BadgerBlitz.com's power poll is back for another season, where Jon McNamara, Jessi Schoville and I will rank the Big Ten teams after each week of action.
Our ranks following the latest round of conference play are included below.
1. Michigan (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) … 3 first place votes
This shouldn’t surprise you- Michigan clobbered Maryland this weekend, and is probably going to do the same to Iowa this weekend. Their big challenge will come against Ohio State, and not before.
2. Ohio State (8-1, 5-1)
The Buckeyes continued to rebound from their loss to Penn State by kicking the crud out of Nebraska at home. Their offense appears to be rebounding in to form, just in time for their big showdown against Michigan in a few weeks.
3. Wisconsin (7-2, 4-2)
Now that Nebraska lost to Ohio State the Badgers control their own path to Indianapolis and the Big Ten Championship Game. If they win out they’ll take on Ohio State or Michigan one more time, but this week they need to handle their business against Illinois at home.
4. Penn State (7-2, 5-1)
Talk about a program that seems to be turning the corner. The Nittany Lions blew out Iowa at home last weekend, and look like they could be on their way to a major bowl game.
5. Nebraska (7-2, 4-2)
The Cornhuskers got blown out in Columbus this weekend, but things weren’t exactly going well for them even before quarterback Tommy Armstrong was knocked out of the game with a head injury. Nebraska is a good football program, but they still seem to be a step behind the Big Ten’s best.
6. Northwestern (4-5, 3-3)
The Wildcats had their moments against Wisconsin this weekend, but ultimately the UW defense was too much for their offense to handle. Wide receiver Austin Carr should get some serious consideration as the Big Ten’s offensive player of the year, though.
7. Iowa (5-4, 3-3)
The Hawkeyes appear to need to do some soul-searching after they were basically non-competitive against Penn State this weekend. They’ve definitely taken a step back from last year’s undefeated season- probably more so than most people expected them to.
8. Minnesota (7-2, 4-2)
Minnesota is a very quiet 7-2, but they’re just about to start the meat of their schedule. With games against Nebraska, Northwestern, and Wisconsin up next, we’ll find out shortly just how good the Gophers are.
9. Indiana (5-4, 3-3)
Indiana pulled out a win over Rutgers this weekend, and is now just one win away from bowl eligibility for the second straight season. With a game against Purdue still on their schedule, I like their chances to go bowling again.
10. Maryland (5-4, 2-4)
I don’t think anyone expected Maryland to beat Michigan this weekend, but their blowout loss to the Wolverines shows just how far this program needs to go to compete with the best teams in their division.
11. Illinois (3-6, 2-4)
Give credit to Illinois and Lovie Smith- a win over Michigan State is good pretty much any year, even if the Spartans are in a major tailspin. Wins have been hard to come by in Champaign, so the Illini aren’t going to turn down a win if it’s given to them.
12. Michigan State (2-7, 0-6)
Their latest loss to Illinois makes you wonder just how far the Spartans can sink this year. They’ve only beaten Fordham and a bad Notre Dame team- and if they can’t beat Rutgers this weekend then I don’t won’t know what to believe in any more.
13. Purdue (3-6, 1-5)
The Boilermakers gave Minnesota a run for their money, but couldn’t close it out in the second half. Finishing games is going to have to be a big priority for whoever ends up taking over in West Lafayette.
14. Rutgers (2-7, 0-6)
Rutgers doesn’t play Purdue this year, so this week might be now-or-never for a Big Ten win this season for head coach Chris Ash when they take on Michigan State.
