Big Ten Power Rankings following Week 7
Big Ten Power Rankings are getting updated coming out of Week 7, and we have a new leader at the top!
Of course, the major story over the weekend included Ohio State and Oregon fighting it out in Eugene. That game lived up to the hype with the Ducks narrowly producing a 32-31 win for their first-ever victory over a top 2 team.
With Ohio State losing, the B1G is now down to 3 undefeated teams. The Ducks remain perfect and Indiana was on a bye week at 6-0 while Penn State was able to deliver the clutch plays in an overtime road victory against USC.
As for the rest of the conference, it was a weekend that did not lack for drama. And traveling across multiple time zones continues to trip up teams as we progress through the conference slate.
For now, here are Tradition’s updated B1G Power Rankings!
18. Purdue (1-5)
Last week: at Illinois, L 50-49 (OT)
Even in Purdue’s best performance of the season, it still did not yield a win for the Boilermakers. All it ultimately produced was a 3rd game of the season with 50+ points allowed. To make matters worse, Purdue gets Oregon on a short week Friday night. Can the Boilermakers find a little Ross-Ade magic to hex the Ducks?
17. Maryland (3-3)
Last week: vs. Northwestern, L 37-10
I don’t know what else to say about Maryland. When you have a bye week, I expect you to come out of the weekend and look better than -4 in the turnover differential. That goes extra when your game is at home. The Terrapins look lost and sliding at the worst possible time.
16.UCLA (1-5)
Last week: vs. Minnesota, L 21-17
Give it to DeShaun Foster’s team for not folding this season. In fact, the Bruins do look to be getting better as the season goes along after a pair of tough performances against Penn State and Minnesota. The only problem is it has not developed into wins for the Bruins.
15. Northwestern (3-3)
Last week: at Maryland, W 37-10
Northwestern, somehow, blew out Maryland and scored 37 points with just 10 total first downs. That’s because the Wildcats were +4 in the turnover game with Jack Lausch taking care of the ball. It’s not going to win any style points, but it can produce some wins for Northwestern if the defense continues to shine.
14. Michigan State (3-3)
Last week: BYE
13. Wisconsin (4-2)
Last week: at Rutgers, W 42-7
Okay Wisconsin, you have my attention. Ever since Tawee Walker assumed the lead RB role, he has 6 touchdowns (across 2 hat tricks) and the Badgers have outscored 2 opponents 94-13. The Purdue performance might have been predictable, but taking it to Rutgers on the road is impressive. Let’s see if they can do it on back-to-back road trips against Northwestern in Week 8.
12. USC (3-3)
Last week: vs. Penn State, L 33-30 (OT)
Where does Lincoln Riley go from here? It’s now back-to-back weeks where USC has had a lead in the 4th quarter before going on to lose the game. In fact, the Trojans have had the lead in the 4th quarter of all 3 B1G losses this season. If Riley cannot close out any of these games, he will deal with some serious questions at the end of the season.
11. Minnesota (4-3)
Last week: at UCLA, W 21-17
Minnesota can hang its head high after stacking back-to-back wins — in dramatic fashion. The win by the Gophers was just the 3rd time this season a B1G team traveling 2+ time zones won a game outright, and it is the 3rd straight game decided by 7 points or less for Minnesota. PJ Fleck’s squad is 2-1 in those games and gets a bye week to recover a bit.
10. Rutgers (4-2)
Last week: vs. Wisconsin, L 42-7
I was high on Rutgers entering the season, and a tough loss on the road to Nebraska did not change my opinion. Getting blown out at home by this Wisconsin squad is another story. The good news? The Scarlet Knights still appear to have an overwhelmingly positive shot to get to 6 wins and a bowl game, but anything beyond that suddenly looks like a stretch with the way other programs are playing.
9. Michigan (4-2)
Last week: BYE
8. Washington (4-3)
Last week: at Iowa, L 40-16
It feels a little like 1 step forward, 2 steps back on a bi-weekly basis for Jedd Fisch’s first season at Washington. Considering the early kickoff and time zones in play this week, it was probably a performance we should have seen coming from the Huskies after the emotional win over Michigan a week ago. Still, getting absolutely blown out by Iowa will not sit well.
7. Iowa (4-2)
Last week: vs. Washington, W 40-16
Iowa faced Washington in a Week 7 that saw the roles reversed for both programs. The Hawkeyes were nearly unstoppable on either side of the ball during the middle portion of the game, and it led to a massive blowout. Kaleb Johnson continues to star offensively, and Iowa’s defense provided the stops when needed.
6. Nebraska (5-1)
Last week: BYE
5. Illinois (5-1)
Last week: vs. Purdue, W 50-49 (OT)
Everything after the top 4 in the B1G is a bit of a jumbled mess right now. Illinois was well on its way to solidifying its hold on spot No. 5 after building a 27-3 lead against Purdue. But then the Illini surrendered 40 points in the 2nd half of a game that went to overtime. The good news? Bret Bielema’s squad didn’t lose, putting Illinois a win away from a bowl game. Facing Michigan in Week 8 will be a key one.
4. Indiana (6-0)
Last week: BYE
3. Penn State (6-0)
Last week: at USC, W 33-30 (OT)
Penn State beat USC — and 2+ time zones which has been tough to do in the B1G! If the Nittany Lions had looked dominant, I would have considered bumping them ahead of Ohio State. As it stands, Penn State solidified its spot as the 3rd-best team in the B1G. That’s okay as it makes the Nittany Lions an easy call as a top 10 team nationally and well within the Playoff picture.
2. Ohio State (5-1)
Last week: at Oregon, L 32-31
Ohio State’s massive trip to Oregon actually played out about as expected coming into the season. That doesn’t change my feelings on the Buckeyes, and I think they’ll be right there in Indianapolis at the end of the season. The biggest issue I’d like to see cleaned up is Ohio State’s defense that looked a step behind throughout the game. But the big thing here is anyone writing about the demise of the Buckeyes will be sorely disappointed come the end of November.
1. Oregon (6-0)
Last week: vs. Ohio State, W 32-31
There’s no doubt about it after this weekend: Oregon is the current top dog in the B1G, though with a word of caution. Being the top dog after Week 7 does not come with a trophy. The Ducks look like the best team in the conference but also had the aid of Autzen Stadium on their side against Ohio State. Can Oregon deliver on the inevitable neutral site at the end of the year?