Matt McMaster has released his latest set of Big Ten Football Power Rankings.
18. Purdue (1-7, 0-5 Big Ten) [Last Week: 17]
The quality of football was higher than I anticipated, but they still lost to a bad football team so the Boilermakers are back in the cellar.
17. Rutgers (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten) [Last Week:18]
Bye Week.
16. Northwestern (4-5, 2-4 Big Ten) [Last Week: 16]
They got a win over a team they’re better than. Should it have gone to OT? No. Do they lose credibility because they nearly lost to one of the worst teams in the country? Yes? Will this team win another game? Doubtful.
15. USC (4-5, 2-5 Big Ten) [Last Week: 12]
They suck and Lincoln Riley’s time in USC is coming to an end. They announced that they’ll be using the bye week to make a quarterback change. It’s too little too late to turn this season to forget around for the Trojans.
14. Maryland (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten) [Last Week:13]
Bye Week.
13. UCLA (3-5, 2-4 Big Ten) [Last Week:15]
I told people all week that UCLA being a touchdown underdog against Nebraska was a mistake. Despite their record the Bruins have competed hard all season long and still have credible talent to win games. They’ll have a real opportunity to win three of their last four games of the year.
12. Michigan State (4-5, 2-4 Big Ten) [Last Week: 11]
Can’t blame them for getting blown out by Indiana. It seems like it’s happening to everyone these days.
11. Washington (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) [Last Week: 14]
Good win against a bad team. I can’t get a read on the Huskies but they’ve proven they’re a tier above the garbage heap of the conference but you truly never know what Washington team you’re going to get week in and week out.
10. Nebraska (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) [Last Week: 8]
Embarrassing. Embarrassing. Embarrassing. There is no other way to put it. This team takes four steps forward and then promptly takes eight steps back. Matt Rhule needs to find a win in his final three games of the season because if the Big Red go bowl-less after starting the season 5-1, the uproar from such a loyal fan base will be deafening.
9. Michigan (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) [Last Week: 9]
The season of nightmares continues to get worse for the Wolverines. Plain and simple, this team can beat chumps but can’t hang with the big dogs.
8. Wisconsin (5-4,3-3 Big Ten) [Last Week: 7]
They just got physically beaten by Iowa on Saturday. They couldn’t get anything going in either the pass or run game and could not deal with the physicality of the Iowa offense on defense. They were pushed around for 60 minutes.
7. Illinois (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) [Last Week: 5]
Illinois lost this week 25-17 in an incredibly competitive game against Minnesota at home. This has been a really tough stretch for Illinois over the last three weeks. They picked up an incredibly emotional win over Michigan, followed that up with the herculean task of taking on No. 1 Oregon on the road and it ended losing a tight contest to one of the hottest teams in the country. I still believe in this team and think they will come out better after this much needed bye week.
6. Iowa (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) [Last Week: 10]
It was a dominant win over a white hot Wisconsin team over the weekend for Iowa. I have so much respect for what Kirk Ferentz has done this season. He finally decided to say screw the pass we are going to double down on the run, and it worked. Making the switch to Brendan Sullivan made an already great running game deadlier. I think the Hawkeyes put themselves in a vulnerable spot if they get down in games early with their inability to throw the ball downfield. But they don’t have anyone on their team who can do that, so riding with Sullivan and doubling down on the run with a dominant defense behind them is a stellar move.
5. Minnesota (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) [Last Week: 6]
I’ve been getting some pushback about how bullish I’ve been on this Minnesota squad and I’m glad they backed me up with a gutsy 25-17 victory against a ranked Illinois team on the road. Their secondary is elite and they’ve found a tremendous balance on offense. Darius Taylor and Max Brosmer continue to get better as the season progresses as this team continues to build momentum down the final stretch of the year.
4. Penn State (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) [Last Week: 2]
It’s hard to penalize Penn State for losing close to Ohio State, but at some point James Franklin and company needs to win games like these. This was their best chance to finally get over the hump and they failed. The Nittany Lions will find their way into the CFP but that’s probably as far as their accomplishments go for this season.
3. Indiana (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) [Last Week: 4]
WINdiana is for real. They got the jump from the get-go against Michigan State, making a lot of people think “finally here comes the collapse,” but they did not give in. After a challenging first quarter they scored 47 straight points, defeating MSU 47-10. Insanity is the best way to describe what's going on in Bloomington. The way Curt Cignetti had his team regroup and whoop Spartan tail was astounding. This run they’re on is not a flash in the pan, the Hoosiers are national title contenders.
2. Ohio State (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) [Last Week: 3]
Really impressive win by the Buckeyes against the No. 3 team in the country. Donovan Jackson did an incredible job filling in at tackle and even though this offensive line is being held together by duct tape, it was good enough to beat one of the best teams in the country.
1. Oregon (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) [Last Week: 1]
