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 second week of the season are included below.
No. 1 - Ohio State (3-0) ... 3 first place votes
Ohio State had a bye week, so there was no need to really re-litigate their spot at the top of our poll. They look like the kings of the Big Ten for now, and they'll get their first shot at defending their top spot when they travel to Madison in October for their game against Wisconsin.
T - No. 2 - Michigan (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
The Wolverines handled Penn State with relative ease this weekend, but will get their first shot at proving how good of a team they can be when they take on Wisconsin this weekend. With the Badgers coming off a big win over Michigan State, you can be sure that the Wolverines won't overlook UW.
T- No. 2 - Wisconsin (4-0, 1-0)
Coming off a huge win over Michigan State on the road, the Badgers suddenly look like a real threat to win the Big Ten, even with their brutal regular season schedule. With wins already over LSU and Michigan State, the rest of the Big Ten might find out that the Badgers aren't locked in with them- they're locked in with the Badgers.
T - No. 4 - Michigan State (2-1, 0-1)
The Spartans suffered a big setback last weekend with their loss to Wisconsin, but their hopes of winning the Big Ten aren't completely dashed. They'll need to jump-start their offense, though, and will need quarterback Tyler O'Connor to play better down the road.
T - No. 4 - Nebraska (4-0, 1-0)
Nebraska moved up a spot to No. 4 with a win over Northwestern, even with the Wildcats giving them a bit of a fight. Wisconsin is getting all the press out of the West Division at the moment, but the Cornhuskers could give them a run for their money for the division crown.
No. 6 - Iowa (3-1, 1-0)
The Hawkeyes struggled to put away Rutgers on the road, but found a way to pull it out and rebound from their loss to North Dakota State last weekend. Still though, the Hawkeyes don't look like the same team that went undefeated in the regular season last year.
No. 7 - Minnesota (3-0)
The Gophers finished their non-conference season undefeated, but they still appear to have a few things to work out especially on the defensive side of the ball. We'll see how they stack up with the rest of the Big Ten when they take on Penn State on the road this weekend.
No. 8 - Maryland (3-0)
The Terps also had a bye this last weekend, and new head coach D.J. Durkin will test his new team against Purdue this weekend. Maryland looks like they've taken a step forward, and could prove it with a solid win over the Boilermakers.
T - No. 9 - Penn State (2-2, 0-1)
Penn State is 2-2, and coming off a humbling loss to Michigan on the road. They have a string of three home games coming up, though, so they have a chance to prove where they stand in the Big Ten pecking order with contests against Minnesota and Maryland.
T - No. 9 - Indiana (2-1)
Give credit to Wake Forest for taking some steps forward as a football program, but the Hoosiers seemed like they were at a point where they could have handled the Demon Deacons- especially at home.
No. 11 - Northwestern (1-3, 0-1)
The Wildcats gave Nebraska a fight, but just didn't have the horses to pull out a win over the Cornhuskers. They only have three more home games though to go along with five road games, so it looks like it's going to be tough for them to make it to bowl eligibility.
No. 12 - Purdue (2-1)
The Boilermakers had a bit of a scare against Nevada this weekend, but managed to pull off a 24-14 win. They need four wins in Big Ten play to make it to a bowl game, though, and that doesn't look like it's going to happen.
T - No. 13 - Rutgers (2-2, 0-1)
The Scarlet Knights played well on defense and hung with Iowa for a bit, but fell short of securing what would have been an unexpected win. It's hard to pick out many more Big Ten games where you'd expect them to be competitive, though.
T - No. 13 - Illinois (1-2)
Illinois had a bye week before opening up Big Ten play this week against Nebraska on the road. That should be an interesting test of where they're at as a Big Ten program under new head coach Lovie Smith.
