The best weeks of the college football season often come during the most ‘underwhelming’ slates — weeks with the fewest matchups between the top teams in the sport.
That was the case in the Big Ten in Week 6. There is now chaos after the night schedule saw Minnesota defeat No. 11 USC 24-17 and Washington beat No. 10 Michigan 27-17. The top trio of Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon all continue to win. But there is major reshuffling below them as the conference landscape gains clarity.
Related: Big Ten Starting Quarterback Rankings after Week 6: Will Rogers makes a move
This week sets the stage for what could be an all-time Week 7, headlined by No. 3 Ohio State at No. 6 Oregon and No. 7 Penn State at No. 11 USC.
The Buckeyes and Ducks each enter next week undefeated at 5-0. That game could decide one of the participants in the upcoming Big Ten title game. The Nittany Lions and Trojans, meanwhile, will continue an entertaining battle between the conference’s classic powers and top newcomers. USC’s loss hurts its momentum entering the game, but those two brands will still draw massive attention.
Before we get to Oct. 12, the date many have been waiting for, here are our updated Big Ten power rankings after an entertaining Week 6:
Purdue Boilermakers head coach Ryan Walters leads Purdue onto the field Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, ahead of the NCAA football game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue Boilermakers won 49-0. Alex Martin/Journal and Courier-USA TODAY NETWORK
Week 6 Result: 52-6 loss to Wisconsin
Previous Rank: No. 18 (No change)
Analysis: Purdue’s disastrous start to the 2024 season continued on Saturday at Wisconsin. The team cut the Badgers lead to 14-6 at one point in the second quarter, though Wisconsin finished the game with 38 consecutive points. The lopsided loss dropped the Boilermakers to No. 114 in ESPN FPI. There is a legitimate chance they finish at 2-10 or 1-11.
Sept. 14, 2024; Pasadena, California; UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster enters the field before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Rose Bowl. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Week 6 Result: 27-11 loss to No. 7 Penn State
Previous Rank: No. 17 (No change)
Analysis: UCLA received a mini-spark with Justyn Martin in at quarterback for Ethan Garbers. He performed well despite the Bruins’ struggles on offense. Defensively, UCLA actually showed some life against a strong Penn State attack. The Nittany Lions won comfortably, but this is better than UCLA looked in some of its previous losses.
Get more (UCLA) news, analysis and opinions on UCLA Wire
Sept. 21, 2024; Seattle, Washington; Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun reacts to a goal line play against the Washington Huskies during the third quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Week 6 Result: 41-24 loss to No. 23 Indiana
Previous Rank: No. 16 (No change)
Analysis: Northwestern was the latest victim of Indiana’s red-hot start to the 2024 season. The Wildcats showed some continued improvement on offense, especially with QB Jack Lausch in the passing game. But the Wildcats defense allowed 529 total yards of offense to the Hoosiers. That is not a sustainable path to wins for David Braun’s team.
Dec. 30, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee; Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley waits to take the field before the game against the Auburn Tigers at Nissan Stadium. Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Week 6 Result: N/A (BYE)
Previous Rank: No. 14 (Down 1)
Analysis: Maryland fell a spot despite being off this week, mostly due to some impressive performances by some of the conference’s lower-ranked teams. The Terrapins enter a must-win spot at home against Northwestern on Saturday. Mike Locksley’s team needs to send the season in the right direction after starting 0-2 in Big Ten play.
Sept. 7, 2024; College Park, Maryland; Michigan State Spartans head coach Jonathan Smith walks the sidelines during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
Week 6 Result: 31-10 loss to No. 6 Oregon
Previous Rank: No. 13 (Down 1)
Analysis: Michigan State is not far along enough under new head coach Jonathan Smith to go win at top-ranked Oregon. The team battled, but the Ducks just had too much talent for the Spartans to overcome. Big-picture, I still think Michigan State looks well-coached and appears headed in the right direction.
Get more (Michigan State) news, analysis and opinions on Spartans Wire
Aug. 30, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell looks on during the second quarter against the Western Michigan Broncos at Camp Randall Stadium. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Week 6 Result: 52-6 win over Purdue
Previous Rank: No. 15 (Up 2)
Analysis: Wisconsin did exactly what it needed to do on Saturday: demolish an inferior opponent. That doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it is when one looks at the program’s recent performance under Luke Fickell. The team had not put together a performance like this one to date.
Does it mean the Badgers are back? Not necessarily. But it at least builds some momentum entering a critical part of the schedule, starting with a road trip to Rutgers next Saturday.
Aug. 29, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey; Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano looks on during the second half against the Howard Bison at SHI Stadium. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Week 6 Result: 14-7 loss to Nebraska
Previous Rank: No. 8 (Down 4)
Analysis: Rutgers dropped a defensive battle to Nebraska on Saturday. The loss doesn’t change much about what we know about the team — it is unquestionably good, but also lacks a second gear if it can’t run the football and dominate inside. This steep fall is due to the loss and due to some significant rises from others in the ranking.
A win on Saturday against Wisconsin would return Rutgers to the conversation.
Sept. 21, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck looks on during the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Huntington Bank Stadium. Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Week 6 Result: 24-17 win over USC
Previous Rank: No. 12 (Up 1)
Analysis: Minnesota is one of those risers. It notched a critical win over USC on Saturday night thanks to an impressive 14-0 fourth-quarter surge. The result may mean more about the state of the Trojans. But it was clear that Minnesota was better than its 2-3 record entering the contest. The Gophers are closer to the middle of the pack than the bottom.
Also, this notches a big win for the ‘old-school Big Ten’ against the top group of newcomers.
Sept. 14, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz reacts with quarterback Cade McNamara (12) after a touchdown against the Troy Trojans during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Week 6 Result: 35-7 loss to No. 3 Ohio State
Previous Rank: No. 6 (Down 4)
Analysis: Iowa got crushed at Ohio State on Saturday. That result isn’t much of a surprise. The Hawkeyes trailed just 7-0 at halftime before the Buckeyes broke through after the break.
The story here is QB Cade McNamara going 14/20 for 98 yards and an interception. He isn’t much of an upgrade over what Iowa has had at the position in recent years. I wouldn’t be surprised if a move to Northwestern transfer Brendan Sullivan is made as the team looks to improve down the stretch.
Get more (Iowa) news, analysis and opinions on Hawkeyes Wire
Sept. 14, 2024; Champaign, Illinois; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema on the sidelines during the second half against the Central Michigan Chippewas at Memorial Stadium. Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Week 6 Result: N/A (BYE)
Previous Rank: No. 9 (No change)
Analysis: Illinois was off this week. It hosts Purdue next Saturday (a likely win) before playing Michigan and Oregon in back-to-back weeks. The Illini will have a chance to shake up the conference landscape if they win any of those matchups.
Oct. 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Arizona Wildcats during the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Week 6 Result: 24-17 loss to Minnesota
Previous Rank: No. 5 (Down 3)
Analysis: I would drop USC into the middle tier of the conference if it wasn’t for the Week 1 win over LSU. The Trojans continue to follow a similar script under Lincoln Riley: finishing ‘one play away’ or ‘really close’ to a win.
Lincoln Riley is 5-7 in his last 12 games dating back to last season. Everybody went nuts after the big win over Wisconsin. That was premature. This USC team, contrary to what Riley says, is not particularly ‘close.’
Get more (USC) news, analysis and opinions on Trojans Wire
Aug. 31, 2024; Seattle, Washington; Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch walks back to the sideline following an injury against the Weber State Wildcats during the second quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Week 6 Result: 27-17 win over Michigan
Previous Rank: No. 11 (Up 4)
Analysis: Washington got the first signature win of the Jedd Fisch era on Saturday. The performance now allows everyone to play the ‘what-if’ game for how the Huskies lost at Rutgers and against Washington State — penalties and turnovers.
I thought Will Rogers was fantastic against an elite Michigan defense, continuing his strong start to the season.
This performance cements Washington as a contender in the conference. It is unlikely to win it this year, but the Huskies will soon become a circled game on every team’s schedule.
Get more (Washington) news, analysis and opinions on Huskies Wire
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore walks off the field after the 31-12 loss to Texas at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. Junfu Han-USA TODAY NETWORK
Week 6 Result: 27-17 loss to Washington
Previous Rank: No. 4 (Down 2)
Analysis: Michigan has issues on offense. The unit looked better with veteran QB Jack Tuttle under center, but it still came up short when the game was in the balance. I think the overall result was more about Washington’s strong play than Michigan’s mistakes. But it’s hard to look at Michigan as a contender if its offense can’t score.
Get more (Michigan) news, analysis and opinions on Wolverines Wire
Aug. 31, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule reacts during the second quarter against the UTEP Miners at Memorial Stadium. Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Week 6 Result: 14-7 win over Rutgers
Previous Rank: No. 10 (Up 5)
Analysis: Nebraska’s win over Rutgers wasn’t flashy. It was a classic old-school Big Ten battle where every point mattered. The on-field play was more lopsided than the scoreboard, as Rutgers scored a late touchdown to cut the deficit to 14-7.
This win is big for Nebraska because it signals that the team can win in a variety of ways. It can play defense and run the football, or QB Dylan Raiola can lead a pass-heavy plan. That makes it dangerous to any opponent it plays.
Get more (Nebraska) news, analysis and opinions on Cornhuskers Wire
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti walks among the players before the start of the Indiana versus Florida International football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times-USA TODAY NETWORK
Week 6 Result: 41-24 win over Northwestern
Previous Rank: No. 7 (Up 3)
Analysis: What else can be said about Indiana? It is bowl-eligible in year one under Curt Cignetti — in Week 6. The Hoosiers have scored at least 40 points in each of their last five games. The dominance in nonconference play has translated to the Big Ten schedule.
Next up is a Week 7 bye before hosting Nebraska in what is now a critical game for both teams’ College Football Playoff chances. What an improbable sentence.
Aug. 31, 2024; Eugene, Oregon; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning on the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Idaho Vandals at Autzen Stadium. Craig Strobeck-USA TODAY Sports
Week 6 Result: 31-10 win over Michigan State
Previous Rank: No. 3 (No change)
Analysis: Oregon took care of business against Michigan State on Friday night. All attention now points to next weekend’s game against Ohio State. No. 1 in these rankings will finally be up for grabs.
Get more (Oregon) news, analysis and opinions on Ducks Wire
Penn State head coach James Franklin walks the sideline in the first half of an NCAA football game against West Virginia, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Morgantown, West Virginia. Dan Rainville-USA TODAY NETWORK
Week 6 Result: 27-11 win over UCLA
Previous Rank: No. 2 (No change)
Analysis: Penn State handled its business on Saturday, unlike its upcoming opponent (USC). The win over UCLA was not overly impressive. But Penn State is not judged on the quality of its early wins — it will be judged by how it performs against USC and Ohio State. That’s it.
Get more (Penn State) news, analysis and opinions on Nittany Lions Wire
Oct 5, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day prepares to lead his team on the field prior to the NCAA football game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Ohio Stadium. Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Week 6 Result: 35-7 win over Iowa
Previous Rank: No. 1 (No change)
Analysis: This Ohio State team is a handful. Iowa played a strong first half and trailed just 7-0 at the break. Then the explosive plays happened. Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson combined for 139 yards on 24 carries, and star WR Jeremiah Smith had another strong game with 89 receiving yards and a touchdown on four receptions.
Will Howard is no C.J. Stroud. But this Ohio State team is as dangerous as any in recent memory. Every player on the field has break-away ability.
Get more (Ohio State) news, analysis and opinions on Buckeyes Wire
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