by Sean Szymczak
With only two teams on bye, we had a loaded Big Ten slate in week 8. Although there isn’t a ton of movement in this week’s rankings, the weekend wasn’t void of upsets. Minnesota pulled off an upset on the road to seize the Floyd of Rosedale over Iowa.
Northwestern also played Nebraska down to the wire. Wisconsin rallied past Illinois in one of the best games of the Big Ten season. Michigan beat their in-state rivals into a pulp. Rutgers reached bowl eligibility in a swift spanking of the Hoosiers.
And, of course, the Buckeyes knocked off the Nittany Lions in a showdown of two of the nation’s premier defenses.
The Floor Slap’s Week 9 Big Ten Power Rankings
1) Michigan (8-0, 5-0 B1G)
Last Week: 1
Week 8 Result: W 49-0 at Michigan State
The Wolverines continue to role, beating Big Ten opponents by 40 ppg. It’s impossible to identify a weakness with this team. That being said, the best team they’ve beaten is Rutgers, their opponents have a combined record of 29-29, and none of their non-conference opponents were in the Power 5. We won’t truly know the level of their greatness until they travel to Happy Valley in three weeks.
Up Next: BYE
2) Ohio State (7-0, 4-0 B1G)
Last Week: 2
Week 8 Result: W 20-12 vs Penn State
The Buckeyes unquestionably have one of the best defenses in the entire country. Despite being down their best running back, best cornerback, and second best wide receiver, Ohio State was in control of the game throughout and never trailed. Some misfires by Kyle McCord, another special teams mistake, and a failed 4th-down attempt at the Penn State two let Penn State hang around. But the Silver Bullets dominated the line of scrimmage, draped Nittany Lion receivers, and never let Drew Allar get comfortable. Ohio State continues to improve week over week.
Up Next: Ohio State (-14) vs Wisconsin, Saturday at 7:30pm EST on NBC
3) Penn State (6-1, 4-1 B1G)
Last Week: 3
Week 8 Result: L 12-20 at Ohio State
Another trip to Columbus ended in heartbreak for the Nittany Lions. Many Penn State fans thought Drew Allar’s arm would lead them to the upset, but he clearly has a long way to go in his development. Allar was rattled from the get-go and failed to hit the few number of open receivers he had in the 2nd half. OC Mike Yurcic is also to blame, as Penn State seemed scared to run the ball and put too many 3rd and shorts on Drew Allar’s trembling shoulder. Penn State had only 36 total yards in that 2nd half until that final TD drive in garbage time. But this team is not out. This was Drew Allar’s first real challenge and first hostile environment he’s played in at the collegiate level. Penn State still proved they have one of the nation’s best defenses and that should be enough to keep them in any game. They play Indiana and Maryland before they host Michigan in an attempt to salvage their season.
Up Next: Indiana vs Penn State (-31), Saturday at 12pm EST on CBS
4) Rutgers (6-2, 3-2 B1G)
Last Week: 4
Week 8 Result: W 31-14 at Indiana
Rutgers is bowl eligible and it’s not even Halloween. Did anyone predict that before the season? Rutgers grinded out this victory, gaining 276 of their 315 total yards on the ground. They dominated the time of possession, only allowing four second-half possessions to the Hoosiers. The Scarlet Knight defense remains stout, turning Indiana over on downs twice in the second half and allowing less than 50% completion percentage. Rutgers, Iowa, and Wisconsin seem to be jockeying for the title of the Big Ten’s fourth-best team at the moment. I’ll lean with the team who knows their offensive identity, has a QB who’s a threat on the ground, and has a defense without a glaring weakness.
Up Next: BYE
5) Iowa (6-2, 3-2 B1G)
Last Week: 4
Week 8 Result: W 12-10 vs Minnesota
We won’t talk about the fact that Iowa got hosed with a phantom fair catch call on Cooper DeJean’s game-winning punt return TD. The fact of the matter is Iowa should not have had to rely on that fantastic special teams play to beat a Minnesota team who had been giving up 36 ppg over their past four games. With Deacon Hill at QB, this offense has reached a new low. They’d only need to score 17 points at the absolute maximum to be able to beat any team in the Big Ten West. Unfortunately, it seems like Iowa needs a defensive or special teams score every game in order to reach that number. This division race is likely to come down until the final week of the season. A bye week followed by a a visit from Northwestern should be able to help this Iowa offense find some sort of rhythm heading into the final stretch.
Up Next: BYE
6) Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1 B1G)
Last Week: 5
Week 8 Result: W 25-21 at Illinois
The Badgers finally pounded Braelon Allen to the tune of 29 carries and 145 yards. They benefited from the ejection of Jer’Zhan Newton with 10:02 left in the game, but the offense had arguably their most impressive game of the season. Braedyn Locke wasn’t perfect, but he came up with huge throws down the stretch. He was a big reason why Wisconsin went 10-17 on 3rd down – much better than their 40% average going into the game. The Badgers have some momentum heading into a tough matchup with Ohio State. It’ll be tough to pull the upset, but Wisconsin is far from out in the West race.
Up Next: Ohio State vs Wisconsin (+14), Saturday at 7:30pm EST on NBC
7) Maryland (5-2, 2-2 B1G)
Last Week: 7
Week 8 Result: bye
Hopefully Maryland doesn’t take this matchup as lightly as they appeared to take the Illinois game. Coming out of the bye week, I’m looking for the Terps to run the ball more and play be more consistently physical along the defensive front.
Up Next: Maryland (-13) vs Northwestern, Saturday at 12pm EST on BTN
8) Minnesota (4-3, 2-2 B1G)
Last Week: 9
Week 8 Result: W 12-10 at Iowa
If you know Big Ten football, you knew the under would hit in this game even when it dropped all the way to 29.5. It certainly wasn’t pretty, Minnesota did exactly what they needed in order to win. They ran the ball 20 more times than they threw it, outgained the Hawkeyes by more than 100 yards, and didn’t turn the ball over while forcing two from Iowa. Gopher fans probably threw in the towel on the season after their meltdown against Northwestern, but Minnesota is in position to compete for the division.
Up Next: Michigan State vs Minnesota (-7), Saturday at 3:30pm EST on BTN
9) Nebraska (4-3, 2-2 B1G)
Last Week: 8
Week 8 Result: W 17-9 vs Northwestern
The Huskers had a beautiful 10 play, 77 yard drive right before the half to take a 10-6 lead before halftime. They also had their lone explosive play of the day on a beautifully designed play-action pass that allowed Malachi Coleman streak down the field wide open and catch a 44-yard TD. Outside of that, Nebraska didn’t do anything on this offense. I’d say they should reevaluate the QB situation, but we’ve already seen the alternative. After all, I put most of their struggles on Satterfield’s inability to develop an intermediate passing attack. This matchup against Purdue will likely determine whether or not Nebraska is a true Big Ten West contender.
Up Next: Purdue vs Nebraska (-3), Saturday at 3:30pm on FS1
10) Illinois (3-5, 1-4 B1G)
Last Week: 10
Week 8 Result: L 21-25 vs Wisconsin
Illinois lost in gut-wrenching fashion, blowing a 21-7 lead in the 4th quarter. The Illini had the momentum for the majority of the game and seemed to inch closer to sealing the victory after Jer’Zhan Newton sacked Locke on a play that would have set up 2nd and 18 from their own 20 with 10 minutes left in the game. But targeting ended up being called and his absence could be felt on Wisconsin’s game-winning drive. The Badgers ran the ball on 3rd and 10 from the Illinois 46 – a call they wouldn’t dare draw up with Newton on the field. Illinois also failed to get pressure that entire drive. The Illini are down and out in the otherwise wide open West. Despite this tough loss, these past two games offer some promise for next season and make them very capable of playing spoiler for other teams.
Up Next: bye
11) Purdue (2-5, 1-3 B1G)
Last Week: 11
Week 8 Result: bye
Purdue gets a much deserved bye week after having one of the nation’s toughest schedules through 7 weeks. This week against Nebraska is a must-win for their Big Ten West hopes. I’m looking for better play from their offensive line and for the defense to make some big plays and force turnovers.
Up Next: Purdue (+3) vs Nebraska, Saturday at 3:30pm on FS1
12) Northwestern (3-4, 1-3 B1G)
Last Week: 12
Week 8 Result: L 9-17 at Nebraska
This Northwestern team has a lot of fight in them. But their only three drives that lasted longer than 6 plays or 19 yards ended up in field goal attempts. The offensive line, much as they have all season long, struggled mightily against the Husker defense. If they want to hang in there with Maryland, Northwestern will need to get some sort of push up front in order to run the ball and keep it out of Taulia’s hands.
Up Next: Maryland vs Northwestern (+13), Saturday at 12pm EST on BTN
13) Michigan State (2-5, 0-4 B1G)
Last Week: 13
Week 8 Result: L 0-49 vs Michigan
What else is there to say? Each week seems to be a new low point for the Spartans. Not to beat them while their down, but there wasn’t much of anything positive to draw from their beatdown at the hands of their rival. If the team hasn’t thrown in the towel on the season yet, Michigan State should be able run the ball against Minnesota with some varying success. If they do that, they should be able to hang in there.
Up Next: Michigan State (+7) vs Minnesota, Saturday at 3:30pm EST on BTN
14) Indiana (2-5, 0-4 B1G)
Last Week: 14
Week 8 Result: L 14-31 vs Rutgers
The direction Greg Schiano has taken Rutgers twice – both in relatively quick fashion – only outlines how hard it is to build a winning program at Indiana.
Up Next: Indiana (+31) vs Penn State, Saturday at 3:30pm EST on CBS