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Published Sep 11, 2023
Week 2 Big Ten Power Rankings: Who leads the way after two weeks of play?
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Dylan Callaghan-Croley  •  Happy Valley Insider
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Two weeks of Big Ten football are in the books.

Week two of the 2023 college football season for the Big Ten didn't bring many surprises. Four teams faced FCS opponents, and five more faced Group of Five opponents, leaving just five Power Five vs. Power Five matchups.

Out of those Power Five vs. Power Five games, the Big Ten went 2-3.

On Friday night, Illinois couldn't contain Jalon Daniels and Kansas, and on Saturday afternoon in Boulder, Nebraska was dominated by Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes 36-14. Iowa won back the Cyhawk Trophy after losing it last year at home to Iowa State and now has won seven of the last eight matchups against the Cyclones.

Also happening on Saturday was Purdue outlasting Virginia Tech 24-17 in Blacksburg despite a lengthy weather delay and the then No. 19 Wisconsin Badgers being upset by Washington State for a second straight season., this time on the road.

Ultimately, it was tough to take too much away from the second week of action in the Big Ten, but now, with two weeks of data points, we can begin power ranking the conference on a weekly basis.

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1. Michigan Wolverines (2-0)

Week 2: 35-3 win over UNLV
Week 3: vs. Bowling Green

Through two weeks, Michigan has not been overly impressive offensively. They scored just 30 points in week one against ECU before putting up 35 in week two against UNLV. Offensively, it seems they're just going through the motions. Defensively, the Wolverines remain dominant, allowing just 10 points per game while allowing just a total of 464 yards. Michigan has another should-be-easy win against Bowling Green this week.

2. Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0)

Week 2: 63-7 win over Delaware
Week 3: at Illinois

The Nittany Lions have looked maybe as good as any Big Ten team through two weeks. Offensively, the Nittany Lions offense is humming with Drew Allar under center, and defensively, they have mostly looked the part of a defense that is expected to be among the best in the nation. The Nittany Lions had the best week one win of anyone in the conference and followed it up with a proper domination of an FCS opponent in Delaware. Penn State will have a slightly bigger test in Illinois this weekend.

3. Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0)

Week 2: 35-7 win over Youngstown State
Week 3: vs. Western Kentucky

It's really hard to gauge this Ohio State team through two weeks. The Buckeyes vehave the weapons offensively, but Kyle McCord hasn't flashed the way you would've expected through two weeks. At least not to the degree that J.J. McCarthy and Drew Allar have for Michigan and Penn State. However, the Buckeyes defense in their second year under Jim Knowles has been imposing. They have one more warmup game against Western Kentucky this week, but their September 23 showdown against Notre Dame will be their first true measuring stick of the season.

4. Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0)

Week 2: 20-13 win over Iowa State
Week 3: vs. Western Michigan

The Hawkeyes' defense remains one of the best in the country. No surprises there. The offense, however, remains a work in progress. Cade McNamara is an upgrade at quarterback, but the Hawkeyes' offense still doesn't inspire confidence. This Saturday, they have a warmup game against Western Michigan before traveling to Penn State in week four for the Nittany Lions' annual WhiteOut.

5. Maryland Terrapins (2-0)

Week 2: 38-20 win over Charlotte
Week 3: vs Virginia

After going down 14-0 early to Charlotte, Maryland would rebound and outscore the 49ers 38-6 the rest of the way en route to a 2-0 start to their season. It's a solid start to the season for the Terrapins, and their offense will give them a chance almost every week. The Terrapins' schedule is pretty favorable for the rest of the season outside of matchups against Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan. On paper, one could argue this should be a 9-3 team at the end of the year.

6. Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-0)

Week 2: 25-6 win over Eastern Michigan
Week 3: at No. 20 North Carolina

Minnesota has two wins on the season, but neither was the prettiest of wins either. At the end of the day, a win is a win. The Golden Gophers' defense remains one of the best in the country under defensive coordinator Joe Rossi and they possibly found their next major offensive weapon in RB Darius Taylor, who rushed for nearly 200 yards against Eastern Michigan on Saturday. Their week three matchup against North Carolina will give us a good indication of exactly who this Golden Gophers' team is in 2023.

7.  Wisconsin Badgers (1-1)

Week 2: 31-22 loss to Washington State
Week 3: vs. Georgia Southern

Week 2 reminded everyone that it won't be a quick turnaround for Wisconsin under Luke Fickell. The Badgers went to Pullman over the weekend and would go down 24-6 before trying to claw back into it. Ultimately, the Badgers' comeback bid would fall short. Through two weeks, the Badgers have shown some positives, but if they hope to win the Big Ten West, they'll need to work out the kinks sooner than later.


8. Michigan State Spartans (2-0)

Week 2: 45-14 win over Richmond
Week 3: vs. No. 8 Washington

The Spartans defeated Richmond this week, with quarterback Noah Kim having a big day. However, the bigger story with the Spartans is the Mel Tucker sexual harassment case resulting in Tucker's suspension. While other coaches and players may eventually say that it doesn't affect their preparation going forward, that's rarely the reality.

For more coverage of the Mel Tucker sexual harassment case, I encourage everyone to check out Spartans Illustrated's coverage.

9. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-0)

Week 2: 36-7 win over Temple
Week 3: vs Virginia Tech

Through two weeks, Rutgers has been one of the more impressive teams in the Big Ten. They defeated Northwestern 24-7 in week one and took care of Temple in week two 36-7. Now, the Wildcats and Owls are likely two of the worst teams in college football this season, but wins are wins at the end of the day, and both were complete team wins. They'll get an even bigger test this Saturday against Virginia Tech.

10. Purdue Boilermakers (1-1)

Week 2: 24-17 win at Virginia Tech
Week 3: vs Syracuse

Purdue was upset in week one by Fresno State but bounced back to defeat Virginia Tech on the road this past weekend 24-17. Nothing about the Boilermakers has been overly impressive through two weeks, but this does have a chance to be a quality team as the year progresses. The offense should continue to be explosive, while the defense should improve weekly with Ryan Walters in charge of the program. The Boilermakers are still a threat to win the Big Ten West.

11. Illinois Fighting Illini (1-1)

Week 2: 34-23 loss to Kansas
Week 3: vs. Penn State

After a lackluster week one showing in which they narrowly escaped a Toledo upset bid, the Fighting Illini dropped their first game of the season to Kansas in week two. The Illini defense without Ryan Walters calling plays has taken a massive step back from last year, as they've allowed over 900 yards of total offense through two weeks. Luckily for Bret Bielema and his program, after their matchup against Penn State this Saturday, their schedule is relatively manageable.

12. Indiana Hoosiers (1-1)

Week 2: 41-7 win over Indiana State
Week 3: vs Louisville

After a poor performance week against Ohio State offensively, the Hoosiers offense put up 41 points on Saturday against Indiana State. Their defense also looks good, keeping the Sycamores to just seven points after keeping Ohio State to 23 the week before. If the Hoosiers' offense can find some consistency weekly, this could be a scrappy team to play against and may pull off a surprise win at some point this season.

13. Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-2)

Week 2: 36-14 loss to Colorado
Week 3: vs. Northern Illinois

Matt Rhule is in for a long year in Lincoln if the first two weeks were any indication of how things will be this season. The Cornhuskers offense is struggling to move the ball consistently, while Jeff Sims has turned the ball six times in two games. Upcoming matchups against Northern Illinois and Louisiana Tech are favorable for the Cornhuskers before they enter Big Ten play. But based on the season's first two weeks, it could be difficult for the Cornhuskers to get to six wins.

14. Northwestern Wildcats (1-1)

Week 2: 38-7 win over UTEP
Week 3: at No. 21 Delaware

Northwestern picked up a much-needed win for that program against UTEP and was impressive in the process. That said, this is still the worst team in the Big Ten and one of the worst in the country. Going forward, they have Howard on their schedule in October, but outside that, it's hard to find another win for the Wildcats this season.

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N. Carolina
91
N. Carolina
Michigan St.
94
Arrow
Michigan St.
Michigan St.
63
Michigan St.
Memphis
71
Arrow
Memphis
Michigan St.
72
Arrow
Michigan St.
Colorado
56
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