The 2026 college football season is looking more and more like the famous 2007 season. Top-ranked teams are suffering losses at a steady rate each week, and there is no clear team that is standing out from the pack through eight weeks of action.
The Big Ten continues to bring several twists and turns on a weekly basis. With the Big Ten race heating up and teams jockeying for position, every game carries added significance. Heading into Week 9, here is a look at where all 18 Big Ten teams stand.
Week 9 Big Ten Football Power Rankings
18. Maryland Terrapins (2-5, 0-4)
Last week: 18
Maryland remains in the cellar of the Big Ten Power Rankings after firing Mike Locksley over the weekend. The Terrapins are 2-5 on the season with an 0-4 record in conference play, which includes a 37-30 home loss to Rutgers that appears to have been the final straw in Lockley's tenure.
17. Michigan State Spartans (2-6, 0-5)
Last week: 17
Michigan State fell to 2-6 overall and 0-5 in Big Ten play with a 28-10 loss to No. 9 UCLA on Saturday. Pat Fitzgerald is still looking for his first Big Ten win in East Lansing.
16. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-5, 1-3)
Last week: 16
Rutgers has spent several weeks at No. 18 on this list, but has moved up a little after beating Maryland. The Scarlet Knights stay in the No. 16 spot after losing 42-14 to No. 24 Northwestern in Week 8.
15. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-4, 0-4)
Last week: 15
Penn State got a much-needed bye week in Week 8. Matt Campbell has started his PSU tenure with an 0-4 record in Big Ten play, and has a lot to figure out. The Nittany Lions host Purdue this weekend in a game that Campbell has to have.
14. Michigan Wolverines (4-3, 1-3)
Last week: 9
The Wolverine offense continues to be historically bad, and Tommy Carr wasn't the answer for Michigan against Indiana. The defense remains elite, but the offense simply can't find the end zone.
13. Purdue Boilermakers (3-4, 2-2)
Last week: 13
Purdue was on a bye this week. Barry Odom has the Boilers trending in the right direction, as they've already won two Big Ten games this season.
12. Illinois Fighting Illini (4-3, 2-2)
Last week: 14
Bret Bielema led Illinois to an impressive 21-10 win over Oregon in Week 8. Oregon has struggled mightily this season, so the victory doesn't move the needle too much, but it's still a much-needed win for Bielema.
11. Oregon Ducks (4-3, 2-2)
Last week: 7
Things went from bad to worse for Dan Lanning and Oregon this past weekend in a brutal road loss at Illinois. In the fallout from the loss, the Ducks fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer. Without Dante Moore in the mix, the wheels have completely fallen off in Eugene.
10. Washington Huskies (4-3, 1-3)
Last week: 12
Washington entered its bye week coming off a road win at Purdue in Week 7. It was the first conference win of the season for the Huskies, who are still looking to find offensive consistency heading into Week 9's road matchup at Nebraska.
9. USC Trojans (6-2, 3-2)
Last week: 4
Lincoln Riley suffered yet another crushing loss this weekend at Wisconsin. The Trojans were never competitive and ended up losing by a score of 24-7. USC dropped out of the AP Top-25 with the loss, and Riley's seat is getting hotter. Things won't get any easier for the Trojans in Week 9 as they host No. 2 Ohio State––who is well-rested coming off a bye.
8. Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-2, 2-2)
Last week: 8
Nebraska holds steady at No. 8 after its bye week. The Cornhuskers enter Week 9 coming off back-to-back close losses to Indiana and Oregon that came by three points apiece.
7. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-2, 2-2)
Last week: 5
Iowa falls from No. 5 to No. 7 after losing its rivalry game to Minnesota 13-10. The Hawkeyes will try to regroup before hosting the surging Wisconsin Badgers this Saturday.
6. Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-2, 3-1)
Last week: 10
Minnesota continued its strong campaign with a 13-10 win over Iowa in Week 8. PJ Fleck's team is eyeing another upset this weekend when the Golden Gophers travel to Bloomington to take on the 4th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers.
5. Wisconsin Badgers (5-2, 3-1)
Last week: 11
Luke Fickell and the Badgers continued to impress with an emphatic 24-7 win over USC this past Saturday evening. Now ranked in the final spot of the AP Top-25, Wisconsin can make another big statement by beating Iowa on the road this Saturday.
4. Northwestern Wildcats (6-1, 3-1)
Last week: 6
The Northwestern Wildcats stayed hot with a lopsided 42-14 win over Rutgers in Week 8. Northwestern is firing on all cylinders, and is now ranked as the No. 20 team in the country. The Wildcats' next three games include a trip to Oregon, a home matchup against Iowa, and a road trip to No. 2 Ohio State. This stretch of games will tell us just how for real the Wildcats are.
3. UCLA Bruins (7-0, 5-0)
Last week: 3
UCLA hasn't missed a beat without Nico Iamaleava. The Bruins moved to 7-0 with an 18-point win over Michigan State on Saturday, and are now 2-0 without Iamaleava. Now ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll, UCLA has another winnable game on deck with a home matchup against Nevada slated for this Saturday afternoon.
2. Indiana Hoosiers (7-1, 4-1)
Last week: 2
Indiana escaped Ann Arbor with an overtime win in Week 8. It was an ugly game all-around, but the Hoosiers made the big-time plays when they needed to. Indiana will now host Minnesota, as well as College GameDay, this weekend.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0)
Last week: 1
Ohio State remains in the top spot. The Buckeyes were on a bye this weekend, which came at the right time as the offense looks to get things in order without Julian Sayin available. Backup Luke Fahey is now Ohio State's QB1, and it will be interesting to see how he performs on the road against USC on Saturday.
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