Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 8
No. 1 Ohio State didn’t lose any momentum during its bye week, and that was obvious Friday night when the Buckeyes crushed struggling Northwestern 52-3. They are firmly entrenched in the top spot of our Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 8
That second spot gets a newcomer again, though, I’ve been flip-flopping Penn State and Wisconsin and, shockingly, the No. 2 Badgers lost at Illinois on Saturday. Penn State, which beat Michigan, slides back into the top spot. Wisconsin can fix that ugly loss in a hurry though, since they are on their way to Columbus this weekend to take on the Buckeyes.
There’s some modest moving. I didn’t penalize Michigan any further for the Penn State loss because Iowa is right behind them and the Wolverines beat them heads-up.
Here are my rankings after the games of Oct. 19, with last week’s ranking and this week’s opponent included:
1. Ohio State (7-0) *** Last week: 1
Last week: Beat Northwestern 52-3 (Friday)
This week: Wisconsin (6-1) at Ohio State, Noon ET (TV: FOX)
The skinny: Still no doubt in my mind that the Buckeyes are the best team in the land. We’ll learn a lot more this week when Wisconsin comes to town, but some of the luster is off of this game with the Badgers getting upset. Still, it’s the game of the year in the Big Ten — so far.
2. Penn State (7-0) *** Last week: 3
Last week: Beat Michigan 28-21
This week: Penn State at Michigan State (4-3), 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: ABC)
The skinny: Penn State keeps rolling along, and looking good doing it. The Nittany Lions jumped out to a 21-0 lead but then had to hang on as the Wolverines tried to make a game of it late. It’s go-time now for Penn State, because these next five weeks — at Michigan State, at Minnesota (after a bye), home to up-and-coming Indiana, at Ohio State — are going to be a real test. Are they up to it?
3. Minnesota (7-0) *** Last week: 4
Last week: Beat Rutgers 42-7
This week: Maryland (3-4) at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m. ET, (TV: ESPN)
The skinny: The Gophers keep moving up the rankings, and the win over Rutgers really had nothing to do with it. Still, the Gophers are 7-0 for the first time since XXXX. Minnesota should be able to make it eight straight win Maryland coming to town. Row that boat, baby.
4. Wisconsin (6-1) *** Last week: 2
Last week: Lost to Illinois 24-23
This week: Wisconsin at Ohio State (7-0), Noon ET (TV: ABC)
The skinny: Wisconsin’s defense has pitched four shutouts already this year, so it was an absolute shock to see Illinois score 24 points and pull off the upset of the year in the Big Ten. The Badgers were a big disappointment, not closing this game out. Three turnovers — and interception and two fumbles — are a great equalizer in any game, and those miscues really hurt Wisconsin. Off to Columbus now to make amends.
5. Michigan (5-2) *** Last week's ranking: 5
Last week: Lost to Penn State 28-21
This week: Notre Dame (5-1) at Michigan, 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: ABC)
The skinny: Michigan is still Michigan, barely putting up a fight on the road against a ranked team. Penn State was all over them early, jumping out to a 21-0 lead. Michigan made it interesting late, but come on now, you never thought they’d rally to win, did you? I sure didn’t. Notre Dame is next, and even in Ann Arbor, this one looks tough.
6. Iowa (5-2) *** Last week: 6
Last week: Beat Purdue 26-20
This week: Iowa at Northwestern (1-5), Noon ET (TV: ESPN2)
The skinny: Iowa had its hands full with Purdue before finally getting the win, which was big after the consecutive losses to Michigan and Penn State where the offense struggled both weeks. Nate Stanley was good, passing for 260 yards, but the running game is still a huge issue, averaging just 3.1 yards per game.IN
7. Indiana (5-2) *** Last week: 7
Last week: Beat Maryland 34-28
This week: Indiana at Nebraska (4-3), 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: BTN)
The skinny: Indiana had a good road win at Maryland, the offense looked sharp, putting up 520 yards with Michael Penix Jr. and Peyton Ramsey both playing well at quarterback. Penix left with an injury, and his status is unknown for Nebraska. I’m guessing he’ll be back for the big showdown in Lincoln.
Michael Penix Jr. left Indiana's game at Maryland in the second quarter.
8. Michigan State (4-3) *** Last week: 7
Last week: Bye week
This week: Penn State (7-0) at Michigan State, 3:30 p.m. (TV: ABC)
The skinny: Michigan State looked awful before its bye week, losing 38-0 to Wisconson, so hopefully they got some things fixed with unbeaten Penn State coming to town. This might be a rough end to the season for the the Spartans.
9. Nebraska (4-3) *** Last week: 9
Last week: Bye week
This week: Indiana (5-2) at Nebraska, 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: BTN)
The skinny: Nebraska’s offense has really been struggling, so maybe the bye week was good for getting a few things fixed and maybe addinga a few new wrinkles. Quarterback Adrian Martinez is really good, but he needs some help, and soon.
10. Purdue (2-5) *** Last week: 12
Last week: Lost to Iowa 26-20
This week: Illinois (3-4) at Purdue, Noon ET (TV: BTN)
The skinny: The Boilermakers hung tough at Iowa, which is a tough place to win, but they came up a little short. No moral victories here, though, and they need to keep getting better. This Illinois game suddenly looks tougher than imagined. I thought about flipping these 10-11 spots this week, but we’ll let them settle it on the field.
Purdue wide receiver Jackson Anthrop tries to beat two Iowa denders. (USA TODAY)
11. Illinois (3-4) *** Last week: 13
Last week: Beat Wisconsin 24-23
This week: Illinois at Purdue (2-5), Noon ET (TV: BTN)
The skinny: I have to admit, I never saw that Illinois upset of Wisconsin coming. No one did, really. The Illini had lost four games in a row and were whopping 31-point underdogs. But turnovers are huge in every game, and Lovie Smith’s crew did a good job of capitalizing on them. We’ll see if this is a shot in the arm for Illinois, which has another winnable game this week.
12. Maryland (3-4) *** Last week: 11
Last week: Lost to Indiana 34-28
This week: Maryland at Minnesota (7-0), 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN)
The skinny: Maryland has a ton of speed on offense and they broke off three plays of 40 yards or more against Indiana, but it wasn’t enough because the defense gave up 520 yards and six scoring drives. That’s just too much, and now comes a road trip to unbeaten Minnesota. The Terps will need to fix things in a hurry.
13. Northwestern (1-5) *** Last week: 12
Last week: Lost to Ohio State 52-3 (Friday)
This week: Iowa (5-2) at Northwestern, Noon ET (TV: ESPN2)
The skinny: Northwestern still can’t find an answer at quarterback, and its defense was really exposed as well in the 52-3 loss to Ohio State on Friday night. Maybe it was a good thing that the nationally televised game got kicked back to the Big Ten Network before of the baseball playoffs. Maybe fewer people saw how back this Wildcats team is. It’s hard to believe these two teams played in the Big Ten Championship Game 10 months ago.
14. Rutgers (1-6) *** Last week 14
Last week: Lost to Minnesota 42-7
This week: Liberty (5-2) at Rutgers, 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: BTN)
The skinny: The problems continue for Rutgers, which had no answer for unbeaten Minnesota on Saturday. If they’re going to win another game this year, Saturday is their best chance in a nonconference tilt against Liberty. We’ll see.
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