Big Ten Football: 2023 Week 1 power rankings

8. Rutgers (1-0)

You can argue that some of the Big Ten football teams ranked below Rutgers are better, but the Scarlet Knights are one of just three teams with a Big Ten win right now. They did it by dominating Northwestern and looked like a team capable of going to a bowl game. That would be a major achievement from Greg Schiano who really needs to show some progress. The defense notched five sacks and forced a turnover, plus Gavin Wimsatt was solid. We’ll see if Rutgers is really improved but they looked it on Saturday.

7. Minnesota (1-0)

Give Minnesota credit for finding a way to win against Nebraska, but the Gophers weren’t all that impressive. Athan Kaliakmanis came up with some clutch plays late, but the Gophers ran for just 55 yards, while the Huskers had close to 200. Yet, the Gophers made the plays they needed to make and don’t have to apologize for starting 1-0.

6. Maryland (1-0)

I’m a believer in the Terps. Taulia Tagovailoa passed for 260 yards and three touchdowns in the 38-6 win over Towson. Some might want Maryland to be lower on the list because the opponent wasn’t all that impressive. But Maryland was solid and this is a team talented enough to be a top-5 Big Ten football team in 2023.