Big Ten Power Rankings: Review of the 18 teams based on the results of the first week

We finally have a list of Big Ten football games to overreact to.

All 18 conference teams played their season-opening games on Labor Day weekend, with 17 of them recording wins against a wide variety of opponents.

It’s too early to make a final decision about any of these schools based on just one data point. But that’s no fun, so here’s the first installment of our weekly power rankings:

18. Minnesota: The only Big Ten team to lose its opening game, the Gophers managed fewer than 250 yards of offense and lost at home to a North Carolina team that lost its starting quarterback to injury in the third quarter.

17.Indiana: Curt Cignetti may be a fun new coach, but he has a lot to prove when he takes over the Hoosiers. A 24-point home win over a 4-8 Conference USA team won’t move him much up the rankings.

16. State of Michigan: The Jonathan Smith era began anything but encouraging: Aidan Chiles had three turnovers and the Spartans beat Florida Atlantic at home by less than a touchdown.

15.Purdue: Sorry, Purdue, but you’re not going to get any credit for beating an FCS team that went 1-10 last year, even if you make it 49-0. If you can do something against Notre Dame next week, you have our attention.

14. Northwest: A 13-6 win over Miami (Ohio) wasn’t the most convincing start to David Braun’s long-term tenure as head coach of the Wildcats – nor were Michael Wright’s two fumbles in his debut – but Northwestern got the job done.

13. Illinois: Luke Altmyer threw four touchdowns and the Illini ran for 244 yards, but we won’t make our judgment on the Illini until they face a higher-ranked Kansas team next week.

12.UCLA: The Bruins nearly started their Big Ten season with disaster, but they managed a field goal with 56 seconds left to give them the lead and win in Hawaii. In DeShaun Foster’s debut as Bruins coach, UCLA’s running backs managed just 24 yards rushing.

11.Rutgers: Kyle Monangai rushed for 165 yards, helping Rutgers to a 44-7 win over Howard, and Athan Kaliakmanis threw three touchdowns in his debut as quarterback for the Scarlet Knights.

10.Nebraska: One of the most touted new quarterbacks in the country, freshman Dylan Raiola, completed 19 of 27 passes for 238 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Cornhuskers have an interesting matchup against Colorado in Week 2.

9. Washington: Another team with a lopsided win over an FCS team that means little to us. Arizona transfer Jonah Coleman ran for 127 yards and three touchdowns in the Huskies’ Big Ten debut on a team that barely resembles the one that played for a title last year.

8. Wisconsin: Western Michigan took a fourth-quarter lead at Camp Randall thanks to a fake field goal and looked like it could pull off the upset before botching a punt and allowing two late Badgers points. One more week to prepare before the Badgers face Alabama.

7. Maryland: The Terrapins continued their tradition under Mike Locksley and started strong this year, with a 50-7 win over UConn. Billy Edwards Jr. and Tai Felton are the Terrapins’ newest offensive duo: Edwards threw for 300 yards and Felton had 178 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

6. Iowa: Does a healthy Cade McNamara and a new offensive coordinator make Iowa a surprise contender in the Big Ten? A 40-0 win over FCS Illinois State may not tell us much, but the Hawkeyes posted 251 passing yards and 241 rushing yards in an offensive performance that should be encouraging after a few lean years in Iowa City.

5.Oregon: The team, ranked No. 3 in the national polls in the preseason, looked less than convincing in a 10-point win over Idaho to open the season. Dillon Gabriel threw for 380 yards, but the Ducks were not strong finishers in a shaky start.

4.Michigan: The defending national champions looked like the re-formed team they are: The Wolverines led Fresno State by just six points at home midway through the fourth quarter before building a 20-point lead with two late touchdowns. It was a fairly comfortable win, but was it enough to beat Texas next week?

3. Penn State: Morgantown may not be as spectacular as Las Vegas, but don’t underestimate what the Nittany Lions have done to start the season: They traveled to a difficult venue and dismantled a team that won nine games last year. Drew Allar-Nick Singleton may be the best QB-RB combination in the Big Ten this side of Columbus.

2.USC: What a Big Ten debut for the Trojans. USC went to Las Vegas and beat a top-15 SEC team, LSU, by a touchdown with eight seconds left. Miller Moss threw for nearly 400 yards and looked like a strong successor to Caleb Williams. USC looked far more like a playoff contender than last year’s eight-win team.

1. State of Ohio: The Buckeyes were unable to shake off the top spot in their 52-6 victory over Akron. Will Howard was solid in his debut as the Buckeyes’ playmaker, although the Buckeyes won’t climb to No. 1 in the national polls after Georgia’s strong start.