Big Ten Power Rankings

[BCB mwat15]

We are about half way through the season and as we all know there has been a lot of movement lately and surprises in the conference. So, kind of ignoring records, how would you rank the Big Ten squads?(I'll try to do this weekly)

After Week 7
1. Iowa- Yes MSU is undefeated, but the road to Pasadena runs through Kinnick as MSU, Wisc, and OSU all must travel to Iowa City. Not to mention, they have played great IMO since that one terrible half in Tuscon.

2. Mich St- I'm splitting hairs here. MSU is undefeated with only 1 true test left, at Iowa in two weeks. The only reason I have Iowa over MSU is the big game experience of Iowa. MSU has only played one road game, at Michigan. They hold their destiny in their hands but have to go through Iowa in Iowa city, a daunting task IMO for a team yet to leave the state of Michigan.

3. Wisconsin- Marred by inconsistency all season, they finally woke up last Saturday with the #1 team in town. If they can win out they should be sitting pretty for a BCS at large bid.

4. Ohio St- I haven't figured this team out yet. They trounced Miami and Indiana, but struggled to beat Illinois and got pounded physically by Wisconsin. This team needs to find consistency.

5. Northwestern- I know they just lost to Purdue, but this isn't a listing of the teams by record. The Wildcats are 20th in the nation in passing and 23rd in scoring D. They are 5-1 and have a brutal stretch coming up. The coming weeks will tell us a lot about this team.

6. Illinois- I cannot say enough about the job of Paul Petrino and Vic Koenning. The Illini need to ride Mikel LeShoure, Jason Ford, and a much improved D to their first bowl since the 2007 Rose Bowl.

7. Purdue- They are 2-0 in Conference play, but they have been devastated by injuries. How long can they keep up this level of play with guys who were originally 2nd stringers is a legit question IMO. They had a nice win over Northwestern, but where they stand in conference play could be determined over the next 2 weeks.

8. Michigan- Denard Robinson is an absolute stud. But the defense is like a hot knife through butter. They are 82nd in scoring D and the 3rd worst run D in the conference. They have also struggled to find consistent playmakers other than Robinson. That D may hold them back from being more than merely bowl eligible.

9. Indiana- They can score points, but they are the second worst scoring D in the conference. Add that to struggles on special teams and any game they have been in so far has been a shootout. That isn't a recipe for success as the weather begins to turn.

10. Penn St- Like Purdue, they have had a ton of injuries. However, this is Penn St. The talent is still there, especially with guys like Royster and the talented Frosh Bolden. This team is underacheiving and desperately needs a win after getting trounced in their last outing by Illinois.

11. Minnesota- Brewster is now gone and things seem to be a mess up in the Twin Cities. They are in the bottom 4 in the Conference in almost every major team statistical category. This team seems to be a mess.

[WorldChamps1908]

1. Wisconsin
2. Michigan State
3. Ohio State
4. Iowa
5. Illinois
6. Indiana

The rest doesn't matter this season..

[Chitown Sparty]

1. Wisconsin
2. Michigan State
3. Ohio State
4. Iowa
5. Illinois
6. Indiana

The rest doesn't matter this season..

I know Wisconsin knocked off #1OSU...but they also lost convincingly to MSU

[haggis]

1. Wisconsin
2. Michigan State
3. Ohio State
4. Iowa
5. Illinois
6. Indiana

The rest doesn't matter this season..

I'd go:
1. MSU
2. Wisco
3. OSU/Iowa

...the rest

[WorldChamps1908]

I know Wisconsin knocked off #1OSU...but they also lost convincingly to MSU

Wisconsin looked awesome last weekend and I don't think MSU wins @ Iowa...I know power rankings are week to week, but right now I feel that Wisc is the better team. Yes eventhough they lost to them earlier.

[gottaHaveHart]

Wisconsin looked awesome last weekend and I don't think MSU wins @ Iowa...I know power rankings are week to week, but right now I feel that Wisc is the better team. Yes eventhough they lost to them earlier.

if we can manage to play virtually mistake free football like we did against osu, wisc has a chance to beat anyone. The msu game was full of mistakes.
that being said if osu can develop a good run game, they're the best team, if not than msu is better

[croce_99]

Road to Pasadena goes through Iowa City

1) Iowa



2-11) The rest.

[Jerry34]

1. Wisconsin
2. Michigan State
3. Ohio State
4. Iowa
5. Illinois
6. Indiana

The rest doesn't matter this season..

Do you really think Illinois and Indiana matter? I put Northwestern ahead of them. If they had a kicker they'd still be undefeated.

[WorldChamps1908]

Do you really think Illinois and Indiana matter? I put Northwestern ahead of them. If they had a kicker they'd still be undefeated.

Does any team matter after #3? I was just doing it for the sake of the thread.

[mkool65]

Illinois is a damn good team, I would say the best 3-3 team in the nation. For me it goes:
1) MSU
2) Iowa
3) OSU
4) Wisconsin
5) Illinois

[BCB mwat15]

Do you really think Illinois and Indiana matter? I put Northwestern ahead of them. If they had a kicker they'd still be undefeated.

Illinois has lost to 3 teams with 1 combined loss in Mizzou, Mich St, and Ohio St. They aren't in that class of team, but they were in all 3 games at the half and into the 4th against Mizzou and Ohio St. I'd say they are in the same tier as teams like Northwestern. They can hang with the big boys but are more likely solid bowl teams than Conference Champs. That game at Wrigley should be great.

[BCB mwat15]

Post Week 8

1. Michigan St- At this point they can no longer be denied. They were caught off guard against a very good Northwestern team. But, Kirk Cousins and the WRs proved they are more than just the stable of horses at HB.

Bowl Projection: Rose Bowl

2. Wisconsin- This is the team everyone thought they would be at the start of the season. The schedule is set for them to finish with only 1 loss.

Bowl Projection: BCS At-Large

3. Ohio St- They took out some anger on Purdue hanging 42 points in the 1st half. They have one major test left in a trip to Kinnick. They will finish with 1 loss but with 2 teams ahead of them.

Bowl Projection: Capital One

4. Iowa- They had a golden opportunity, and they can get to Pasadena, but they will need help from Wisconsin's opponents. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they beat Michigan St next week.

Bowl Projection: Outback Bowl

5. Northwestern- This is a good team. They had Michigan St on the ropes but couldn't contain Cousins. The Secondary and a running game outside of Persa may be the only thing holding them back.

Bowl Projection: Gator Bowl

6. Illinois- The offense is struggling with a Freshman at the helm. But, the D has been outstanding. They could win every game left on the schedule

Bowl Projection: Texas Bowl

7. Michigan- The next 3 weeks are gigantic for Michigan. They must be bowl eligible by the time Wisconsin rolls in to town.

Bowl Projection: Insight Bowl

8. Penn St- They woke up at Minnesota. Rob Bolden's injury could be a major problem and make it a major struggle to be bowl eligible.

Bowl Projection: Dallas Football Classic

9. Indiana- They didn't play terribly against Illinois, they just couldn't get out of their own way. It may take until the last week against Purdue, but bowl eligibility is still a possibility.

Bowl Projection: None

10. Purdue- Giving up 42 points in a half is never a good thing. But, that was a very angry Ohio St team and this is still a very banged up Purdue squad. On their remaining schedule they have 3 winnable games left, starting next week.

Bowl Projection: Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl

11. Minnesota- It was a good showing against Penn St. but this team has a brutal remaining schedule. Against Illinois may be the only chance left to get to 2 wins.

Bowl Projection: None.

[Jerry34]

Illinois has lost to 3 teams with 1 combined loss in Mizzou, Mich St, and Ohio St. They aren't in that class of team, but they were in all 3 games at the half and into the 4th against Mizzou and Ohio St. I'd say they are in the same tier as teams like Northwestern. They can hang with the big boys but are more likely solid bowl teams than Conference Champs. That game at Wrigley should be great.

I'll admit Illinois is better than I thought they would be. It should be a great game at Wrigley. NU is all offense and Illinois is all defense. It will be interesting.