Big Ten Power Rankings: Traditional powerhouses hold serve in Week 4

The top of the Big Ten Power Rankings remain relatively unchanged yet again this week as the top contenders continued to take care of business in Week 4. But the middle and bottom of the league continues to further delineate itself.

Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State all cruised, while Minnesota continues to establish itself as the next in line behind the traditional powerhouses.

So what did we learn in Week 4 in the Big Ten? Let’s check it out below.

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Today we update the Big Ten Power Rankings following Week 4 games.

2022 Big Ten Power Rankings – Week 4

1. Ohio State

The Buckeyes made short work of the Badgers in a 52-21 win over Wisconsin. Quarterback CJ Stroud threw five touchdown passes, while the Buckeyes had a pair of 100-yard rushers and a pair of receivers that caught multiple touchdown passes in the win. Injuries at cornerback could loom as a concern, but Ohio State is cruising through a five-game homestand to open the season that concludes next week against Rutgers.

2. Michigan

The Wolverines were pushed mightily early on in a 34-27 win over Maryland but ultimately wore down the Terrapins. Running back Blake Corum rushed for 243 yards and two touchdowns, continuing his fantastic season. The Michigan defense hit Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa routinely, eventually chasing him from the game due to injuries. Michigan hits the road for the first time now, with back-to-back road games at Iowa and Indiana.

3. Penn State

It wasn’t the cleanest game for the Nittany Lions, who let Central Michigan hang around in the first half of a 33-14 win. But Penn State forced four turnovers and was stout when it needed to be defensively as veteran quarterback Sean Clifford once again paced the offense. Clifford threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score. The Nittany Lions get Northwestern at home with a chance to go 5-0 before a bye week and then a showdown with No. 4 Michigan at the Big House on Oct. 15.

4. Minnesota

Other than Ohio State, Minnesota had the league’s most impressive win, dumping Michigan State 34-7 on the road. It was nearly a shutout, too, with the Spartans only tacking on a score with 17 seconds remaining. Golden Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan was near-perfect at 23-of-26 passing for 268 yards with three touchdowns. Minnesota hosts Purdue in Week 5.

5. Maryland (+2)

The Terrapins went toe-to-toe with the Wolverines on the road for a good chunk of Saturday’s game. The loss of quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa was costly, though, and injuries to both him and stud wideout Rakim Jarrett are probably the biggest storyline coming out of the game. The Terps might get a chance to get right with home games against Michigan State and Purdue coming up, though.

6. Wisconsin

Ugly. That’s the only way to describe it when you go into the fourth quarter down 45-7 against a conference opponent, even if that opponent is No. 3 Ohio State. The Badgers have a star in running back Braelon Allen, but quarterback Graham Mertz has been fairly pedestrian and the defense had no answers against the Buckeyes. Next week’s contest against Illinois should help further sort out the middle of the Big Ten Power Rankings.

7. Illinois (+2)

The Fighting Illini don’t have a whole lot of quality wins and it almost feels premature to have them in the top half of the league given the road loss at Indiana. Still, Bret Bielema‘s team is establishing some consistency, blanking UT-Chattanooga 31-0 this week. Quarterback Tommy DeVito has thrown multiple touchdown passes in every game, while running back Chase Brown has topped the 100-yard mark in every game. Up next is Wisconsin on the road.

8. Michigan State (-3)

The Spartans have been bad lately. Quarterback Payton Thorne threw two more interceptions in a blowout loss against Minnesota, and Michigan State keeps giving the ball away in key spots. The defense surrendered 508 yards and the offense managed only 240. The path forward gets no easier, either, with a road trip to a dangerous Maryland team up next.

9. Purdue (+2)

The Boilermakers have been oh so close to a much better record this season, with late-game gaffes costly in their two losses. The good news? Saturday was a change in that regard, though against a pretty average Florida Atlantic squad. Purdue stopped a two-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter that would have tied it and then got a stop on another Florida Atlantic drive down the stretch to secure a much-needed 28-26 win.

10. Iowa (+2)

Iowa managed only 277 yards of offense and was outgained by nearly 100 yards by Rutgers but did not turn it over en route to a 27-10 win. The Hawkeyes came up with three takeaways, one of the key differences in the game. Meanwhile, Iowa’s defense continues to be stout. The Hawkeyes have given up just 23 points in the first four games, the fewest they have allowed in the first four games of a season since 1956.

11. Indiana (-3)

Indiana’s passing defense never gave it a chance in a game in which neither its run game nor Cincinnati‘s amounted to much. The Bearcats claimed a 45-24 win after racing out to a 38-10 halftime lead. Cincinnati quarterback Ben Bryant threw for 354 yards and four touchdowns. The Hoosiers turned it over three times, falling from the ranks of the unbeaten.

12. Rutgers (-2)

Turnovers killed the Scarlett Knights in a loss to the Hawkeyes, despite quarterback Evan Simon throwing for 300 yards, nearly double his previous season high (151). Rutgers turned it over three times while picking up its first loss of the season against its Big Ten counterpart, tumbling in the Week 4 Big Ten Power Rankings.

13. Northwestern

In a real defensive struggle against Miami (Ohio), Northwestern once again came away on the wrong end of the scoreboard, falling 17-14 after surrendering a game-winning field goal late in the fourth quarter. The Redhawks gained just 278 total yards to the Wildcats’ 364, but a pair of Northwestern turnovers were costly.

14. Nebraska

The Cornhuskers were off this week, giving interim coach Mickey Joseph a chance to regroup after the ouster of head coach Scott Frost was followed by a 49-14 pummeling at the hands of Oklahoma. If Nebraska hopes to turn things around the next two weeks are a good chance: this week it hosts Indiana before traveling to Rutgers.

Want to see how this week’s power rankings compare to our previous edition? Check out the 2022 Week 3 Big Ten Power Rankings here!