Second Big Ten women’s basketball power rankings of the 2025-26 season

After landing a conference-record 12 NCAA Tournament bids a season ago, Big Ten women’s basketball is off and running with plenty of early fireworks.

High-profile matchups, emphatic performances and more have highlighted the first few weeks of action. Some teams are easing into things. Others are playing early gauntlets to build mental toughness

With that, here is Sports Network’s second Big Ten women’s basketball power rankings of the 2025-26 season. Records are reflective of games through Nov. 21.

1. UCLA (5-0)

• Previously: No. 1
• What to know: The Bruins are off and running with neutral-site wins over Oklahoma, North Carolina and South Florida.

2. Michigan (4-1)

• Previously: No. 3
• What to know: After a riveting win over Notre Dame, Michigan nearly toppled UConn in a crazy comeback effort. The Wolverines also have wins over Canisius, Harvard and Binghamton.

3. Maryland (6-0)

• Previously: No. 2
• What to know: The Terrapins haven’t been tested yet with wins over Loyola (Maryland), UMBC, Georgetown, Towson, Princeton and Bethune-Cookman.

4. USC (3-2)

• Previously: No. 4
• What to know: It’s been a bit of a bumpy start with losses to South Carolina and Notre Dame to go with a win over North Carolina State. The Trojans will get a breather with three straight mid-major foes upcoming.

5. Iowa (5-0)

• Previously: No. 6
• What to know: Iowa’s win over No. 10 Baylor saw the Hawkeyes hurdle cold shooting and multiple injuries for a key early win at the WBCA Showcase.

6. Michigan State (5-0)

• Previously: No. 5
• What to know: Five blowout wins over mid-major squads haven’t revealed a ton about the Spartans yet. Michigan State isn’t slated to face a current ranked foe until Jan. 8.

7. Washington (4-0)

• Previously: No. 8
• What to know: The Huskies’ Nov. 15 win over Utah is the only Power Four team Washington will face until its Big Ten opener on Dec. 7.

8. Indiana (5-0)

• Previously: No. 9
• What to know: A road win over Florida State highlights Indiana’s early surge. The Hoosiers head to Florida for games against Florida Gulf Coast and Gonzaga.

9. Nebraska (5-0)

• Previously: No. 10
• What to know: A neutral-site win over North Dakota State and a rout of Creighton highlight Nebraska’s early results.

10. Oregon (5-0)

• Previously: No. 11
• What to know: It’s been smooth sailing for Oregon so far, with blowout wins over West Georgia, Montana, Grand Canyon, Army and Washington State.

11. Ohio State (3-1)

• Previously: No. 7
• What to know: Even to top-ranked UConn, a 32-point loss isn’t something Ohio State endures very often. The Buckeyes have since beaten Kent State and will head to the Bahamas next week.

12. Illinois (3-1)

• Previously: No. 12
• What to know: The Fighting Illini have a road loss at Oregon State to go with wins over SEMO, Illinois State and Murray State.

13. Minnesota (4-1)

• Previously: No. 13
• What to know: The Golden Gophers suffered their first loss of the year in a road stumble at Kansas. That goes with wins over North Dakota, Manhattan, Marquette and NJIT.

14. Penn State (4-0)

• Previously: No. 14
• What to know: Penn State has secured wins over Bucknell, Cincinnati, Coppin State and Saint Joseph’s.

15. Northwestern (5-0)

• Previously: No. 16
• What to know: The Wildcats have wins over IU Indy, SIU Edwardsville, Maryland Eastern Shore, DePaul and Cleveland State.

16. Wisconsin (5-1)

• Previously: No. 15
• What to know: The Badgers suffered a road loss at Marquette to go with wins over Oakland, Milwaukee, Bowling Green, Green Bay and UIC.

17. Rutgers (4-2)

• Previously: No. 17
• What to know: The Scarlet Knights have losses to Stony Brook and Auburn to go with wins over Wagner, Quinnipiac, Rhode Island and FDU.

18. Purdue (2-2)

• Previously: No. 18
• What to know: After starting 2-0 with wins over FDU and Eastern Illinois, Purdue has dropped back-to-back games against Purdue Fort Wayne and Kentucky.

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.