Week 9 B1G Power Rankings: Nail-biting finishes highlight fun weekend

I’ve talked endlessly about how the B1G has been fairly uninteresting this season. I’m sure most of you started tuning me out. And on a week when we saw five games open spreads for two scores or higher, we had our most entertaining Saturday yet.

Go figure, right?

Illinois’ upset of No. 6 Wisconsin obviously stole the show, but close games between Indiana and Maryland, Purdue and No. 23 Iowa and No. 16 Michigan and No. 7 Penn State were also pretty thrilling. It was a really fun weekend for the league.

With some thrills come some changes to the power rankings. So, let’s go ahead and dive in, shall we?

14. Rutgers, 1-6 (L, 42-7 vs. #20 Minnesota)

Hey, Rutgers scored points this week! The Scarlet Knights have now scored two touchdowns in B1G games this season.

Last week: No. 14

13. Maryland, 3-4 (L, 34-28 vs. Indiana)

Give Mike Locksley’s group some serious props for hanging with Indiana until the final possession. The Terrapins continued to battle injuries and were without both Josh Jackson and Anthony McFarland on the offensive side of the ball. Even shorthanded, Maryland held strong. But the number of games this team can win in conference play is dwindling at a high rate.

Last week: No. 13

12. Northwestern, 1-5 (L, 52-3 vs. #4 Ohio State)

There’s no way around it, Northwestern took it on the chin from Ohio State. The Buckeyes have been doing that do everyone, so don’t punish the Wildcats too much for that. Now Northwestern enters the second half of its schedule, and the matchups aren’t nearly as daunting. It’ll be easy to see how this group responds.

Last week: No. 11

11. Purdue, 2-5 (L, 26-20 vs. #23 Iowa)

Another valiant effort from the Boilermakers, but they just couldn’t find enough offense against a stingy Iowa defense. Jeff Brohm’s team continues to fight and improve every week, but the lack of experience really comes to light when Purdue plays some of these deeper, more experienced B1G teams.

Last week: No. 10

10. Illinois, 3-4 (W, 24-23 vs. #6 Wisconsin)

For the first time in four years, Lovie Smith’s Fighting Illini registered a marquee victory. Maybe things are moving along in Champaign after all? With this win, it’ll be interesting to see if Illinois can build off the momentum and rip off a few more wins and contend for bowl eligibility at the end of the season. Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern are still on the schedule, so it’s possible.

Last week: No. 12

9. Nebraska, 4-3 (OFF)

The Huskers enjoyed an off week. They’re back in action against Indiana next Saturday.

Last week: No. 9

8. Indiana, 5-2 (W, 34-28 vs. Maryland)

Seven games into the season, and Indiana has won all the games it’s supposed to win. That doesn’t always happen in Bloomington. Maryland was able to hang around the entire game, but the Hoosiers made enough plays to hold off the Terrapins and notch a big road win. IU is now one win away from bowl eligibility with five to play.

Last week: No. 8

7. Michigan State, 4-3 (OFF)

The Spartans had a week to regroup. We’ll see Michigan State back in action against Penn State on Saturday.

Last week: No. 7

6. Iowa, 5-2 (W, 26-20 vs. Purdue)

It was pretty scary near the end, but Iowa got a much-needed win over Purdue after back-to-back losses to Michigan and Penn State. And, with Wisconsin falling to Illinois, it feels like the Hawkeyes are back in the B1G West mix. Obviously, they’d still need some help, but there’s a chance. The defense was really good once again, but the offense is still a work in progress.

Last week: No. 6

5. Michigan, 5-2 (L, 28-21 vs. #7 Penn State)

Eliminate that first quarter, and Michigan actually played fairly well on the road against Penn State. Unfortunately, that loss is the second blemish on the year for the Wolverines this season, essentially eliminating them from the B1G East race, unless Ohio State and Penn State stumble somewhere down the road. There’s still plenty to play for, though, and if the Wolverines play like they did in the second half against Penn State, they’ll still have a chance to win a lot of games.

Last week: No. 4

4. Minnesota, 7-0 (W, 42-7 vs. Rutgers)

Minnesota did exactly what Minnesota was supposed to do to Rutgers. The only surprise was that the Golden Gophers allowed a touchdown in the game. If the Gophers get a win next week against Maryland, we’ll have a really intriguing matchup between Minnesota and Penn State in a few weeks in Minneapolis.

Last week: No. 5

3. Wisconsin, 6-1 (L, 24-23 vs. Illinois)

Let’s not hit the panic button on Wisconsin just yet. Upsets happen in college football. That’s why the Badgers are still going to be in the top three. Paul Chryst’s team is still really good, but really laid an egg in Champaign. The real question is how this team responds after the loss. All of the Badgers’ goals are still intact, and next week’s game in Columbus gets even bigger for Wisconsin.

Last week: No. 2

2. Penn State, 7-0 (W, 28-21 vs. #16 Michigan)

Beating Iowa and Michigan in back-to-back weeks is no easy task. Penn State came away with single-possession victories in both games. You’ve got the find ways to win in the sport, and the Nittany Lions have done that against good competition. The defense continues to play extremely well, and the offense continues to start fast. There’s just some concern about doing it for a full 60 minutes.

Last week: No. 3

1. Ohio State, 7-0 (W, 52-3 vs. Northwestern)

Another blowout win for the Buckeyes. What more is there to really say? This team is on a completely different level than the rest of the B1G right now, at least that’s how it looks. We’ll see if Wisconsin can make the Buckeyes look somewhat down to earth.

Last week: No. 1