Big Ten Football Power Rankings (Week 4): Ohio State Gets Big Win

Six Big Ten teams played their first conference game in Week 4, and all 14 have played at least one B1G contest. Four teams have played two conference games, and Penn State is the first to reach two Big Ten wins.

Here’s how the B1G teams rank after four weeks of college football:

The Wolverines turned in a stellar offensive performance with a 54% success rate and seven explosives on 66 total plays, as JJ McCarthy averaged 9.3 yards per dropback and 12 yards per rush (5-60 yards) in Jim Harbaugh’s return.

The defense was elite. Not to downplay a 31-0 win, but 4.1 yards per play wasn’t outstanding. Drew Allar averaged just 4.5 yards per pass, and for the second straight week, Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton were below 4.0 YPC (3.2, to be exact).

That was an excellent win by the Buckeyes, but I’m not sure we learned much. Yes, the game-winning score was a tough one-yard run, but going up against ten defenders helped. They will likely have to play better to beat Michigan and Penn State.

Unlike previous weeks, Maryland jumped out to the early lead, and once they took control 21-3 in the first half, the result was never in doubt.

That was as ugly as an offensive performance as any team could have. While Penn State ran 96 plays, the Hawkeyes managed just 76 yards! But that doesn’t mean they can’t win the Big Ten West.

College Football Links:Top 5 Wins of Week 4 | Top 5 Message Board Meltdowns

Wisconsin probably played their best all-around game of the season, particularly on the ground, where they had six explosive runs with four rushing touchdowns.

This was Minnesota’s worst loss in two years, as they blew a 21-point fourth-quarter lead. The Gophers allowed 400 passing yards for the second straight game, and this time, a future top-ten pick wasn’t pulling the trigger for the opposing offense.

With 537 yards to 373 yards (on six fewer plays), the Illini dominated the Owls more than the final score indicates. Luke Altmyer threw for 303 yards and had four backs average more than 5.0 yards per carry.

Sparty had their chances, but it isn’t easy to be a quality team when you turn the football over five times. Noah Kim (two INTs) had his second-straight poor performance but will remain the starting QB.

After taking a 7-0 lead with a 69-yard touchdown pass on the game’s first possession, Rutgers still finished UNDER their team total of 9.5 points. That was their lone explosive play, but to be fair, they shouldn’t be measured against Michigan.

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Purdue ran the ball well (6.3 YPC) but struggled to finish drives and get off the field when they forced third downs (allowed 12 of 18 third-down conversions).

Heinrich Haarberg had another stellar game on the ground(185 yards, TD) but struggled as a passer (8 of 17, 3 sacks). The Huskers had a negative EPA on dropbacks.

In their first 11 quarters against a Power Five defense, the Wildcats had four touchdowns (two in garbage time), then they exploded for four TDs in the fourth quarter/OT to upset Minnesota, the final three TD passes by Ben Bryant. Wow.

The Hoosiers survived what would have been a terrible loss to a MAC team at home. Behind dual-threat DJ Irons, the Zips rushed for 263 and outgained IU in total yards (474 to 282) and yards per play (5.6 to 4.7).

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