at Michigan State.

10. Maryland (2-1) *** Last week: 11

Last week: Bye week

This week: Penn State (3-0) at Maryland, Friday 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: FS1)

The skinny: Maryland has been great at home so far this season, so the Nittany Lions will need to be on upset alert in this rare standalone Friday night game at College Park. The Terps laid an egg two weeks ago at Temple, so it’s going to be interesting to see how they bounce back after a bye week.

11. Purdue (1-2)      ***     Last week: 12

Last week: Bye week

This week: Minnesota (3-0) at Purdue, 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN2)

The skinny: Here’s to hoping that the bye week has been good to Purdue quarterback Elijah Sindelar and that his concussion symptoms are behind them. If they are, the Boilermakers can make some noise in the Big Ten West, starting with Saturday against the Minnesota team that we still have doubts about. If not, I’m concerned.

12. Northwestern (1-2) *** Last week: 9

Last week: Lost to Michigan State 31-10

This week: Northwestern at Wisconsin (3-0), Noon ET (TV: ABC)

The skinny: The Wildcats proved a little bit that you can run on Michigan State, but the passing game under Hunter Johnson was a disaster in the 31-10 loss. The defending Big Ten West champs have all sorts of issues right now, and going to Madison to meet the Badgers isn’t the best place to find answers.

13. Illinois (2-2)      ***      Last week: 13

Last week: Lost to Nebraska 42-38

This week: Bye week

The skinny: What a heartbreaking loss for the Illini after leading all night long against Nebraska and even still holding a two-touchdown lead late in the third quarter before completely falling apart. The Illini really need a signature win and for the longest time, this looked like it might be the one. Same ol’ Illini though down the stretch.

14. Rutgers (1-2)      ***      Last week 14

Last week: Lost to Boston College 30-16

This week: Rutgers at Michigan (2-1), Noon ET (TV: BTN)

The skinny: I guess this is the best possible time for Rutgers to face a Michigan team that’s been crushing them lately. Michigan is a mess, but I’m not sure the Scarlet Knights can contribute to their woes any further. But, at least the timing is right.

What do you think about our power rankings? Please feel free to comment below and share this story with your friends.

Follow Tom Brew on Twitter @tombrewsports