Big Ten Power Rankings: What we learned from Week One

14-10

14. Illinois (1-1, 0-1) Last week: 12

Illinois played well in its first game of the season against Wyoming, winning 38-6. Running back Chase Brown was stellar, rushing the ball 19 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Things were looking good for the Fighting Illini. This past Saturday was a step backwards for the team though. They fell to Indiana, arguably the worst team in the Big Ten last year, 23-20. Brown was great again, rushing for 199 yards, but it was in vain. The defense allowed Indiana to score the game-winning touchdown with 23 seconds remaining. It was a tough blow for a team looking to take steps forward. The Illini likely won’t stay at the No. 14 spot for long, but spots 10-14 are interchangeable at this point.

13. Nebraska (1-1, 0-1) Last week: 10

Oh Nebraska. The Cornhuskers looked like they were going to set the world on fire during their Week 0 matchup with Northwestern. Nebraska was up 28-17 and then for some reason that still makes no sense, Scott Frost decided to kick onsides. Northwestern recovered and used the short field to score and then they never really looked back, winning 31-28. It was a bad loss to a team with not so high expectations. Nebraska bounced back this past Saturday to beat North Dakota 38-17. The game was at one point tied at 17, but the Huskers rallied for 21 straight points. Regardless, it hasn’t been the prettiest of starts for a program in a make-or-break season.

12. Indiana (1-0, 1-0) Last week: 13

As mentioned, the Hoosiers picked up a solid victory over Illinois on Saturday, winning 23-20. Transfer quarterback Connor Bazelak was good, going 28-52 for 320 yards with a touchdown and in interception. The real star was wide receiver Cam Camper, who had 11 catches for 156 yards. Indiana averaged just 1.2 yards per rush, but still managed to get the win. The game-winning drive was an impressive one, as the Hoosiers went 75 yards in 12 plays and less than two minutes. This team is still a work in progress, but this was a clutch win.

11. Northwestern (1-0, 1-0) Last week: 14

Northwestern had that huge comeback in Ireland against Nebraska in Week 0. They did not play this past week, opting to take a bye instead. After struggling to score points in 2021, the Wildcats looked great on offense against Nebraska. Quarterback Ryan Hilinski went 27-38 passing for 314 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Evan Hull added 119 rushing yards and a score. This was the best Northwestern’s offense has looked in a while. We’ll see if it continues as the season goes on, but this was an awesome start for program that cannot be taken lightly.

10. Rutgers (1-0, 0-0) Last week: 11

Rutgers deserves to move up, but no one in front of them did anything to warrant a steep fall. The Scarlet Knights shocked a lot of people by going up to Boston College and pulling off a 22-21 win. It wasn’t an overly pretty game for Rutgers. The Knights had 10 penalties and only had 110 passing yards. The run game was great though, as they rushed for 212 yards. Boston College is a solid team, so this is an impressive road win for Rutgers. This win makes a bowl game a lot more likely for the Knights.