Matt McMaster has released his latest set of Big Ten Football Power Rankings.
18. Northwestern (2-2, 1-0 Big Ten)
17. Purdue (1-3, 0-1 Big Ten)
16. UCLA (1-3, 0-2 Big Ten)
15. Wisconsin (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten)
The Badgers fell apart in the second half against the USC Trojans. What I find most interesting is that Wisconsin looked best when running the ball and dominating USC upfront, as opposed to running Luke Fickell’s air raid offense. I’ll get ahead of it now. Fickell will be gone in the next two seasons.
14. Michigan State (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten)
13. Maryland (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten)
Played a great game against the Hoosiers but could not keep up with their high-powered offense.
12. Minnesota (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten)
Not only did they play an incredible second half, but the Gophers were robbed of a chance to steal a victory in the Big House after an incorrect offside penalty overturned their onside kick recovery. Despite the loss, Minnesota has a great opportunity to turn their misfortune into momentum, which can lead to wins.
11. Washington (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) [Last Week:11 ]
Played Rutgers to the wire on Friday. The Huskies are the type of team that is not going to win a conference or national championship but can beat any team in the country. They play like it’s game seven every night, and it’s hard not to admire that.
10. Iowa (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten)
Bye week changes nothing for me when analyzing this team. Until they find a quarterback, they’re an average football team.
9. Indiana (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten)
Curt Cignetti is a winner, and quarterback Kurtis Rourke is the real deal. It was a great game and a hell of a win for the Hoosiers. Something magical is brewing in Bloomington.
8. Nebraska (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten)
Despite having an awful first half, the Huskers got the job done as road favorites. That sentence hasn’t been written as much as Nebraska would like over the last decade. Their matchup against Rutgers this week will be a great test for this emerging program.
7. Rutgers (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
Another week, another tough win for this Rutgers team. Nothing flashy about Schiano’s boys. They’re old, disciplined, and know how to win football games, which is challenging for any team. Their game against the Cornhuskers is going to be a slobberknocker.
6. Michigan (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten)
The “Second Half Wolverines” are real, but not in a good way. The Wolverines have a -31 point differential in the second half over their last three games. Despite the fact they’ve does so with wins, it's hard to feel great about the Maize and Blue’s chances of going back-to-back are this year.
5. Illinois (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten)
Yes, Illinois lost. But as 17-point underdogs, they went to one of the toughest places to play in the country and nearly beat Penn State. Despite suffering a defeat this week, they’re a better team than we thought they were.
4. USC (3-1, 1-1 Big Ten)
What makes their win over Wisconsin impressive is they got their asses whipped in the first half. They got pushed around, and the Badgers did about anything they wanted in the first 30 minutes of the game. But give Lincoln Riley credit; he had his guys ready to go in the second half as they outscored Wisconsin 28-0.
3. Oregon (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
I’m not really buying stock into anything Oregon does until they play Ohio State. We know they are talented, and we know they are a good team. The only way they’ll move up from three is if they beat OSU.
2. Penn State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
Illinois is better than we thought, but the Nittany Lions held their ground and got the job done. After watching a lot of the game, I think Illinois is just that damn good. I am not overly concerned with Penn State’s performance.
1. Ohio State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
