The Big Ten has had plenty of show-off opportunities, some of the teams have taken advantage of big games. Others have stumbled against inferior opponents. One thing is for sure, this 18-team conference is going to be a gauntlet once again. To kick off our weekly Big Ten Power Rankings, it’s no surprise who’s at the top of the rankings. They have been the power in this league for each of the past several years. As for the rest of the league, it’s far and between one of the toughest in the country. Let’s dive into our Big Ten Power Rankings.
Big Ten Power Rankings: Purdue Stronghold at the Top
18. Washington 3-1
This isn’t a set-in-stone spot, as thus far, all the teams have only one loss to their name. Though the Huskies have flirted with disaster to this point. A six-point win against UC Davis, wasn’t that impressive, and to lose against Nevada by 10 isn’t going to help them in the long run. A five-point victory over UMass Lowell isn’t going to cut it either. A win’s a win, but that margin isn’t going to bode well down the line 1in the metrics. They got some work to do, and get some has to step up and help Great Osobor.
17. Minnesota 3-1
The Gophers could easily be flipped with Washington, as they have had some rough performances en route to a 3-1 start. With many questioning Head Coach Ben Johnson, Minnesota picked up a nice rebound win against Yale, after a three-point loss on their home floor against North Texas. Dawson Garcia is a great player but he cannot do everything for the Gophers.
16. USC 3-1
The Trojans started hot, with three straight wins against Chattanooga, Idaho State, and UT Arlington. That game with the Mavericks started to show some problems for USC. Their troubles continued, as they came back to reality against the Cal Golden Bears. Desmond Claude continues to shine, but he wasn’t enough as the Trojans fell 71-66 against their old Pac-12 rival.
15. Northwestern 3-1
The Wildcats have plenty of players to make noise again in the Big Ten this season. Nick Martinelli is becoming a stud every game. Since losing against Dayton, Northwestern has piled together some wins, but they aren’t quite covering the spreads like they need to. A nine-point win against UIC wasn’t impressive, and needing overtime to shake off Eastern Illinois, has me rethinking the Wildcats’ chances this season.
14. Michigan 3-1
Dusty May’s Wolverines are heading in the right direction thus far. Anything is better than their 8-24 record from 2023-24. His team is gelling, and since blowing a seven-point lead against Wake Forest, Michigan has responded with back-to-back convincing wins against TCU and Miami-Ohio. The three-point shooting is coming on for the Wolverines, and they could easily crack the top 10 of the Big Ten Power Rankings.
13. Nebraska 3-1
The Cornhuskers had their hardest game to this point, this past weekend. While they fell short against the Saint Mary’s Gaels, Nebraska is heading in the right direction. They have depth, and Coach Hoiberg is trying to get them in contention. Turnovers might be their biggest problem, as they had 15 against the Gaels. They have a huge test at Creighton coming up this week. Time will tell if they are ready to compete.
12. Iowa 4-0
The Hawkeyes have a lot of question marks across their lineup. Their defense is locked in, but they have had stretches where they have struggled to shoot the ball. Owen Freeman is one of the best second-year bigs in the league. They faced adversity late against Washington State, but they were able to pull away for a 10-point victory. It’s a 4-0 start for Iowa. Can they keep it up with their Hall of Fame Classic match-up with Utah State coming up this week?
11. Penn State 4-0
Mike Rhoades’ Nittany Lions appear to mean business this season. Penn State has scored 86 or more points in each of their games so far. That includes reaching the 100-point in each of their first two games. Virginia Tech had no answers for the Nittany Lions in their last game, as they picked up a convincing win.
10. Oregon 4-0
The Ducks needed a lot of dramatics to escape against the Portland Pilots this past week. Oregon can ill-afford to slip up. Especially with a trip to Oregon State coming up this week. The schedule gets even harder next week. This kind of non-conference slate could make or break the Ducks in their first season in the Big Ten.
9. Maryland 3-1
The Terrapins have talent, but that wasn’t enough against Marquette, this past weekend. The Golden Eagles escaped with a four-point win after Maryland struggled to make clutch free throws down the stretch. The charity stripe shooting has to get better or the Terp are in trouble.
8. UCLA 3-1
The Bruins have been a bit of a mixed bag. They have won their last two games by 31 points or more. Which was a great response to their shocking loss at the hands of New Mexico. Three-point shooting appears to be a major problem for UCLA. That is a big issue for several teams in the Big Ten.
7. Rutgers 3-0
The talent is limitless in Piscataway. Rutgers has NBA-ready players in both Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. Yet their schedule is pretty weak no offense. They have taken care of business against, Wagner, Saint Peter’s, and Monmouth. That last game against the Eagles was a lot closer than it needed to be. If the Scarlet Knights want to be taken seriously, they can’t give up 81 to Monmouth, a team fellow Big Ten team Michigan State only allowed to score 57 points.
6. Michigan State 3-1
The Spartans put up a fight at the Champions Classic against No. 1 Kansas, but it wasn’t enough. They followed it up with a closely fought match-up with Bowling Green this past weekend. Former Spartan player Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr, gave Izzo plenty of trouble as the top assistant for the Falcons. A huge double-double from Jaden Akins, and highlight dunks from Coen Carr kept MSU on the right track. They have Samford this week before they head off to Maui. It’s time to get things going from the three, or it will get sketchy. Maui could define the season for this team, and where they belong in the Big Ten Power Rankings.
5. Ohio State 2-1
The Buckeyes started the year on a high note knocking off a then-ranked No. 19 Texas team in their opener in Las Vegas. They followed it up with a very convincing 81-47 win against Youngstown State. Ohio State then took on Texas A&M and the whistle didn’t go their way. The Aggies lived at the free-throw line. Now they get to come back home for a couple of games this week to get things going again.
4. Wisconsin 5-0
The Badgers are on fire. Their upset win at home against No. 9 Arizona will be huge for a while. Wisconsin sure looks like they are ready to contend in the Big Ten this season. John Tonje looked like an All-American scoring 41 points. Despite losing so much in the portal, Greg Gard has Wisconsin trending up quickly.
3. Illinois 3-0
The Fighting Illini have plenty of new contributors, but that hasn’t stopped them from pounding their chest so far. Are they a Big Ten Champion this season, maybe not, but they are amongst the top five in this league for sure. We will find out what they are made of this week. They take on Alabama down in Birmingham. A neutral site could make things challenging. Wednesday night will show what Illinois is made of.
2. Indiana 3-0
The Hoosiers’ non-conference schedule isn’t too challenging. Luckily their win against South Carolina on Saturday was their lone power conference game. Myles Rice delivered at the guard spot, which is huge for Coach Mike Woodson, who has struggled to have a floor leader during his tenure. Perhaps this is finally the year the Hoosiers get the better of rival Purdue? They are pushing for the top spot in the Big Ten Power Rankings.
1. Purdue 4-0
The Boilermakers continue to have a stranglehold on the top spot in the Big Ten. They lived up to it with an 87-78 victory over then second-ranked Alabama. The win boosted Purdue up to sixth in the country in this week’s AP Poll. They have another big-time game this week. They go to Marquette and will have to continue to utilize small-ball moving forward. It’s working and until proven otherwise Purdue is the Big Ten’s best team.
