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Big Ten Power Rankings: What we learned from Week One

By Alec Whitaker

Sep 1, 2022; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (14) passes the ball in the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2022; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (14) passes the ball in the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 3, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Miyan Williams (3) runs for the first down during the fourth quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Miyan Williams (3) runs for the first down during the fourth quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports /

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4. Wisconsin (1-0, 0-0) Last week: 4

The Braelon Allen Heisman campaign got off to a hot start on Saturday as he and the Badgers beat Illinois State 38-0. Allen ran the ball 14 times for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Graham Mertz looked the best he’s looked in a while, going 14-16 for 219 yards and a touchdown. We have to keep the opponent in mind, but this was a great showing from the offense. The Wisconsin defense was the Wisconsin defense. Nick Herbig did his thing, recording two sacks. The Badgers have an argument for the best team in the Big Ten West.

3. Michigan State (1-0, 0-0) Last week: 3

It wasn’t pretty at times, but Michigan State pulled out a 35-13 victory over Western Michigan on Friday. The Spartans were cruising 21-3 but allowed 10 straight points to make the game a one score game. The offense regrouped though and scored 14 unanswered in the fourth. The question of who will replace Kenneth Walker may have been answered, as Jalen Berger ran for 120 yards and a touchdown. Payton Thorne only completed 12 passes, but still had 233 yards and four scores. The Spartans defense had seven sacks, led by Jacoby Windmon with four. Even with some new faces on the roster, this Michigan State team still looks like one of the best in the Big Ten.

2. Michigan (1-0, 0-0) Last week: 2

Michigan wrecked Colorado State 51-7 on Saturday. The Wolverines passed for 206 yards and rushed for another 234. This was a great balanced effort against an inferior team. The biggest story from this game was the ongoing quarterback battle. Cade McNamara started but didn’t play that great. He went 9-18 with 136 yards and a touchdown. J.J. McCarthy eventually got in and went 4-4 passing for 30 yards and added 50 rushing yards a score. McCarthy will start next week. This team is deep on offense, with 15 different players catching a pass in this game. Defensively, Michigan had seven sacks. Maybe they won’t miss Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo that much, but it was just Colorado State.

1. Ohio State (1-0, 0-0) Last week: 1

Maybe it wasn’t as dominant as some thought, but Ohio State handled Notre Dame 21-10 on Saturday night. The offense looked out of sorts at times, but star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was lost due to an injury early in this one. The Buckeyes actually trailed 10-7 at half and were struggling to do much on offense.  In the end, C.J. Stroud still went 24-34 for 233 yards and two touchdowns. The running back duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams combined for 175 yards and a touchdown as well. The revamped defense played well, holding Notre Dame to just 10 points and 253 total yards of offense. The Buckeyes looked fast in this game, but it didn’t always correlate to points. As long as Smith-Njigba is fine long term, so will the team.

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