2024 Big Ten power rankings: Ohio State, Oregon set up huge showdown

Michael Cohen

College Football and College Basketball Writer

Entering Week 6, there were four Big Ten teams who needed to handle their business against overmatched opponents to set up a pair of new-age conference showdowns for the ages on Oct. 12, a pivotal day on the college football calendar:

— No. 3 Ohio State needed to dispose of Iowa, which it did with relative ease in a 35-7 victory that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.

— No. 6 Oregon needed to brush aside Michigan State, which it did fairly comfortably in a 31-10 win on Friday night.

Now those two undefeated programs will face off on Saturday night in one of the most highly anticipated games of the season that could foreshadow the league’s championship game later this fall.

— No. 7 Penn State needed to stiff arm an undermanned UCLA, which it did with a smothering defensive effort in a 27-11 victory.

— And No. 11 USC needed to out-tough Minnesota, which it failed to do during a stunning 24-17 defeat in Minneapolis.

Now the Trojans must regroup and refocus before welcoming the Nittany Lions to Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon. Suffering a third conference loss before mid-October would all but end USC’s hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff.

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

Elsewhere, undefeated Indiana continued its unfathomable climb up the rankings while the defending national champions from Michigan were upended in a raucous atmosphere at Washington. Nebraska outlasted Rutgers in a battle of upstart programs, and Purdue — well — it’s almost basketball season for the Boilermakers.

Here’s a fresh batch of Big Ten Power Rankings following Week 6:

1. Ohio State (5-0 overall, 2-0 Big Ten)

Result: 35-7 home win over Iowa

The Buckeyes built a 35-0 lead before Iowa finally reached the end zone with 8:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, by which point Ohio State had pulled its starters and was content with coasting toward an easy win. A sterling defensive performance limited Hawkeyes quarterback Cade McNamara, who beat Ohio State when he was at Michigan in 2021, to fewer than 100 passing yards and forced him to commit three turnovers (two fumbles, one interception) while also tallying four sacks. The wide receiver duo of Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka combined to make 13 catches for 160 yards and four touchdowns as quarterback Will Howard completed 21 of 25 passes for 209 yards and produced five total scores. A balanced offensive outing from the Buckeyes featured a near 50-50 split between the aerial attack led by Howard and the ground attack (203 yards) in which tailbacks Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson both averaged at least 5.5 yards per carry. Ohio State travels to Oregon later this week for what might be its most difficult game of the season.

2. Oregon (5-0 overall, 2-0 Big Ten)

Result: 31-10 home win over Michigan State

The Ducks leapfrog Penn State for the No. 2 spot in our Big Ten Power Rankings after another comprehensive victory over a Big Ten foe. Oregon’s defense has now limited four of its five opponents to 14 points or fewer this season and ranks 21st nationally in scoring defense at 17 points per game. The only team to exceed 14 points against the Ducks was Boise State, which continues to blossom into one of the best offenses in the country behind tailback Ashton Jeanty, a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate who has already surpassed 1,000 rushing yards this season. Oregon’s own running back, Jordan James, enjoyed his best outing of the year against the Spartans by carrying 24 times for a season-high 166 yards and a score in his second straight 100-yard effort. James’ effectiveness was a major reason why the Ducks converted eight of 14 times on third and fourth down combined as they stayed ahead of the chains throughout the game. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel chipped in with three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing), though he did toss a pair of red zone interceptions.

Dan Lanning previews Oregon vs. Ohio State

3. Penn State (5-0 overall, 2-0 Big Ten)

Result: 27-11 home win over UCLA

This was a game the Nittany Lions’ defense would have expected to dominate as a struggling UCLA team traveled thousands of miles without the services of its starting quarterback, starting center and leading receiver — and that’s exactly what defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s unit did. A talented Penn State front seven sliced into the Bruins’ backfield time and time again on Saturday to the tune of seven tackles for loss and two sacks, limiting the run-heavy Bruins to just 93 rushing yards on 29 attempts (3.2 yards per carry). And a secondary anchored by safeties Zakee Wheatley and Jaylen Reed limited starting quarterback Justyn Martin, a former four-star recruit, to a series of swing passes and checkdowns. Wideout Logan Loya was the only UCLA receiver to catch a pass longer than 12 yards. Penn State’s own offense was limited by the absence of starting tailback Nicholas Singleton, who was in pads along the sidelined but did not play. Backup rusher Kaytron Allen carried 21 times for 78 yards and a score. The Nittany Lions will travel to USC later this week.

Highlights: Penn State handles UCLA

4. Indiana (6-0 overall, 3-0 Big Ten)

Result: 41-24 road win over Northwestern

While it’s true that the Hoosiers still haven’t played anyone remotely close to a ranked opponent, a sixth blowout victory in as many weeks can’t be ignored amid a conference rife with unpredictability beyond the top few teams. Indiana has now matched its best start to a season in program history by equaling the 1967 squad that also began 6-0, and it did so by exceeding 40 points for a fifth consecutive game. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke, formerly of Ohio, appears to be one of the best transfer portal additions of the offseason after posting his second consecutive 300-yard game and third of the season overall, this time completing 25 of 33 passes for 380 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He now ranks fifth nationally and first in the Big Ten with 1,752 passing yards and is tied for ninth in the country with 14 passing touchdowns. After becoming the first team in the country to reach bowl eligibility, Indiana will enjoy a bye week before back-to-back home games against Nebraska and Washington, both of which are winnable for a team ranked third nationally in scoring at more than 47 points per game.

5. Nebraska (5-1 overall, 2-1 Big Ten)

Result: 14-7 home win over Rutgers

Nebraska outlasted the Scarlet Knights on an afternoon when unusual weather conditions played a significant role in how the game unfolded. Swirling winds and a game-time temperature of 97 degrees — the hottest ever for an October kickoff at Memorial Stadium — produced a defensive battle in which the Cornhuskers never scored in the second half and Rutgers didn’t score until there were fewer than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Nebraska’s defense only allowed two third-down conversions on 14 attempts and intercepted quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis twice to maintain control of the game. True freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola endured his least-effective outing of the season and only completed 13 of 27 passes for 134 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. He was also sacked four times and finished with minus-32 rushing yards. The Cornhuskers travel to No. 18 Indiana this weekend for a critical game between programs on the rise.

Highlights: Nebraska shuts down Rutgers

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

Result: Idle

The Illini had a week to recover from a hard-fought loss to then-No. 9 Penn State after starting the season 4-0. Now head coach Bret Bielema and his team should cruise against lowly Purdue on Saturday before a difficult set of games against No. 24 Michigan (home) and No. 3 Oregon (away) to end the month.

7. Washington (4-2 overall, 2-1 Big Ten)

Result: 27-17 home win over No. 10 Michigan

In a rematch of last year’s national championship game — albeit with new head coaches, new quarterbacks and scores of new starters for each team — the Huskies exacted their revenge on the defending champions by scoring 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. An improved Washington defense forced quarterback Jack Tuttle to commit two costly turnovers in his first game of the season (one lost fumble, one interception) and limited the Wolverines’ passing attack to just 113 yards. The largely ineffective duo of Tuttle and Alex Orji, who started and was later benched, came nowhere close to matching the efficiency of Washington’s quarterback platoon. Head coach Jedd Fisch mixed and matched starter Will Rogers (21-of-31 for 271 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) with ultra-athletic backup Demond Williams Jr. (2-of-2 for 44 yards, five carries for 20 yards) as the Huskies racked up 429 yards of total offense to out-gain Michigan by more than 140 yards.

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

Result: 27-17 road loss to Washington

With his team trailing 14-0 early in the second quarter and his starting quarterback, Alex Orji, having only completed three passes for 15 yards, Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore turned to his third signal-caller of the season. Former Indiana transfer Jack Tuttle, a seventh-year senior, made his season debut after missing large chunks of the spring, summer and fall while recovering from elbow surgery to address a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm. And while it was immediately clear that Tuttle is the Wolverines’ most capable thrower — he did things like climb the pocket and read through progressions in ways that Orji and opening-day starter Davis Warren have not — he still turned the ball over twice (one interception, one fumble) and only threw for 98 yards. That wasn’t enough to keep pace on a night when Michigan’s defense, which now ranks 115th nationally against the pass (259.8 yards per game), struggled to contain a talented receiving corps from Washington.

Michigan & USC lose in big upsets

9. Rutgers (4-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten)

Result: 14-7 road loss to Nebraska

A stout and unwavering Nebraska run defense limited the run-heavy Rutgers offense to just 2.4 yards per carry on 32 attempts as tailback Kyle Monangai, who entered as the nation’s third-leading rusher, only produced a season-low 78 yards and failed to reach the end zone for the first time all year. The Scarlet Knights began three possessions on the Cornhuskers’ side of the field in the opening three quarters and failed to score a single point, ultimately giving the ball away on an interception, a turnover on downs and a punt, respectively. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis had gone nearly a month without throwing an interception before tossing a season-high two picks against the Cornhuskers on back-to-back drives in the first half. The Scarlet Knights finished a combined 4-for-20 on third and fourth down combined while only averaging 3.8 yards per play throughout the game. Rutgers hosts winnable games against Wisconsin and UCLA in the next two weeks before a difficult trip to USC later this month.

10. USC (3-2 overall, 1-2 Big Ten)

Result: 24-17 road loss to Minnesota

The Trojans entered the fourth quarter leading 17-10 before surrendering 14 unanswered points to suffer a stinging defeat to Minnesota, which entered the weekend having lost back-to-back games. Quarterback Miller Moss completed 23 of 38 passes for a season-low 200 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in the first multi-INT game of his career. Moss’ longest completion of the game only gained 18 yards as USC’s offense lacked any kind of vertical threat against a Minnesota secondary that is No. 1 in the country for passing defense (114 yards per game). That the Trojans were once again out-toughed and out-muscled in the trenches must be highly concerning for head coach Lincoln Riley, who is now 22-10 in his first 32 games with the program. Riley’s predecessor, Clay Helton, was 23-9 in his first 32 games at USC. Now the Trojans face No. 4 Penn State in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon.

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

Result: 35-7 road loss to No. 3 Ohio State

Iowa’s defense limited the high-flying Buckeyes to just seven points in the first half before eventually succumbing to a third-quarter onslaught. The Hawkeyes surrendered three touchdowns in fewer than 10 minutes of game time as Ohio State receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka both found the end zone and quarterback Will Howard added another touchdown with his legs to break things open. There was only so much that defensive coordinator Phil Parker and his unit could do on an afternoon when the Iowa offense only threw for 110 yards and star tailback Kaleb Johnson — who entered the game as the nation’s second-leading rusher behind Ashton Jeanty of Boise State — was limited to 86 yards and a touchdown, with most of that production coming in the fourth quarter as Ohio State removed its starters. The Hawkeyes have now slipped to 127th nationally in passing offense at 140 yards per game. They will host Washington this weekend.

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

Result: 52-6 home win over Purdue

Facing lowly Purdue was a nice way for Wisconsin to rebound from back-to-back losses against then-No. 4 Alabama and then-No. 13 USC. The Badgers exploded for a season-high 52 points and nearly 600 yards of total offense in an overwhelming second-half deluge. After punting on its opening two possessions, Wisconsin proceeded to reach the end zone seven times in the span of nine drives as quarterback Braedyn Locke completed 20 of 31 passes for 359 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Wideout Trech Kekahuna caught six passes for 134 yards and two scores — all career highs — after entering the game having only made eight catches for 106 yards as a Badger. A rushing attack anchored by Oklahoma transfer Tawee Walker (19 carries, 94 yards, 3 TDs) averaged more than 5.6 yards per carry while out-gaining the Boilermakers 228-99 on the ground.

Highlights: Wisconsin compiles nearly 600 yards of offense in rout

13. Minnesota (3-3 overall, 1-2 Big Ten)

Result: 24-17 home win over No. 11 USC

Head coach P.J. Fleck declared that Minnesota was the best 2-3 team in the country after his Gophers came from behind to score a massive upset over USC. Fleck’s group tied the game on a five-yard touchdown run from quarterback Max Brosmer with 7:08 remaining in the fourth quarter and then orchestrated a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in which Brosmer barreled in on fourth down for the winning score in the final minute. Though Brosmer accounted for all three of Minnesota’s touchdowns, it was tailback Darius Taylor who shouldered most of the work by carrying 25 times for 144 yards against a subpar USC defensive line. Taylor also finished as the Gophers’ leading receiver with five catches for a season-high 56 yards.

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

Result: 31-10 road loss to No. 6 Oregon

The Spartans fell behind 21-0 at halftime and trailed 31-0 early in the fourth quarter before finally adding two late scores that made the final margin more respectable. A fumble on Michigan State’s promising opening possession gave way to six punts in the next seven drives — the only exception was a kneel down to end the first half — as an improving Oregon defense began to impose its will. The Spartans only converted twice on 11 third-down attempts and were outgained 477-250 in total yardage.

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

Result: Idle

The bye week came at an opportune time for a Maryland team that had slipped to 0-2 in Big Ten play. Now the Terrapins host a winnable game against Northwestern on Saturday before welcoming USC to College Park the following weekend.

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

Result: 41-24 home loss to No. 23 Indiana

Considering the impressive margins from some of Indiana’s victories this season, a 17-point defeat was better than what some Northwestern fans might have expected. The Wildcats’ offense played well enough to keep them in contention behind 243 passing yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Jack Lausch, but the defense was gashed from start to finish. Northwestern surrendered 529 yards of total offense, including 380 through the air, and was unable to force a turnover.

17. UCLA (1-4 overall, 0-3 Big Ten)

Result: 27-11 road loss to No. 7 Penn State

It’s hard for any team to win a football game without its starting quarterback, starting center and No. 1 wide receiver. It’s especially difficult when the opponent (Penn State) is one of the best teams in the country and the environment (Beaver Stadium) is among the most hostile. UCLA kept the game respectable through halftime but never came close to threatening the Nittany Lions in what finished as the Bruins’ fourth consecutive loss.

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

Result: 52-6 road loss to Wisconsin

Firing the offensive coordinator didn’t seem to matter for a Purdue offense that only generated 216 yards, lost two fumbles and finished 1-for-11 on third down in yet another blowout loss. The Boilermakers have been outscored 184-44 since their season-opening win over Indiana State.

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