Week 4 was a damn good one if you're a Buckeye fan.
Top rivals looked unimpressive and/or outright took an L.
Ohio State rolled Illinois 42-19 despite issues in the run game and a defensive struggle against the Fighting Illini's rushing attack.
Here is how all 18 Big Ten teams rank in our latest power rankings:
No. 1: Ohio State
This is an easy one.
After building a 20-point lead and looking like a much better team than Texas for 43 minutes, but still taking a 1-point loss in Austin, the Buckeyes have bounced back with two straight wins.
Ohio State has a big test at Kinnick Stadium this Saturday against Iowa. College GameDay will be there to celebrate the massive B1G showdown.
No. 2: Indiana
Indiana still hasn't lost since December 2024. Northwestern gave the Hoosiers much more than Curt Cignetti and Co. likely bargained for in a 29-23 win, though.
Indiana has a trip to Piscataway, New Jersey, to take on a bottom-feeding Rutgers next. Then IU has Nebraska and Ohio State after.
No. 3: Iowa
Quarterback Hank Brown just nabbed Iowa the biggest win of its season on a game-winning touchdown pass to Reece Vander Zee at the buzzer to beat TTUN.
He can make the Hawkeyes the biggest surprise contender of the season by beating the other team in "The Game" rivalry this Saturday in Iowa City.
No. 4: Oregon
The Ducks still look nothing like the contender they were expected to be in 2026, but Oregon rallied to knock off USC 41-27 despite a scary hit on Dante Moore.
Moore should be back. Still, the Ducks head into the bye week with legitimate worries about whether or not this could be the year in Eugene after a loss to Oklahoma State.
No. 5: UCLA
Bob Chesney was clearly a great hire. The former James Madison head coach has UCLA ranked for the first time since 2023.
The Bruins embarrassed Maryland 54-3 and probably set Mike Locksley's seat on fire. UCLA may feel more confident in its next matchup with Oregon than Dan Lanning and Co. do.
No. 6: USC
Losing to Oregon at home is a bad look for a program that was struggling to look like a truly dominant team through USC's first month of the season.
The Trojans will put up points, but their defense may hold them back from making substantial noise at the top of the conference.
No. 7: Wisconsin
Coming back down 17-0 to beat Penn State just changed the entire mood for Wisconsin's 2026 season.
Now, Luke Fickell has some momentum built and a chance to build more against Michigan State before the bye week.
No. 8: Penn State
On the flip side, yikes. The Nittany Lions had their first choke job of the Matt Campbell era, and it unfortunately happened in front of a heartbroken Beaver Stadium crowd.
Now, Penn State travels to Evanston to open Ryan Field. That is far from a gimme for the Nittany Lions at Northwestern.
No. 9: Nebraska
Nebraska has been dominant so far, dominating the Spartans in their Big Ten opener. The Huskers haven't played a certifiable challenge yet, though.
The Terps will be an appetizer this coming Saturday before Nebraska hosts the defending champions in Week 6.
No. 10: Michigan
The Wolverines are lucky that an extra second was put back on the clock against Western Michigan. TTUN deserves to be 2-2 right now after a karmic loss to Iowa in Week 4.
Kyle Whittingham's squad's one big win against Oklahoma was lessened by how badly Georgia beat the Sooners this past weekend.
No. 11: Minnesota
PJ Fleck's gross display with linebacker Maverick Baranowski's blood on his face aside, Minnesota had a massive win over Washington on Saturday night.
The Golden Gophers have a chance to make Whittingham's debut season in Ann Arbor even worse in Week 5.
No. 12: Northwestern
Having the reigning champs on their heels has the Wildcats feeling good about their chances under David Braun in year four.
Northwestern can set a major tone for the rest of the year by beating Penn State at their new home field on Friday night.
No. 13: Washington
Washington's Apple Cup win looks worse every week as Washington State continues to falter. A loss to Minnesota makes it unclear what the Huskies are capable of achieving in 2026.
A trip to LA could send UW spiraling further down the Big Ten standings this weekend.
No. 14: Michigan State
MSU somehow lost to Nebraska more soundly than the Spartans lost to Notre Dame. It's unclear if that's a good sign for first-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
A red-hot Wisconsin awaits. Fitzgerald may not get his first Big Ten win until the following week against Illinois.
No. 15: Illinois
Illinois barely stood a chance against the Buckeyes, but Bret Bielema's team made it look closer than the score suggested in Week 4.
This program isn't far removed from believing in a dark-horse CFP win. The Fighting Illini have fallen off this year.
No. 16: Purdue
It's been a predictably rough go for Barry Odom's Boilermakers in 2026. At least Purdue put up 38 against UCLA, though.
It's more than what you could say about Maryland.
No. 17: Maryland
The Terrapins are not nationally relevant in the B1G again. Maryland hasn't been during its entire Big Ten tenure, frankly.
And yet, it could be worse.
No. 18: Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights got their first win of the season against Howard this past Friday. Rutgers may not get another one, nor a single win against an FBS squad this season.
That's what RU gets for losing to UMass.
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