With Week 4 in the rearview, six undefeated Big Ten teams remain. 52 of the conference’s 54 non-conference games are official — USC faces Notre Dame and UCLA faces Fresno State, both in Week 14 — so we have a pretty good grasp of the teams to beat in the Big Ten this year.
In addition to half a dozen undefeated Big Ten teams, only two teams — Purdue and UCLA — are sitting with sub-.500 records at 1-2. Northwestern and Minnesota are at 2-2. Meanwhile, eight teams are either 3-1 or 2-1 at this point including 12th-ranked Michigan and 12th-ranked USC.
Undefeated Big Ten Teams After Week 4
1. Ohio State (3-0)
Wins over Akron, Western Michigan, Marshall
The third-ranked Buckeyes come in as the top undefeated Big Ten program thus far. Of course, with them, therein lies a caveat that most other Big Ten teams have: who have they played?
Regardless, there’s a reason Ohio State is the only non-SEC team in the top six of the AP Poll.
The Buckeyes offense is starting to click with the top running back duo of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. The pair has combined for 543 yards and nine touchdowns. Meanwhile, Will Howard has been efficient at quarterback, and the one-two punch of Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith at wide receiver will give any defense fits.
The strength of this Ohio State team is its defense. The sky was falling when Marshall scored two touchdowns in the first half and yet, the Buckeyes still have the fourth-best scoring defense and second-best overall defense.
2. Penn State (3-0)
Wins over West Virginia, Bowling Green, Kent State
It’s been an interesting start to the season for Nittany Lions. Firmly sandwiched between a pair of dominant wins over West Virginia and Kent State is a concerning performance against Bowling Green. While the Falcons may win the MAC this year, a top-10 team struggling at home against a MAC team is not ideal.
Drew Allar looks like he’s taken that step forward this year. He’s completed 70.7% of his passes and has amassed 729 yards and eight touchdowns through three games. Nicholas Singleton is having another incredible start to the season with 314 yards and two scores at eight-and-a-half yards per rush.
Abdul Carter and Jaylen Reed have had a great start to the season on defense. Reed leads the way with 22 tackles while Carter has two-and-a-half sacks for the Nittany Lions. The Penn State defense has come down with three interceptions and three forced fumbles.
3. Oregon (3-0)
Wins over Idaho (FCS), Boise State, Oregon State
Oregon is among the great teams in college football but perhaps we put the cart before the horse with the Ducks this year.
Heading into the year, Oregon was among the betting favorites to take the Big Ten and win the College Football Playoff National Championship. Then, Oregon struggled with Idaho and Boise State. Dillon Gabriel is leading the nation in completion percentage at 84% with 914 yards and six touchdowns.
The strength of the Oregon defense thus far has been its secondary. Opposing quarterbacks are completing just 50% of their passes and the Ducks have picked them off twice. Additionally, Duck defenders have been credited with 18 passes defensed.
4. Illinois (4-0)
Wins over Eastern Illinois (FCS), Kansas, Central Michigan, Nebraska
The Illinois Fighting Illini are 4-0, just as expected. Led by Luke Altmyer, Illinois knocked Kansas and Nebraska from the rankings and has appeared in the top 20 for the third time since 2008. Now, a matchup with fellow undefeated Big Ten foe Penn State awaits this weekend. In addition to Rutgers late in the year, the Illini have both Michigan and Oregon on tap next month.
Bret Bielema’s defense has been lights-out this year. As a unit, Illinois has racked up 18 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, a touchdown, and has forced six fumbles. The most impressive win thus far was last week when Illinois went to Nebraska and stole a win in overtime.
Illinois, if it manages to finish the season with fewer than three losses, could find itself in the at-large discussion for the CFP. If the Illini upset Michigan and/or Oregon, things could get spicy in the Big Ten.
5. Rutgers (3-0)
Wins over Howard (FCS), Akron, Virginia Tech
While including Rutgers among the undefeated Big Ten programs this year may be a surprise to some, the Scarlet Knights were expected to be interesting.
Kyle Monangai is living up to his hype as perhaps the top running back in the conference. His 457 yards and five touchdowns are second-best in the Big Ten. He leads an offense that has amassed 1,413 yards in three games, good for just over six-and-a-half yards per play.
Rutgers battled out a gritty win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg last week after squandering a 23-7 lead after three quarters.
Rutgers hosts Big Ten newcomer Washington for a little Friday Night action.
6. Indiana (4-0)
Wins over FIU, Western Illinois (FCS), UCLA, Charlotte
There are only four teams in college football that have scored more prolifically than the Indiana Hoosiers. Yes, those Indiana Hoosiers.
Curt Cignetti’s squad was narrowly snubbed from the AP Poll after a fourth straight win to open the season. With a win over Maryland, the Hoosiers will likely be featured for the first time since they started the 2021 season ranked 17th.
Kurtis Rourke is on pace to have one of his best years with 1,013 yards and eight touchdowns through four games. He’s completing 75.5% of his passes which would be a career-high. The Hoosiers have a pair of receivers in Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper, Jr. over 200 yards already.
If Indiana finishes with losses to just Ohio State and Michigan (the only currently-ranked teams on the schedule), we could have a conversation about them as a CFP at-large team.
