Big Ten Football: Week 10 Power Rankings

For the first time this season, all fourteen Big Ten teams took the field on a Saturday. Yet, only one game came down to the final possession; the rest had margins of at least ten points. Ohio State, Penn State, and Minnesota continued their undefeated starts, while Michigan pulled off a 31-point win over #8 Notre Dame. Also, it’s October 28th, and Indiana has clinched bowl eligibility. It might take until Friday for that to sink in. Let’s get into the rankings.

Big Ten Football Week 10 Power Rankings

No. 14 Rutgers (2-6, 0-5 B1G)

Previous: No. 14; Last Week: Win against Liberty 44-34

Rutgers wins an upset victory at home against Liberty. The Scarlet Knights really needed some form of motivation, and a loss to Liberty would have truly impacted the team’s ego. With expectations at rock bottom for the program, Rutgers has nothing to lose moving forward.

No. 13 N’western (1-6, 0-5 B1G)

Previous: No. 13; Last Week: Loss against Iowa 0-20

Things went from bad to worse for the Wildcats on Saturday, as they were shut out at home for the first time since 1999. Looking at the Big Ten standings, Northwestern now has a worse record than Rutgers, marking a steep fall from the Big Ten Championship Game appearance last year. Northwestern’s schedule eases up somewhat going forward, but they are still a 11.5-point underdog Saturday in Bloomington.

No. 12 Purdue (2-6, 1-4 B1G)

Previous: No. 11; Last Week: Loss against Illinois 6-24

Purdue takes a step backwards losing at home to Illinois. The Fighting Illini are turning their season around, while Purdue seems to be heading in the opposite direction. The Boilermakers are going to have an open quarterback position going into next week. Social media has been reminding Purdue fans about Jeff Brohm’s salary, which is eighth-highest in the nation.

No. 11 Maryland (3-5, 1-4 B1G)

Previous: No. 12; Last Week: Loss at #17 Minnesota 10-52

Coming off a 52-10 loss to Minnesota over the weekend, the Terrapins continue to trend downwards on the season. The recent loss marks their third in a row, and the next two games may not come easy as they are against Michigan and Ohio State respectively. With a 3-5 record, Maryland’s season is not over just yet, but they have work to do if they want to reach bowl eligibility at the end of the season.

No. 10 Nebraska (4-4, 2-3 B1G)

“We seem to find new and innovative ways to give a game away every week,” coach Scott Frost said after Nebraska’s loss to IU. They have lost three out of their last four games, and it’s tough to find two wins in their final four. Freshman Wan’Dale Robinson looks like a player Frost can build around, after his 150-yard performance against the Hoosiers.

No. 9 Illinois (4-4, 2-3 B1G)

The Illini came off their monumental upset against Wisconsin with a road victory in West Lafayette against the Boilermakers. Lovie Smith has been able to get the Illini out of the hole they found themselves in during the first half of the season. After four straight losses, Illinois has won back-to-back games for the second time this season and have given themselves a chance at playing in a bowl game at the end of the season

No. 8 Michigan St. (4-4, 2-3 B1G)

Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin in three consecutive games leading to three consecutive losses. This should not be terribly surprising to the Spartan faithful, but the games were not close. This week’s 21-point loss to #6 Penn State was their closest defeat of the three, which says a lot. Michigan State is in desperate need for a win and they hope to find one against an improving Illini team that took down Purdue and Wisconsin over the last two weeks.

No. 7 Indiana (6-2, 3-2 B1G)

Indiana continues their hot streak with their third win in a row after defeating Nebraska 38-31 Saturday. The Hoosiers are 6-2 on the season and have reached bowl eligibility before Halloween. This is their best start since the 1993 season when they started off the season 7-1. With four games remaining in the regular season, Tom Allen’s team has home matchups against Northwestern and Michigan and then road trips to Penn State and Purdue. The Hoosiers can look to build off this historic win against the Cornhuskers, as they strive towards improving their program each and every week.