2024 Big Ten Power Rankings: Oregon stays on top despite close call

Forever the gambling man, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning nearly cost his team its unbeaten record and No. 1 ranking with a bizarre decision in the waning moments of Saturday night’s game against Wisconsin, which had pushed the Ducks to the limit at Camp Randall Stadium. Lanning’s group clung to a three-point lead and could have tacked on another field goal that would have forced the Badgers to score a touchdown to extend the game, but instead the Ducks unleashed a fake that wound up a yard short of the first-down marker and gave the ball to the Badgers one more time.

Two plays later, however, Lanning’s defense made a season-defining play on a tipped pass that was intercepted by defensive lineman Matayo Uiagalelei. The interception preserved a hard-fought 16-13 win that moves Oregon to within a game of an unblemished record and a berth in the Big Ten Championship game.

Elsewhere around the conference, Ohio State and Penn State inched closer to the College Football Playoff with blowout wins over Northwestern and Purdue, respectively. And USC head coach Lincoln Riley scored a huge victory against Nebraska that will only invite more questions about his counterpart, Matt Rhule, as the Cornhuskers continue to crater following a 5-1 start.

Here’s a fresh batch of Big Ten Power Rankings following Week 12: 

1. Oregon (11-0 overall, 8-0 Big Ten)

Result: 16-13 road win over Wisconsin

Not since the season-opening win against Idaho had Oregon’s offense looked quite as disjointed as it did at Camp Randall Stadium. Playing without No. 1 wide receiver Tez Johnson (64 catches, 649 yards, 8 TDs), who missed the game due to injury, quarterback Dillon Gabriel failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time all year. Gabriel completed 22 of 31 passes for 218 yards and one interception to finish with his second-lowest yardage output of the season. 

Were it not for the hard-charging efforts of tailback Jordan James, who carried 25 times for 121 yards and a score, including a handful of critical runs in the fourth quarter, the Ducks might have left Madison with their first loss — especially after the questionable fake field goal call from head coach Dan Lanning in the final minutes. But Oregon’s defense played tremendously in limiting quarterback Braedyn Locke to 96 passing yards and keeping his completion percentage well below 50%. The Ducks only allowed two conversions on third and fourth down combined as Lanning trusted his defense to generate stop after stop in the second half. Oregon now has two weeks to prepare for rival Washington in the season finale before a likely trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship game in early December.

2. Ohio State (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten)

Result: 31-7 road win over Northwestern 

A slow start on offense meant the Buckeyes found themselves trailing, 7-0, at the midway point of the second quarter before quickly kicking into gear. Ohio State scored three touchdowns in a little more than six minutes of game time as quarterback Will Howard oversaw two lengthy scoring drives that sandwiched a horrendous special teams gaffe from Northwestern for another easy score. The Buckeyes took a 21-7 lead into the break and were never threatened in the second half amid a run of 31 unanswered points to earn a fourth straight win. Howard completed 15 of 24 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns while avoiding an interception for the second consecutive game. Tailbacks Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson combined to rush for 150 yards and two scores on 26 carries. The Buckeyes defense, which has surrendered just one touchdown over the last three games, limited the Wildcats to 50 rushing yards on 30 carries and only allowed 251 yards overall. Head coach Ryan Day and his team will host No. 5 Indiana on Saturday in a matchup that has significant implications for both the Big Ten Championship and the College Football Playoff. 

3. Indiana (10-0 overall, 7-0 Big Ten)

Result: Idle

Indiana’s bye week was particularly enjoyable for first-year head coach Curt Cignetti, who agreed to a new eight-year contract with an average annual compensation of $8 million and an additional retention bonus of $1 million per year. He’s now under contract with the Hoosiers through Nov. 30, 2032. With that critical piece of business completed, Cignetti can now turn his full attention to this week’s highly anticipated showdown against No. 2 Ohio State. It will be Indiana’s first game against a ranked opponent this season and an important measuring stick for the College Football Playoff Selection Committee to consider.

4. Penn State (9-1 overall, 6-1 Big Ten)

Result: 49-10 road win over Purdue

Penn State covered 75 yards in nine plays to reach the end zone on the game’s opening possession during an easy win over Purdue in which it never trailed. Quarterback Drew Allar, who was rested in the fourth quarter, turned in a near-flawless performance by completing 17 of 19 passes for 247 yards and three scores before giving way to backup Beau Pribula. An extremely efficient afternoon saw the Nittany Lions convert nine of 14 times on third down, as Allar routinely connected with tight end Tyler Warren (eight catches, 127 yards, 1 TD) and the rushing attack averaged 6.9 yards per carry. Warren finished as Penn State’s leading rusher with three carries for 63 yards and a score in his role as a wildcat quarterback. His 48-yard rushing touchdown early in the third quarter extended the lead to 25. Despite an earlier loss to Ohio State, the Nittany Lions are positioned well to earn an at-large berth in the College Football Playoff given that both of their remaining games are against unranked opponents in Minnesota (away) and Maryland (home). They should finish 11-1 overall and 8-1 in the Big Ten, which would get them into the playoff for the first time.

5. Illinois (7-3 overall, 4-3 Big Ten)

Result: 38-16 home win over Michigan State

Illinois bounced back from consecutive losses to No. 1 Oregon (38-9) and Minnesota (25-17) with a wire-to-wire victory against the Spartans. The Illini built a 21-6 lead late in the second quarter and were only briefly tested in the second half before pulling away in the fourth quarter. A four-headed rushing attack led by tailback Josh McCray, who scored three touchdowns, churned out 138 yards on 31 carries (4.5 yards per attempt) in support of an efficient showing from quarterback Luke Altmyer (19-of-32, 231 yards, 2 TDs) as Illinois converted eight of 15 times on third down. Defensive coordinator Aaron Henry’s group only allowed 87 rushing yards on 28 carries, due in large part to eight tackles for loss. The Illini also sacked Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles five times while limiting the Spartans to two third-down conversions on 15 tries. The victory gave Illinois its sixth home win of the season, a number unmatched since winning the Big Ten title in 2001. Remaining games against Rutgers and Northwestern, both of which are on the road, give the Illini a real shot at earning nine victories for the first time since 2007.

6. Minnesota (6-4 overall, 4-3 Big Ten)

Result: Idle

The Gophers’ four-game winning streak came to a halt with a disappointing road loss to Rutgers two weeks ago, a game in which the rushing attack struggled and the defense squandered a narrow second-half lead. Now head coach P.J. Fleck and his staff will prepare for arguably the toughest test of the season with No. 4 Penn State traveling to Minneapolis on Saturday. A difficult finish against the Nittany Lions and Wisconsin (away) likely puts a ceiling on how high Minnesota can climb in the Big Ten standings, but the Gophers have already achieved bowl eligibility for a fourth straight year.

7. Iowa (6-4 overall, 4-3 Big Ten)

Result: Idle

Even with a deflating road loss to UCLA two weeks ago, head coach Kirk Ferentz is within striking distance of an eight-win season for the ninth consecutive time in a full-length campaign and the 16th time overall. The Hawkeyes are likely to be favored in each of their remaining games against Maryland (road) and Nebraska (home), and victories in both would keep them atop the second tier of this year’s Big Ten standings behind the leading quartet of Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State and Indiana. Iowa ranks 14th nationally in scoring defense (18.2 points per game) and 56th nationally in scoring offense (29.4 points per game) under first-year offensive coordinator Tim Lester.

8. Washington (6-5 overall, 4-4 Big Ten)

Result: 31-19 home win over UCLA

All season, Washington fans have enjoyed glimpses of the program’s future whenever head coach Jedd Fisch rotates true freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr. into the game. Williams, who was a four-star prospect and the No. 12 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting cycle, originally enrolled at Arizona in early January before following Fisch — formerly the head coach of the Wildcats — to Seattle a few weeks later. And now he might be ready for a larger role in the offense after replacing starter Will Rogers partway through Friday’s game and leading the Huskies to a win. Williams oversaw three scoring drives in the second half while completing seven of eight passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. He also carried six times for 31 yards in support of star tailback Jonah Coleman, who rushed 21 times for 95 yards and two scores. That the Huskies reached bowl eligibility in their first season following a coaching change, dozens of defections in the transfer portal and the departure of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the first round of the NFL Draft, is a feather in Fisch’s cap. Washington has a bye week before traveling to No. 1 Oregon for its regular season finale.

9. Michigan (5-5 overall, 3-4 Big Ten)

Result: Idle

Michigan has lost four of its last five games leading into this week’s visit from Northwestern, which sits 16th in the Big Ten standings. Saturday’s game will be the Wolverines‘ final chance to iron out the kinks in an inefficient offense that now ranks 129th in passing and tied for 118th in scoring before a trip to Ohio State on Nov. 30. At 5-5 overall, Michigan is already assured of finishing with its worst regular-season record in a full-length campaign since former head coach Brady Hoke went 5-7 overall and 3-5 in the conference in 2014 before getting fired. Hoke’s successor, Jim Harbaugh, never won fewer than eight games in a normal season.

10. Wisconsin (5-5 overall, 3-4 Big Ten)

Result: 16-13 home loss to No. 1 Oregon

On one hand, the Badgers pushed the No. 1 team in the country to the brink on Saturday night with an exemplary defensive performance that silenced many who doubted the toughness of head coach Luke Fickell’s team. On the other hand, Wisconsin has now lost three games in a row and must beat either Nebraska (away) or Minnesota (home) to avoid missing the postseason. The passing attack continues to be a significant problem for the Badgers, whose quarterback, Braedyn Locke, only completed 12 of 28 passes for 96 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Wideout Vinny Anthony II (four receptions, 53 yards) was the only Wisconsin player to catch a pass longer than 13 yards and the only player to finish with more than 13 receiving yards. The Badgers converted one of 12 times on third down and were outgained 354-226 in total yardage. Wisconsin’s passing offense now ranks 102nd nationally at 193.8 yards per game. All of which explains why Fickell announced the firing of offensive coordinator Phil Longo on Sunday evening. 

11. UCLA (4-6 overall, 3-5 Big Ten)

Result: 31-19 road loss to Washington

All the positive momentum UCLA built during a three-game winning streak over Rutgers (away), Nebraska (away) and Iowa (home) evaporated in a sloppy, mistake-filled defeat to Washington on Friday night. Quarterback Ethan Garbers and tight end Jack Pedersen both lost fumbles to cancel out a pair of interceptions snared by the Bruins‘ defense, which played well enough to force the Huskies to change quarterbacks. But UCLA was flagged for nine penalties totaling 47 yards in a game when Washington was only penalized twice. It was the fifth straight game in which the Bruins were flagged at least nine times, and they now rank 128th in penalties per game (8.2). The rushing attack only managed 52 yards on 33 attempts (1.6 yards per carry) to saddle Garbers with a disproportionate amount of responsibility against a defense that pinned its ears back for six sacks. UCLA failed to find the end zone on three of its five trips to the red zone and finished with its lowest point total in more than a month.

12. USC (5-5 overall, 3-5 Big Ten) 

Result: 28-20 home win over Nebraska

The bye week gamble from head coach Lincoln Riley to bench starting quarterback Miller Moss and replace him with UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava paid off as USC climbed back to .500 with a victory against Nebraska. Maiava, who launched an array of downfield shots, completed 25 of 35 passes for 259 yards, three touchdowns and one interception during his first start for the Trojans. He also carried five times for 20 yards and an additional score with 2:45 remaining in the fourth quarter. The aerial exploits from Maiava offered plenty of support for tailback Woody Marks, who rushed 19 times for 146 yards and also caught six passes for 36 yards as USC outgained Nebraska 441-310 overall. It was the Trojans’ largest yardage output since racking up 469 yards in a win over Wisconsin on Sept. 28. USC needs one more win against either UCLA or No. 6 Notre Dame to become bowl eligible.

13. Rutgers (6-4 overall, 3-4 Big Ten)

Result: 31-17 road win over Maryland

Rutgers was in a rough place following its 42-20 road loss to USC in late October, the program’s fourth consecutive defeat after a 4-0 start to the campaign. Its offense had failed to exceed 20 points three times in a stretch of four games, and the defense gave up 35 or more to Wisconsin, UCLA and the Trojans in consecutive weeks. But head coach Greg Schiano and his staff deserve credit for righting the ship with back-to-back wins over Minnesota and Maryland to reach bowl eligibility with two games to spare. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and tailback Kyle Monangai combined for four touchdowns in Saturday’s win as Rutgers matched its school record for most conference victories since joining the Big Ten ahead of the 2014 season.

14. Nebraska (5-5 overall, 2-5 Big Ten)

Result: 28-20 road loss to USC

The pressure on head coach Matt Rhule will reach new heights following Nebraska’s latest one-score loss, this time an eight-point defeat after the Cornhuskers led by three midway through the third quarter and only trailed by one entering the fourth. A revamped offense under the direction of newly hired offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, formerly the head coach at Houston and West Virginia, only produced 310 yards of total offense and turned the ball over twice, both of which were interceptions by freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola. With four consecutive losses this season and nine straight defeats in games with a chance to reach bowl eligibility under Rhule, who is now in his second year, speculation about Raiola’s future is certain to be a prevailing storyline in the coming weeks. Nebraska must beat either Wisconsin (home) or Iowa (away) to reach the postseason for the first time since 2016.

15. Michigan State (4-6 overall, 2-5 Big Ten)

Result: 38-16 road loss to Illinois

The bottom is dangerously close to falling out for first-year head coach Jonathan Smith, whose team has now dropped six of its last seven games and sits 15th in the Big Ten standings. Michigan State’s defense, which now ranks 109th nationally in opponent third-down conversion rate (43.9%), couldn’t get off the field in critical situations and allowed Illinois to convert nine of 16 times on third and fourth down combined. This was also the Spartans’ sixth consecutive game without a sack as Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer completed 19 of 32 passes for 231 yards and two scores. Michigan State trimmed a 15-point second-quarter deficit to five near the midway point of the third before allowing 17 unanswered points to end the game. The Spartans host lowly Purdue on Friday night in what amounts to a must-win for Smith.

16. Northwestern (4-6 overall, 2-5 Big Ten)

Result: 31-7 home loss to No. 2 Ohio State

Despite the lopsided final score, Northwestern will be frustrated with a pair of first-half mistakes that cost the Wildcats when Saturday’s game was still in the balance. Quarterback Jack Lausch lost a fumble deep in Ohio State territory on his team’s opening drive to sour an 11-play, 59-yard march. And a high snap on a Northwestern punt in the second quarter resulted in a blocked kick that gave the Buckeyes the ball at Northwestern’s 1-yard line. The Wildcats gave up three touchdowns in the span of six minutes just before halftime to play themselves out of the game. Northwestern travels to Michigan later this week.

17. Maryland (4-6 overall, 1-6 Big Ten)

Result: 31-17 home loss to Rutgers

A 1-yard touchdown run from tailback Roman Hemby with 11:16 remaining in the third quarter gave the Terrapins a 17-14 lead and a glimmer of hope to snap their two-game losing skid. But Maryland promptly surrendered 17 unanswered points over the final 21 minutes to suffer its fifth double-digit loss of the season. It seems increasingly likely that head coach Mike Locksley’s string of three consecutive bowl appearances will come to an end given that the Terps would need to beat both Iowa and No. 4 Penn State in their final two games.

18. Purdue (1-9 overall, 0-7 Big Ten)

Result: 49-10 home loss to No. 4 Penn State

Another week, another embarrassing blowout for the Boilermakers, who have now scored 30 points in their last four games combined — with 20 of those coming against fellow cellar-dweller Northwestern. The latest debacle was a wire-to-wire defeat in which they trailed 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and 42-3 by the end of the third. Purdue gave up 539 yards of total offense, including 305 yards and four touchdowns through the air, as the defense sunk to 131st in scoring (38.9 points per game) and 122nd overall (455.7 yards per game).   

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.

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