Hoosier Huddle's 2021 Big Ten Power Rankings After Week One

Written by Evan McShane

The first full week of Big Ten football is complete and our first power rankings are out. Week two could bring more major shakeups.
1.     Ohio State (1-0, 1-0) – Defeated Minnesota 45-31

The Buckeyes didn’t get off to as fast of a start as they hoped and trailed at halftime. Three third quarter touchdowns quickly turned the tide and OSU never looked back. One thing was clear after Thursday night’s game: The Buckeyes are still the team to beat in the Big Ten. Will any B1G team be able to deliver Ryan Day his first conference loss at Ohio State’s head coach?

2.     Iowa (1-0, 1-0) – Defeated Indiana 34-6 

Iowa had one of the more dominant victories of any team in the country on Saturday. The Hawkeyes blitzed out to an early 14-0 lead and left Indiana with no chance at coming back. Iowa is set to vault up the national rankings next week. Suddenly, all eyes are on the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten West. 

3.     Penn State (1-0, 1-0) – Defeated Wisconsin 16-10

Penn State is looking to avenge last season’s disaster. On Saturday in Wisconsin, the Nittany Lions were the last to flinch in a low scoring game. Quarterback Sean Clifford delivered just enough big plays to win the game and the Penn State defense was stout as usual.

4.     Michigan (1-0, 0-0) – Defeated Western Michigan 47-14

Michigan took care of business at home and looked good doing it. While the Wolverines still have some question marks on both sides of the ball, they avoided embarrassment at the Big House in week one. Next week a tougher test arrives when top-25 ranked Washington comes to town.

5.     Michigan State (1-0, 0-0) – Defeated Northwestern 38-21

Michigan State looked like a team in control from start to finish in Evanston on Friday. The Spartans made plays on both sides of the ball, rendering Northwestern’s offense completely useless. Can second year head coach Mel Tucker get more out of his team than last year? 

6.     Maryland (1-0, 0-0) – Defeated West Virginia 30-24

Maryland hung on for the win against West Virginia on Saturday. After surrendering 14 first quarter points, the Terps put the clamps on and outscored the Mountaineers 30-10 the rest of the way. QB Taulia Tagovailoa threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns.

7.     Rutgers (1-0, 0-0) – Defeated Temple 61-14

Coach Greg Schiano is slowly changing the football culture up in New Jersey. Rutgers has seen their recruiting game improve and brought noticeably more fight to conference games last season than in years past. While Temple didn’t provide much of a test, the Scarlet Knights dominated in all phases.

8.     Purdue (1-0, 0-0) – Defeated Oregon State 30-21

It wasn’t pretty, but the Boilers took care of business at home. Jack Plummer threw for over 300 yards, with over one hundred of those going to wide receiver David Bell. The defense held the Beavers to just seven points for the first three quarters. Purdue will travel to play a historically bad Uconn team next week.

9.     Minnesota (0-1, 0-1) – Lost to Ohio State 45-31

Minnesota lost the game by double digits, but they had to be somewhat encouraged by what they saw. The Gophers led the Buckeyes at halftime and were within one touchdown during the fourth quarter. After a tumultuous season last year, Minnesota hopes to right the ship in 2021.

10.  Wisconsin (0-1, 0-1) – Lost to Penn State 16-10

Wisconsin looked like Wisconsin. The defense played more than well enough to win, but thanks to poor quarterback play, the Badgers barely stood a chance. If QB Graham Mertz doesn’t improve, it could be a long year up in Madison.

11.  Indiana (0-1, 0-1) – Lost to Iowa 34-6

The Hoosiers could not have scripted a more nightmarish start to their promising season. Highly touted QB Mike Penix Jr. threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for TDs. Indiana is fortunate to have a get right game against Idaho next week. If quarterback and O-line play doesn’t improve fast, the Hoosiers’ 2021 season could fly off the rails. 

12.  Illinois (1-1, 1-0) – Lost to UTSA 37-30

The Fighting Illini couldn’t coast on their momentum from beating Nebraska. Illinois was embarrassed at home by UTSA. Not only did the Illini lose a buy-in game, they never led once the entire contest.

13.  Nebraska (1-1, 0-1) – Defeated Fordham 52-7

Nebraska rebounded after its opening week loss against Illinois. The Cornhuskers face off against Buffalo next week.

14.  Northwestern (0-1, 0-1) – Lost to Michigan State 38-21 

Another year, another Northwestern offense that looked stuck in the mud. The Wildcats fell behind early and never stood a chance during their Friday night home opener. Northwestern plays Indiana State next week in what should be a get right game for Pat Fitzgerald and company.