McMaster's Big Ten Football Power Rankings After Week 4 (2024)

Matt McMaster has released his latest set of Big Ten Football Power Rankings.

I thought this team couldn’t get worse from quarterback Mike Wright’s performance against Duke; boy was I wrong. His replacement, Jack Lausch, threw for 53 yards and two interceptions on 8-of-27 passing. The shame is that the Cats have a good run game and an even better defense. They undoubtedly have the worst QB situation among Power 4 teams and may not win another game because of it.

17. UCLA (1-2, 0-1 Big Ten) [Last Week: 18]

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UCLA put up a fight against LSU. It was a tie game after the first half and a touchdown game going into the fourth quarter, but LSU just wore down on the Bruins, pulling away in the final period. Still a loss, but a step in the right direction in terms of play for UCLA.

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Purdue is bad, and we are getting to the point where there might be very few, if any, redeeming qualities about this team.

15. Minnesota (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) [Last Week: 12]

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The Gophers got physically dominated by Iowa. Enough said.

The door is still open for Tyler Van Dyke to return later this year after undergoing ACL surgery, but running an Air Raid offense with a backup quarterback is a thing of nightmares for any coach. Especially when his first start will be against a really good USC squad.

13. Maryland (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) [Last Week: 13]

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A good performance from the Terrapins this weekend. I’m highly interested in their matchup against Indiana this Saturday.

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The Spartans playing a competitive game on the road won’t knock them too far back in the rankings. Boston College is a very good football team that just made the big plays down the stretch. One concern I have is MSU’s run defense. Boston College running backs racked up 152 yards on 24 carries. With the string of high-level backs this team will face in the future, this must get better.

11. Washington (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) [Last Week: 14]

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Great bounce-back win for the Huskies. They dominated every aspect of the game against Northwestern and look to take that momentum into what will be a very tough and physical matchup against Rutgers.

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I caught a lot of this game during the 11 a.m. slate. Kurtis Rourke is a legit quarterback, He was 16-for-20 passing, with 258 yards and one touchdown in the team's dominant win over Charlotte. Rourke is big and athletic, and he boasts an impressive arm. If he were Iowa's quarterback, the Hawkeyes would be ranked in every poll.

9. Iowa (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) [Last Week: 9]

It’s a good win for the Hawkeyes but I just can’t buy into this team. Kaleb Brown is a great running back - he leads the nation in rushing - but Cade McNamara threw for just 62 yards in the victory over Minnesota. Until the quarterback play gets better, I can’t mark Iowa as being legit contenders for anything this season.

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A tough loss against a really good opponent. Despite falling out of the AP Top 25, the Huskers still received votes, which is appropriate. Nebraska is a good team, but the problem is still the same despite the program's resurgence under head coach Matt Rhule: they can’t close. NU had ample opportunity to secure a win but failed at every step. The Cornhuskers enter their contest against Purdue as 10-point favorites. I expect Nebraska to cover, but a letdown on the road could derail the season after such an electric start.

7. Rutgers (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) [Last Week: 7]

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The Scarlet Knights looked good in their win against the Hokies, playing the tough brand of football we are accustomed to seeing from them. Despite nearly letting the game slip from them in the fourth quarter, coach Greg Schiano’s group buckled down and got the job done. Athan Kaliakmanis might be the most improved college football player in the country. Rutgers simply does not start the season 3-0 without his level of play.

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It was one hell of a win for Bret Bielema’s group on Friday. The Illini went to one of the toughest places to play in the country and defeated a resurrected and inspired Nebraska football team at their own game. They dominated the line of scrimmage, ran the ball at will in the second half and clawed out a gritty overtime victory. Unfortunately for Illinois, they won’t have much time to celebrate as they go to an even tougher place to win football games, Happy Valley, and take on a Penn State team primed to finally get over the hump. The Illini will be major underdogs heading into that contest but have an opportunity to elevate themselves from the most surprising team in the Big Ten to the most surprising team in the country.

5. USC (2-1, 0-1 Big Ten) [Last Week: 2]

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Despite the loss to Michigan, I was still impressed by the Trojans. They got punched in the mouth in the first half but regrouped in the locker room and took control in the second. A costly pick six and questionable play calling in crunch time by Lincoln Riley allowed a win to slip away against the defending national champs.

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The team we saw in the first half against USC is the Michigan football team we’ve been accustomed to over the last half decade. They were physical on offense, fast to the ball on defense, and played with a contagious energy that could not be matched. In the second half, we saw the Wolverines that got run out of their own building against Texas. But superhuman performances from cornerback Will Johnson and running back Kalel Mullings secured a victory against the Trojans

3. Oregon (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) [Last Week: 4]

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After a week off, Oregon should have no problem continuing its winning streak when the Ducks face off against the UCLA Bruins. The Ducks enter the contest a 24-point favorite.

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Drew Allar and Nic Singleton proved once again why they are the best QB-RB duo in the Big Ten. The two combined for 390 yards and three touchdowns in the Nittany Lions' win against Kent State. PSU will play its first ranked opponent of the season when the red-hot Illinois Illini visit Happy Valley this week.

1. Ohio State (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) [Last Week: 1]

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It’s hard to evaluate OSU because the Buckeyes haven’t played real competition three games into the season. but they’ve been absolutely dominant to begin the year. They travel to Michigan State this weekend.

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Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarkingNebraska Cornhuskers On SI,subscribing toHuskerMax on YouTube, and visitingHuskerMax.comdaily.

McMaster's Big Ten Football Power Rankings After Week 4 (2024)

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