Week 8 B1G power rankings: The East is back to dominating the top of the B1G

It was a fun run for the West, but the division no longer has the top team in the B1G.

Iowa looked like the best team in the conference for a few weeks, but that came crashing down on Saturday. Not only did the Hawkeyes drop a 24-7 decision to Purdue, they were beaten in every phase of the game in front of a home crowd.

That means the top three spots in this week’s power rankings belong to the B1G East. Is anyone really that surprised?

Usually, when five teams are on an off week, there isn’t that much movement. That wasn’t the case this week, especially with some of the interesting results from around the conference.

Here’s a look at the updated power rankings as we head into Week 8 of the college football season:

14. Illinois Fighting Illini (2-5, 1-3)

Last week: OFF

With a Northwestern win, Illinois drops to the bottom of the B1G. Hopefully the Illini had a chance to rest, relax and recover, because next week is going to be quite a challenge.

Up next: at #7 Penn State

13. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-4, 0-4)

Last week: at Northwestern, 21-7 L

There’s really no other spot to put the Scarlet Knights. They had an opportunity to notch their first B1G win but failed to put points on the scoreboard. Rutgers is a victim of circumstance in some regard, having to play Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State in consecutive weeks before traveling to Northwestern, which was fresh off an idle week. The bye couldn’t be coming at a much better time for Greg Schiano’s team.

Up next: OFF

12. Northwestern Wildcats (3-3, 1-2)

Last week: vs. Rutgers, 21-7 W

Google the definition of a Northwestern win and it’ll bring up a video of Saturday’s victory against Rutgers. The defense held the Scarlet Knights to 222 yards of offense and forced a turnover while the Wildcats controlled the clock for 33 minutes and scored just enough points to get a win. Ryan Hilinski looked solid, too. Maybe Northwestern has found its starting quarterback and a little bit of an offensive identity.

Up next: at #8 Michigan

11. Indiana Hoosiers (2-4, 0-3)

Last week: vs. #10 Michigan State, 20-15 L

On a positive note, Indiana scored its first touchdown in B1G play against Michigan State. Unfortunately for Tom Allen’s team, it wasn’t enough to pull off the upset or get the first conference win of the season. The Hoosiers are continuing to struggle offensively, turning the ball over 3 more times and struggling to capitalize on solid drives. IU has a bit of an identity crisis on that side of the football. Even though the defense is playing at a high level, the offense continues to shoot itself in the foot.

Up next: vs. #6 Ohio State

10. Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-5, 1-4)

Last week: at Minnesota, 30-23 L

For the first time in awhile, Nebraska’s defense got picked apart, at least in the first half against Minnesota. Add that with continued red zone woes and some late mistakes offensively and you get another one-possession loss for the Huskers. This team has played so well in recent weeks but failed to get the job done once again. To get to bowl eligibility, Nebraska must win 3 of the final 4 games on the schedule. Is it possible? Absolutely. But those “little things” are continuing to haunt the Huskers.

Up next: OFF

9. Wisconsin Badgers (3-3, 1-2)

Last week: vs. Army, 20-14 W

Once again, the defense did enough to get the job done despite a sluggish performance from the offense. The Badgers were able to keep Army off the scoreboard until the 4th quarter and created a key turnover late in the game to set up  a late touchdown and seal the victory. It shouldn’t have needed to come to that, but Wisconsin did escape with a win. It’s now won its last 2 games and maybe can generate some sort of momentum heading into the meat of the B1G schedule.

Up next: at Purdue

8. Maryland Terrapins (4-2, 1-2)

Last week: OFF

Coming off blowout losses to Iowa and Ohio State, Maryland really needed a week to regroup. Plus, the Terrapins have dealt with so many injuries this season, they had a little more time to get new contributors acclimated. How will Maryland look after a week off?

Up next: at Minnesota

7. Purdue Boilermakers (4-2, 2-1)

Last week: at #2 Iowa, 24-7 W

David Bell strikes again. The Hawkeye Killer had a huge day, catching 11 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown to lead Purdue to a huge victory over the second-ranked Hawkeyes. Suddenly, Purdue looks like a team that has a shot to compete at the top of the B1G West, especially with how well the defense is playing. It’ll be interesting to see how Jeff Brohm handles the quarterback situation — he played 3 on Saturday — but if the Boilermakers can find a rhythm offensively, they can certainly make a run.

Up next: vs. Wisconsin

6. Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-2, 2-1)

Last week: vs. Nebraska, 30-23 W

How did Minnesota lose to Bowling Green again? Despite being down Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts at running back and Daniel Jackson at wide receiver, the Golden Gophers produced one of their top offensive performances of the season against a Nebraska defense that has played well all year. They held the ball for 38 minutes, threw for over 200 yards and were able to get Chris Autman-Bell and Bryce Williams involved pretty frequently. Pair that with a stout defensive unit, and Minnesota looks like a challenger in the B1G West.

Up next: vs. Maryland

5. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-1, 2-1)

Last week: OFF

You can’t ignore the head-to-head loss to Iowa, even though Sean Clifford went down and the Hawkeyes were blown out by Purdue. Penn State is probably going to come out of the bye week looking to prove a point.

Up next: vs. Illinois

4. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-1, 3-1)

Last week: vs. Purdue, 24-7 L

A big fall from the top spot after a 17-point loss to the Boilermakers. Iowa is still a good football team and is capable of finishing 11-1 and re-establishing itself as the premier power in the West. Not having Riley Moss in the secondary was a big blow, but the Hawkeyes still need to find some playmakers on offense. Through the first 6 games, they survived without needing too much explosiveness. Iowa probably can continue to live without it, but Spencer Petras needs to be more consistent.

Up next: OFF

3. Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1, 3-0)

Last week: OFF

The Buckeyes bump up a few spots following Iowa’s loss to Purdue. Is Ohio State the most talented team in the B1G? Probably. It likely has the most explosive offense, too. But the 4-game winning streak has come against Tulsa, Akron, Rutgers and Maryland. With the loss to Oregon still on the resumé, it’s not enough to bump Ryan Day’s squad up to the No. 1 spot just yet.

 Up next: at Indiana

2. Michigan State Spartans (7-0, 4-0)

Last week: at Indiana, 20-15 W

When Michigan State’s offense was shut down, it was the defense that stepped up to get a gritty, tough road win. It wasn’t pretty in Bloomington, but the Spartans improved to 7-0 thanks to 3 turnovers and just enough trickery in the second half to win a dogfight against Indiana. At some point down the road, you knew MSU was going to have to find a way to win when they couldn’t rely on big plays. The Spartans proved they’re capable of doing that. Now the question is, can they do it against teams like Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State, all of which are still on the schedule?

Up next: OFF

1. Michigan Wolverines (6-0, 3-0)

Last week: OFF

Michigan can bask in the glory of being No. 1 in the power rankings … at least for now. Like the other power hitters in the B1G East, there’s a lot we still don’t know about this team, though. Since Iowa’s fall, the Wolverines get a bump up to the No. 1 spot, despite having a week off. Jim Harbaugh will have a chance to prove this year is different than previous seasons over the next 6 weeks.

Up next: vs. Northwestern