Big Ten football power rankings after Week 4: A champion rises from the ashes.

Sep 21, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; DUPLICATE***Ohio State Buckeyes tight end Will Kacmarek (89) runs the ball against the Marshall Thundering Herd in the second half at Ohio Stadium on Saturday.

We’re now through four weeks in the new, improved, and expanded Big Ten. Each time out provides additional data points and eyeball tests to try and figure out the pecking order in the conference.

We’ve been doing this for a few years now. We let all of the Big Ten football games play out each week then do our level best to make sense of what the pecking order is in the conference. With the additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington, we now have more to take into consideration, including later nights and more teams to try and sift through.

But hey, that’s OK, we get paid to try and figure this all out, so we’re here for it. Ohio State got back into action after an off week, but what about other teams? What about Michigan against competition not named Texas? And Penn State? Are the Nittany Lions ready to approach “elite” status? What are the surprise teams in the league so far? Can Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, or USC make a serious run at this thing? Time will tell as each week sorts things out.

Here’s a look at how we see the power rankings of the Big Ten after four weeks of action. Don’t sling mud at us just yet because we’re sure this thing will change a hundred different ways from now until the end of the season with so many marquee matchups in the 18-team league.

18. UCLA Bruins (1-2)

Jul 29, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A detailed view of UCLA Bruins helmet during Pac-12 Media Day at Novo Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week (No. 18 – no change)

Lost at LSU, 34-17

Why the Ranking

We saw a little more signs of life from UCLA in a loss on the road vs. LSU, but this is a team and…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/big-ten-football-power-rankings-164442428.html

Author : Buckeyes Wire

Publish date : 2024-09-23 16:44:42

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