We’ve now made it through half of the college football regular season with eight weeks in the books in the new, improved, and expanded Big Ten, and each time out provides additional data points and eyeball tests to try and figure out the pecking order in the conference might be.
We’ve been doing this for a few years now. We let all of the Big Ten football games play out each week then do our level best to make sense of what the best teams in the conference are. With the additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington, we now have more to take into consideration, including later nights and more teams to try and sift through.
Yes, for us, that means less sleep.
But hey, that’s OK, we get paid to try and figure this all out, so we’re here for it. Ohio State and Penn State were idle this week, but there was still plenty of action with Michigan going down to Illinois in a ranked matchup and Nebraska getting pummeled by what looks to be a very real Indiana team. The action this week seems to have further separated the contenders from the pretenders and it’s time to sort it out.
Here’s a look at how we see the power rankings of the Big Ten after eight weeks of action. Don’t sling mud at us just yet because we’re sure this thing will still change from now until the end of the season with so many marquee matchups still to go.
18. Purdue Boilermakers (1-6, 0-4)
Last Week (No. 18 – no change)
Lost vs. Oregon, 35-0
Why the Ranking
I mean, we saw this coming, right? Purdue has now lost six-straight games and looks miles away from the best teams in the league. One more loss and the Boilermakers are officially eliminated from bowl-eligibility. Will they mail it in or try to find a competitive level to finish out the season.
Next Up … Off Week
Last Week (No. 10 – down seven spots)
Lost vs. UCLA, 35-32
Why the Ranking
We can no longer ignore the regression Rutgers seems to be in, losing three-straight now. Remember, this is a power ranking and not a stack of team standings. A team that was playing physical and purposeful seems to have lost its way after losing to a UCLA team that had been struggling mightily this season. Is there enough to salvage to still get to a bowl this season?
Next Up … at USC
16. UCLA Bruins (2-5, 1-4)
Last Week (No. 17 – up one spot)
Won at Rutgers, 21-17
Why the Ranking
UCLA finally broke through after some recent close games, beating a Rutgers team that had looked very good at its place. This team is playing better, but the body of work still says the Bruins are no where near the top or middle of the league.
Next Up … Off Week
15. Northwestern Wildcats (3-4, 1-3)
Last Week (No. 15 – no change)
Lost vs. Wisconsin, 23-3
Why the Ranking
Northwestern is playing better but still a wildly inconsistent team at the moment. The offense continues to be a problem against teams that have more athleticism and that’s not about to change from now until the end of the season. Getting bowl-eligible somehow for the second year in a row would be a major win for the program.
Next Up … at Iowa
14. USC Trojans (3-4, 1-4)
Last Week (No. 13 – down one spot)
Lost at Maryland, 29-28
Why the Ranking
There’s simply no way a team with this much talent on the roster should be losing this many games — albeit close ones — but we can’t ignore the lack of ability to finish games. The natives are going to be extremely restless with head coach Lincoln Riley if this squad can’t show it’s moving in the right direction through the rest of the year.
Next Up … vs. Rutgers
13. Maryland Terrapins (4-3, 1-3)
Last Week (No. 16 – up three spots)
Won vs. USC, 29-28
Why the Ranking
Maryland got up off the mat to beat a USC team that has a lot of skill. What better way to get a Big Ten win than beating a team that’s fresh out of the box in a new Big Ten. One week does not scream turnaround however, and this team still has massive improvement we need to see.
Next Up … at Minnesota
12. Michigan Wolverines (4-3, 2-2)
Last Week (No. 9 – down three spots)
Off Week
Why the Ranking
It’s official — Michigan is just not very good this year. The truth is, this team might be worse than where we have it pegged after a loss to Illinois in which it felt like the Wolverines were never really in the game. This won’t be the last loss for the Maize and Blue, especially when the offense can’t make any plays down the field in the passing game.
Next Up … vs. Michigan State
11. Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-3, 2-2)
Last Week (No. 12 – up one spot)
Off Week
Why the Ranking
The Golden Gophers enjoyed an off week this past weekend and are in a good position to go bowling again. Minnesota isn’t a contender for much else with its average play across the board, but the program seems to be stuck in that space under P.J Fleck right now.
Next Up … vs. Maryland
10. Michigan State Spartans (4-3, 2-2)
Last Week (No. 14 – up four spots)
Off Week
Why the Ranking
If Michigan State can keep from turning the ball over, it’s going to be a tough out for teams down the stretch, especially if quarterback Aidan Chiles plays the way he in a win vs. Iowa this past weekend. The Wolverines should be on alert ahead of this weekend’s matchup.
Next Up … at Michigan
9. Washington Huskies (4-3, 2-2)
Last Week (No. 11 – up two spots)
Off Week
Why the Ranking
Washington had an off week to lick its wounds after being pummeled by Iowa and now will have to find a way to be more consistent going forward. Unfortunately, there’s a tough matchup on tap with a trip to play an Indiana team that looks to be a contender this year.
Next Up … at Indiana
8. Iowa Hawkeyes (4-3, 2-2)
Last Week (No. 8 – no change)
Lost at Michigan State, 32-20
Why the Ranking
Like every year, Iowa can’t have nice things with a loss in a game you felt like it should have won on paper. When you get get explosive plays through the air, the margin of error is very thin and it results in inconsistent play. So, here we are again … The only reason Iowa doesn’t fall is because of some mixed results in the entire Big Ten.
Next Up … vs. Northwestern
7. Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-2, 2-2)
Last Week (No. 6 – down one spot)
Lost at Indiana, 56-7
Why the Ranking
It was tempting to move the ‘Huskers down even further, but again, once we get past the top four or five teams in this league, the results have been sporadic. We kept waiting for freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola to have that rookie game, and we saw it on the road against an Indiana team that is every bit in the race for the Big Ten title. He’ll have to bounce back against Ohio State in a week and try not to throw three interceptions.
Next Up … at Ohio State
6. Wisconsin Badgers (5-2, 3-1)
Last Week (No. 7 – up one spot)
Won at Northwestern, 23-3
Why the Ranking
Wisconsin is on a bit of a heater, making hay in a portion of the schedule you would expect, but winning rather convincingly. There’s definitely some improvement since the embarrassing loss to Alabama, but we’ll know just how far the Badgers have come this weekend.
Next Up … vs. Penn State
Last Week (No. 5 – no change)
Won vs. Michigan, 21-7
Why the Ranking
Illinois looked really good in a win over Michigan, and has put a good run together to start the year with good quarterback play and solid defense. Things get real with a trip to Oregon up next, but beyond that, the schedule is rather kind to the Illini. There is clear separation between Illinois and the four teams above it, but can a run towards a very good bowl game happen in Champaign?
Next Up … at Oregon
4. Penn State Nittany Lions (6-0, 3-0)
Last Week (No. 3 – down one spot)
Off Week
Why the Ranking
Yes, the Nittany Lions are undefeated, and yest they had the week off so there’s not a lot of reason to make much of a move, but we can no longer ignore the close shaves we’ve seen from Penn State compared to how good Indiana has looked. Hence, we’re bumping James Franklin’s crew one spot below the Hoosiers.
Next Up … at Wisconsin
3. Indiana Hoosiers (7-0, 4-0)
Last Week (No. 4 – up one spot)
Off Week
Why the Ranking
The Hoosiers administered a public flogging to what we thought was a pretty good Nebraska team and we’re taking notice. Indiana has a very good chance of being undefeated when it travels to Columbus to take on Ohio State in a few weeks, but must first continue to play at a high level on offense and defense in its three-game stretch prior.
Next Up … vs. Washington
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1, 2-1)
Last Week (No. 2 – no change)
Off Week
Why the Ranking
Ohio State also enjoyed a week off to dissect what went wrong vs. Oregon this past week, but now it’s time to get ready for a home stretch it hopes ends with a shot in Indianapolis and perhaps more. The Buckeyes have to look sharp against Nebraska and can’t afford to lose another game so the defense has to start playing like it is capable against really good teams.
Next Up … vs. Nebraska
1. Oregon Ducks (7-0, 4-0)
Last Week (No. 1 – no change)
Won vs. Purdue, 35-0
Why the Ranking
The issues we saw from the Ducks at the beginning of the year seem to have been solved and there’s a good chance Oregon is your new No. 1 team when the new rankings come out. The offense gets a lot of credit behind quarterback Dillon Gabriel, but don’t sleep on the defense and the production from that side of the ball as well.
Next Up … vs. Illinois
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Big Ten football power rankings after Week 8: Sorting out the mess.
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