Sam McKewon's Big Ten football rankings, Week 4

Here are the latest Big Ten rankings from Sam McKewon: Last game: Bye week Next game: vs. Marshall, 11 a.m.

, Fox Sam's take: One more JV game before, well, a trip to Michigan State, for a Big Ten JV game. The Buckeyes got a friendly ramp into the season. Last game: Bye week Next game: vs.



Kent State, 2:30 p.m., BTN Sam's take: The Nittany Lions renew their long-standing relationship with the MAC this week after a scare from Bowling Green two weeks ago.

Last game: Bye week Next game: at Michigan, 2:30 p.m., CBS Sam's take: The Trojans passed the neutral site test against LSU and now has to head to the Big House, where the Wolverines, if nothing else, are physical and aggressive on defense.

Last game: Beat Oregon State 49-14 Next game: Bye week Sam's take: The Ducks blew open a competitive game with a post-halftime romp of big plays and dominant defense. Through three weeks, Dillon Gabriel leads the nation with a 84% completion rate. Last game: Beat Northern Iowa 34-3 Next game: vs.

Illinois, Friday at 7 p.m., Fox Sam's take: Pound for pound, no defense runs harder and hits with more ill intention.

The Blackshirts make it look fun — if you can handle their relentless pace. Last game: Beat UCLA 42-13 Next game: vs. Charlotte, 11 a.

m., BTN Sam's take: IU took an early lead and never let up in what might be the most impressive Big Ten performance of the season so far. Few expected anything like this — except, perhaps, IU coach Curt Cignetti.

Last game: Bye week Next game: at Virginia Tech, 2:30 p.m., ACCN Sam's take: The Scarlet Knights have won their last 11 nonconference games headed into the game at Virginia Tech’s vaunted Lane Stadium.

A RU win here probably nets a ranking next week. Last game: Beat Troy 38-21 Next game: at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m.

, NBC Sam's take: Hawkeye running back Kaleb Johnson leads the nation with 479 rushing yards. He’s tied for fourth in touchdowns with six. Since 2018, Iowa has only had one 1,000-yard rusher (Tyler Goodson) so Johnson’s resurgence, after struggling last season, is a welcome sign.

Last game: Beat Arkansas State 28-18 Next game: vs. USC, 2:30 p.m.

, CBS Sam's take: The Wolverines have the Big Ten’s most punchless and error-prone pass game, with six interceptions thrown through three games. Davis Warren got benched — and he was the good passer! Last game: Beat Central Michigan 30-9 Next game: at Nebraska, Friday at 7 p.m.

, Fox Sam's take: The Illini’s best win — vs. Kansas — took a hit when KU dropped a game to UNLV. But Bret Bielema’s crew appears to have their defensive bite back after struggling last year.

Last game: Lost to Washington State 24-19 Next game: vs. Northwestern, 6 p.m.

FS1 Sam's take: Candidate for worst play call of the year goes to UW’s staff on fourth-and-goal at the end of a 24-19 loss to Washington State. The Huskies has quarterback Will Rogers run a speed option to the short side of the field. Didn’t work.

Last game: Beat Prairie View A&M 40-0 Next game: at Boston College, 7 p.m., ACCN Sam's take: MSU could have named its score, kept it classy at 40 points, and now has to go brawl with BC, which bludgeoned Florida State a few weeks ago and just took Missouri to the wire.

Last game: Beat Virginia 27-13 Next game: vs. Villanova, 11 a.m.

, BTN Sam's take: Is Tai Felton the next great Maryland receiver to take the NFL by storm? Through three games, he leads the Big Ten in catches (27) yards (447) and touchdowns (4). Take that, Ohio State receivers. Last game: Beat Nevada 27-0 Next game: vs.

Iowa, 6:30 p.m., NBC Sam's take: The Gophers’ defense pitched their fourth nonconference shutout in three years.

Three Minnesota interceptions helped the cause. Last game: Lost to Alabama 42-10 Next game: Bye week Sam's take: Luke Fickell’s team got “whooped” and almost surely lost its quarterback, Tyler Van Dyke, for some time to a knee injury. Costly, costly loss.

A tough year awaits. Last game: Beat Eastern Illinois 31-7 Next game: at Washington, 6 p.m.

, FS1 Sam's take: Outside of that Purdue game in early November, there doesn’t look to be a lot of obvious wins on the Wildcats’ schedule, but that was true in 2023, when Northwestern won eight. Last game: Bye week Next game: at LSU, 2:30 p.m.

, ABC Sam's take: Disastrous beatdown absorbed by the Bruins, who looked slower and less athletic than the Hoosiers. The possibilities of what LSU might do this week could be quite endless. Last game: Lost to Notre Dame 66-7 Next game: at Oregon State, 7:30 p.

m., CW Sam's take: You only get one chance to make a first impression when Notre Dame comes to town, and Purdue looked like it had never tackled power conference backs before. Ryan Walters’ seat is warm — but he can cool it off with a win at the beatable Beavers.

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