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BTN’s Dave Wannstedt unveils B1G power rankings after Week 7

Dave Holcomb

By Dave Holcomb

Published:

Big Ten Network analyst Dave Wannstedt released his new B1G power rankings heading into Week 8 on Wednesday, and unsurprisingly, the former college coach had Ohio State and Wisconsin ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively.

Whether one prefers to judge teams off resumes, the eye test or statistics, the Buckeyes and Badgers are the clear choices for the top two spots on any B1G power rankings list. Wannstedt explained that the reason he loves Ohio State and Wisconsin right now is because of how they can beat opponents in multiple ways.

“They aren’t just one-dimensional teams. They are both able to run the ball, and last week, Wisconsin proved that they can throw the ball,” he said. “Both of them are playing outstanding defense. One’s a blitz team in Wisconsin, the other is a zone team and rush four.”

Wannstedt ranked Penn State at No. 3 after the two obvious top choices, but then he broke away from “chalk” having Iowa at No. 4 and then Michigan at No. 5. Just a week and a half ago, Michigan defeated Iowa, 10-3.

The former coach also had Purdue still at No. 12 and Maryland at No. 9 despite the fact Purdue just knocked off Maryland on Saturday.

Wannstedt explained he ranked those teams that way because of inconsistencies. He still wants to see Michigan become a more steady team before placing them in the Top 4, and Wannstedt said he has to see Purdue play well two weeks in a row in order for the Boilermakers to move up.

Listen to Wannstedt’s full explanation of his B1G power rankings in the video below:

Dave Holcomb