2025 Detroit News Big Ten Football Power Rankings: Week 8 – The Detroit News

Here are The Detroit News Power Rankings for Week 8 of the 2025 college football season, with analysis from Angelique S. Chengelis.
▶ 1. Ohio State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten): The Buckeyes gained three turnovers and turned each into touchdowns in a win against Illinois. OSU led 20-3 at halftime and has beaten Illinois 10 times since losing in 2007 while ranked No. 1. Last week: 1.
▶ 2. Indiana (6-0, 3-0): IU had six sacks and quarterback Fernando Mendoza was poised and efficient in the 30-20 victory at Oregon. Indiana had been 0-46 against top-five teams on the road. Last week: 3.
▶ 3. USC (5-1, 3-1): The Trojans were more physical, gashed Michigan’s run defense and were able to pick apart the Wolverines in a 31-13 win. This felt like a must-win for Lincoln Riley, and he got it. The team has momentum heading into its rivalry game at Notre Dame on Saturday night. Last week: 7
▶ 4. Washington (5-1, 2-1): The Huskies had a sluggish start, but Demond Williams Jr. got things going and became the 16th quarterback in FBS history to gain at least 400 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in a game. He was 21-of-27 for 402 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Rutgers. Last week: 8
▶ 5. Nebraska (5-1, 2-1): Nebraska had its first fourth-quarter comeback victory since 2022 in a 34-31 win at Maryland. The Cornhuskers trailed 31-24 heading into the fourth quarter but outscored Maryland 10-0 to win its first of back-to-back road games. They head to Minnesota next. Last week: 12
▶ 6. Iowa (4-2, 2-1): The Hawkeyes took advantage of Wisconsin’s three first-half turnovers and scored 17 points in a commanding 37-0 victory. Iowa outgained the Badgers, 319-209. It wasn’t clear whether quarterback Mark Gronowski, struggling with a left knee injury, would be back, but he was 17-of-24 for 107 yards. Last week: 11
▶ 7. Oregon (5-1, 2-1): The Ducks’ 18-game home winning streak ended with their 30-20 loss to Indiana. Dante Moore was 21-of-34 for 186 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The Ducks only rushed for 81 yards on 30 carries. Last week: 2.
▶ 8. Minnesota (4-2, 2-1): The Gophers trailed 10-0 and 20-13 to Purdue, but a pick-six from Koi Perich in the fourth quarter was the difference in their 27-20 win. This was a big rebound game for Minnesota, which was pounded 42-3 by OSU a week earlier. Last week: 13
▶ 9. Northwestern (4-2, 2-1): Preston Stone was 17-of-26 for 163 yards and a touchdown to lead the Wildcats to their first win over Penn State since 2015. Northwestern has now won three in a row. Last week: 15
▶ 10. UCLA (2-4, 2-1):  Well look at that – the Bruins have a winning record in the Big Ten and have new life after the firing of DeShaun Foster. After upsetting Penn State, the Bruins went to East Lansing and stunned the Spartans, 38-13. UCLA outgained MSU, 418-253. Last week: 10
▶ 11. Michigan (4-2, 2-1): In what seemed to be a pivotal game for the Wolverines, they were outcoached and outplayed in a 31-13 loss at USC that dropped them from No. 15 out of the AP Top 25 poll. Now, Saturday’s game at home against Washington looms large. Last week: 5
▶ 12. Illinois (5-2, 2-2): You can’t get sloppy and lose the ball and expect to compete against Ohio State. The Illini had three turnovers in a 34-16 loss and found out the hard way. Luke Altmyer was intercepted once and there were two fumbles, all of which led to OSU touchdowns. Last week: 6
▶ 13. Maryland (4-2, 1-2): The Terps have endured back-to-back losses after leading in the second half. A week ago, they lost to Washington, 24-20, after leading 20-0, and then fell 34-31 to Nebraska after leading 31-24 in the fourth quarter. Last week: 9
▶ 14. Penn State (3-3, 0-3): It has been a brutal three-game stretch for the Nittany Lions who lost in double-overtime to Oregon, then were stunned at UCLA, which had just fired its coach, and then they fell 22-21 to Northwestern. Quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury and then on Sunday, coach James Franklin was fired. Last week: 4.
▶ 15. Michigan State (3-2, 0-2): The Spartans are sputtering and have lost three straight, including last weekend to surging UCLA. They were outplayed in every phase and were without quarterback Aidan Chiles in the fourth quarter after he took a hit to the head. It gets tougher as MSU travels to play Indiana. Last week: 14
▶ 16. Rutgers (3-3, 0-3): The Scarlet Knights held a 13-10 halftime lead at Washington, but the Huskies scored 28 points in the second half to win 38-19. Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis had career highs with 386 passing yards and 31 completions with two touchdowns. Last week: 16
▶ 17. Purdue (2-4, 0-3): Purdue self-destructed against Minnesota and had four turnovers and nine penalties for 71 yards. The defense didn’t come up big when the Boilermakers needed it, but one highlight was the run game, which gained 253 yards. Last week: 17
▶ 18. Wisconsin (2-4, 0-3): The Badgers lost a fourth straight to Iowa, this time 37-0. It was their eight straight Big Ten loss. Luke Fickell’s team has not won a league game since last October at Northwestern. Now they get to play Ohio State and then Oregon. Yikes. Last week: 18

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