Big Ten Power Rankings: Where Does Iowa Football Stand After NIU Win?

All it takes is a simple drive through downtown Iowa City to figure out who Iowa football plays this week. UI students call it "hate week" around here, and most of the apartments and greek houses feature massive white banners with explicit messages towards Iowa State. Not surprisingly, most of them can't even be repeated on this platform. Not only have Hawkeye fans moved ahead to Saturday's primetime clash at Kinnick Stadium (6:30 p.m., NBC), the Iowa coaching staff and its players have done the same, too. Film reviews for the Northern Illinois game took place on Sunday, and you better believe the coaching staff is already deep in preparation for the Cy-Hawk Game. We'll be turning our attention to the rivalry showdown later today, but before we can get there, it's time to release our first Big Ten power ranking of the season. There's nothing else to say about this one. Rutgers wasn't expected to be a great team this year, and it confirmed that statement by losing to UMass as a 30-point favorite. The Minutemen hadn't even won a game since Oct. 26, 2024. Pathetic effort by Greg Schiano's team. Rebuilding Purdue scored a 44-19 triumph over Indiana State in its season opener, but Boilermaker fans weren't pleased. The defensive issues that were present in 2025 resurfaced against one of the worst teams in the FCS. Pat Fitzgerald's Michigan State debut was almost a disaster. Toledo is a strong MAC team and was expected to give this new-look Spartans team some fits, but I don't think trailing in the fourth quarter was want MSU fans wanted to see. Though we cover the Hawkeyes here, I was so upset by the ending of the Michigan game that I seriously considered writing a column. Western Michigan got absolutely hosed by the Big Ten, but it doesn't hide the fact that the Wolverines looked like hot garbage in game one under Kyle Whittingham. One of the best punts you'll ever see wasn't enough to help Wisconsin come close to upsetting No. 4 Notre Dame at Lambeau Field on Sunday. The Badgers were competitive in the first half, but that's just not good enough for this program anymore. Maryland handled its business and won by 62 points over an FCS team. Enough said. Playing South Dakota State is never an easy task (just ask 2022 Iowa), but give credit to Northwestern for walking away with a 34-18 victory. Quarterback Aidan Chiles threw for 273 yards. Maybe Chip Kelly will be the man that revives him. Nebraska went back-and-forth with Ohio for awhile, but then new transfer quarterback Anthony Colandrea and the offense woke up. The Cornhuskers are such a bizarre team. Is Bob Chesney the next Curt Cignetti? The former James Madison head man took over a struggling UCLA program and proceeded to beat rival California on the road by 21 points in his first game. That's a really good start for the Bruins. I've never understood why Minnesota always opens its season on Thursday nights, but P.J. Fleck's crew usually takes advantage of the spotlight with an offensive explosion against a bad FCS or MAC team. The 59-7 win over Eastern Illinois was good, but the new "ROW" chant is overkill. I didn't really watch this game, but after scrolling through Illinois twitter, it seems like the defense struggled to tackle. Fortunately for the Illini, they were playing UAB, so all is well in Champaign. That was one of the cleanest season openers we've seen from Iowa in this decade. The Hawkeyes moved the football at will in the first half before switching to cruise control in the second. Now it's on to the Cy-Hawk game, where Iowa is seeking its first win since 2023. This may be too high for Washington, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt since it played a rivalry game in Week 1. Demond Williams is getting paid a lot of money to be the quarterback in Seattle, and he's going to have to play a whole lot better than that. The unforced penalties were ridiculous, too. USC has a talented roster, but the folks in Los Angeles are too fair weather to care right now. Iowa had 70,000 people (a sellout) in the stands on Saturday, and the Trojans haven't even come close to to achieving that in two combined home games so far (they played in Week Zero). Fans should be embarrassed. Matt Campbell's debut in Happy Valley was a good one. "Iowa State East" cruised to a 45-0 victory over a respectable Marshall program. The schedule is ridiculously easy this year, so Penn State should have no problem continuing to roll. For as loaded as this Oregon team always is, it loves to mess around with its Week 1 opponent. Idaho almost won in Autzen a few years ago, and Boise State led by 10 points as a 24.5-point underdog this season. Dante Moore bailed the Ducks out in the fourth quarter, but that's not the type of statement Oregon wants to make. Cignetti's Hoosiers struggled in their season opener last year, but no such struggle in 2026. The defending national champions scored early and often en route to a 52-16 victory over North Texas. Josh Hoover is going to be fantastic replacement for Fernando Mendoza. Covering a 50-point point spread isn't easy - unless you're Ohio State. The Buckeyes are the national title favorite for a reason. Jeremiah Smith is already crafting his Heisman Trophy highlight reel. Don't miss out on our Roundtable community and the latest news! It's completely FREE to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members in the community section! Download the FREE Roundtable APP and stay even more connected! Click here to join the fun and potentially win some FREE Hawkeye swag! HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected] Best Newest first Oldest first