Everyone in the Big Ten has officially kicked off the 2022 season, and there were a lot of positives for each team in the league.
Week one is in the books and each Big Ten team has lined up and all but one has picked up a victory — sorry Purdue. Michigan State picked up a season-opening victory over Western Michigan but it wasn’t always pretty for the Spartans. So with that, will we see Michigan State drop in our updated power rankings or hold their spot as one of the top three teams in the league?
See where I rank Michigan State and the rest of the Big Ten teams in our first batch of Big Ten power rankings:
13
Nebraska
Record: 1-1 (0-1 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. North Dakota
Next game: vs. Georgia Southern (Sept. 10)
Nebraska rebounded from a season-opening upset loss to Northwestern with a win over FCS-foe North Dakota. However, the Cornhuskers’ win wasn’t particularly impressive as it was tied late into the third quarter. Combine that result with the loss to Northwestern and that’s why Nebraska is sitting as the lowest ranked team in the league.
12
Illinois
Record: 1-1 (0-1 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Loss at Indiana
Next game: vs. Virginia (Sept. 10)
Illinois is a goal-line stop away from being 2-0 and much higher in these power rankings. The Fighting Illini came up just short against Indiana on Friday and that loss resulted in Illinois dropping near the bottom of our rankings.
11
Northwestern
Record: 1-0 (1-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Bye
Next game: vs. Duke (Sept. 10)
Northwestern was the Week 0 darling with a massive upset win over Nebraska. The Wildcats were off this past week and will return next week with another toss-up matchup against Duke. Should Northwestern win this game, it may be time to start trusting the Wildcats again — it is an even year, of course.
10
Indiana
Record: 1-0 (1-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Illinois
Next game: vs. Idaho (Sept. 10)
Indiana already has more Big Ten wins than they did a year ago! The Hoosiers opened the 2022 season with a thrilling victory over Illinois and proved that they won’t be a pushover again this season should they remain healthy throughout the season.
9
Rutgers
Record: 1-0 (0-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win at Boston College
Next game: vs. Wagner (Sept. 10)
One of the biggest surprises in the opening week was Rutgers picking up a big-time road victory over Boston College. The Scarlet Knights overcame a two-possession deficit late in the third quarter to pick up the victory and give Rutgers some hope that back-to-back bowl games could happen this fall.
8
Iowa
Record: 1-0 (0-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. South Dakota State
Next game: vs. Iowa State (Sept. 10)
Iowa had arguably the worst performance of any Big Ten team to open the season. The Hawkeyes were kept out of the endzone and needed a pair of safeties to top FCS-foe South Dakota State on Saturday but their defense was also impressive enough for me to keep some faith in Iowa. Next week’s rivalry game against Iowa State will tell us more about the Hawkeyes.
7
Purdue
Record: 0-1 (0-1 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Loss vs. Penn State
Next game: vs. Indiana State (Sept. 10)
Purdue let an incredible opportunity slip away in their Thursday night season-opener against Penn State. The Boilermakers held a lead late in the game but couldn’t put the Nittany Lions away and will look to rebound against FCS-foe Indiana State this week.
6
Minnesota
Record: 1-0 (0-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. New Mexico State
Next game: vs. Western Illinois (Sept. 10)
Minnesota was expected to win by a lot in their season-opener and that’s exactly what they did. The Golden Gophers held New Mexico State scoreless en route to a blowout victory to get things going in 2022.
5
Michigan State
Record: 1-0 (0-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Western Michigan
Next game: vs. Akron (Sept. 10)
Michigan State appeared destined for an easy victory over the Broncos in the first half but things got dicey in the third quarter and early in the fourth. The Spartans would eventually pull away thanks to some big plays from numerous transfers but overall it wasn’t a great performance — hence why Michigan State dropped a few spots from our preseason rankings.
4
Wisconsin
Record: 1-0 (0-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Illinois State
Next game: vs. Washington State (Sept. 10)
Like their rival Minnesota, the Badgers took care of business in a shutout season-opening win over a lower-tier team. Wisconsin will have a much harder test this week against Washington State and we should hopefully learn more about the Badgers from that matchup.
3
Penn State
Record: 1-0 (1-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win at Purdue
Next game: vs. Ohio (Sept. 10)
Penn State was a team I was sneaky high on entering this season and expecting a bounce-back season in 2022. I didn’t, however, expect them to win at Purdue in their opener so that victory resulted in me personally moving them up to a few spots in our updated power rankings.
2
Michigan
Record: 1-0 (0-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Colorado State
Next game: vs. Hawaii (Sept. 10)
Michigan took care of business in their season-opener and it shouldn’t come as any surprise. Next week’s matchup against Hawaii should go the same way, but we will get to potentially learn more about the Wolverines’ quarterback situation with J.J. McCarthy set to make his first career start.
1
Ohio State
Record: 1-0 (0-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Notre Dame
Next game: vs. Arkansas State (Sept. 10)
The Buckeyes didn’t look like a finished product but they are clearly talented enough to remain our top team after knocking off top five foe Notre Dame in the opener. It was a low-scoring battle that saw Ohio State trailing at halftime so maybe the Buckeyes are a bit more vulnerable than we initially thought but they are still the top team in the Big Ten for now.
