Coach Griff’s Big Ten Power Rankings: Indiana Holds No. 2, UCLA No. 3

By Coach Griff | Hoosier Tailgate | October 20, 2026

Ohio State has earned the first line. Indiana still belongs near the top. And UCLA is making the argument behind them harder to ignore.

This week’s Big Ten Power Rankings keep the Buckeyes first, the Hoosiers second and the Bruins third. The order reflects our assessment of current team strength, informed by results and the broader body of work. These are HFT’s editorial rankings, not the conference standings or a national poll.

The standard remains the one we set in last week’s rankings: respect opponent quality, consider the whole picture and be willing to reassess. Head-to-head games matter. So do the performances around them. Where those considerations pull in different directions, the explanation should be as clear as the number.

Big Ten Power Rankings: October 20, 2026

Coach Griff’s Team-by-Team Breakdown

1. Ohio State

The Buckeyes earned the top spot where it matters: on the field. Their 19–15 victory at Indiana gives us a direct answer to the conference’s biggest comparison. Winning a close game in Bloomington carries more weight than an argument about which roster looks better on paper.

2. Indiana

Indiana stays second because a four-point defeat against our No. 1 does not erase the rest of its work. The Hoosiers belong in this fight. But belonging and finishing are different standards. The offensive questions raised in our recent coverage still deserve scrutiny: can Indiana create a more dependable running game and turn scoring opportunities into points? Those are the next steps toward winning this kind of matchup.

3. UCLA

UCLA is making the strongest challenge to the top two. The Bruins followed their 17–15 road win over Oregon with a 17–7 victory against Wisconsin, improving to 6–0. There is a reasonable argument for putting UCLA second. Our evaluation still gives Indiana the edge, but that is a judgment call, not a dismissal of what the Bruins have accomplished.

4. Iowa

Iowa holds fourth. Its 41–24 win at Washington on October 9 remains an important part of the case. The Hawkeyes occupy the next position behind our leading three, with an opportunity to turn a strong placement into a claim on the upper tier.

5. USC

USC takes fifth in this week’s assessment. The Trojans’ 31–23 victory at Penn State is a positive, but Oregon’s head-to-head win over USC remains a clear counterargument. We give USC the edge in the current overall evaluation; readers who prioritize that direct meeting will reasonably see these two differently.

6. Oregon

Oregon’s 17–14 win against Nebraska puts another result on the board. The Ducks also own a 41–27 win over USC. Sixth reflects our current power assessment, with that head-to-head result making the fifth-versus-sixth debate especially close. Oregon has every reason to challenge this placement.

7. Northwestern

Northwestern earns seventh after a 24–21 win at Michigan State. The Wildcats are in the upper half of this poll on merit. The challenge now is to keep producing results that make a place among the conference’s leading teams harder to dispute.

8. Nebraska

Nebraska stays in the top eight after consecutive three-point losses to Indiana and Oregon. Competitive football deserves recognition, but close losses cannot become the entire case for a ranking. The next step is turning those margins into wins.

9. Michigan

Michigan takes ninth following a 21–18 win over Penn State. That result counts, even with Penn State sitting near the bottom of our list. The Wolverines now need to build a stronger case for moving beyond the middle of the conference.

10. Purdue

Purdue rounds out the top ten. A 38–26 loss to Washington checks the momentum created by the Boilermakers’ 41–13 win over Minnesota. The full evaluation still keeps Purdue here, but its margin over the teams below is open to challenge.

11. Illinois

Illinois sits just outside the top ten. The task is to make the next evaluation easier: produce a performance that creates separation from this crowded middle group. Eleventh is a position to improve, not a ceiling.

12. Wisconsin

Wisconsin lands twelfth after its loss at UCLA. That is a demanding opponent, and context belongs in the discussion. Even so, the Badgers need results that support a climb rather than relying on the difficulty of a defeat.

13. Minnesota

Minnesota is thirteenth. The Gophers’ loss to Purdue weighs against them in this part of the poll. There is room to move, but our next evaluation needs a stronger reason to put Minnesota above the teams currently ahead.

14. Washington

Washington’s win at Purdue deserves credit and makes this one of the more debatable placements. We place the Huskies at No. 14 in the broader assessment. That does not cancel the direct result; it makes Washington’s case for moving ahead of Purdue a fair one.

15. Penn State

Penn State’s loss at Michigan leaves it 0–4 in conference play. The name on the helmet cannot carry the ranking. Fifteenth reflects the results available now, and a recovery has to begin with changing them.

16. Rutgers

Rutgers’ 37–30 victory at Maryland earns recognition. Winning that matchup establishes a clear reason to place the Scarlet Knights above the Terrapins. Rutgers remains in the lower group, with a result it can build on.

17. Michigan State

Michigan State is seventeenth after the loss to Northwestern. The Spartans need to turn competitive opportunities into wins. Until that happens, there is little basis for moving them clear of the bottom of this list.

18. Maryland

Maryland sits last following the defeat against Rutgers. That direct comparison matters at this end of the poll. The route upward begins with a result that gives us a concrete reason to reconsider.

Indiana’s Next Standard

Keeping Indiana second does not mean lowering the expectations. It means evaluating a loss in context while demanding improvement. The Hoosiers do not need a sympathetic explanation. They need the execution that turns a close game against a leading opponent into a victory.

UCLA’s challenge is real, and Ohio State has supplied the strongest answer at the top. The next round of football gets to test every position on this list.

Fast. Physical. Relentless.

Results checked against the Big Ten’s official results, Ohio State’s Indiana recap and UCLA’s Wisconsin recap. Rankings and evaluations are Hoosier Tailgate editorial opinion.