Big Ten Football Rankings And Reactions, Week 9
Week 9 Big Ten rankings and reactions: Michigan held on to get by Minnesota, Wisconsin got its star back, and Purdue stunned Nebraska
Big Ten Player of the Week
Purdue QB David Blough completed 28-of-43 passes for 274 yards and four scores, and ran ten times for 82 yards and a score in the win over Nebraska.
Week 9 Big Ten Football Rankings
1. Ohio State (8-0)
UP NEXT: Minnesota: Now that J.T. Barrett is out, Cardale Jones gets a date as the starter without having to look over his shoulder. Minnesota, though, proved plucky against Michigan and might not be the lightweight it seemed to be a few weeks ago. It’s an easy scenario for the Buckeyes – it doesn’t matter if they lose to Minnesota or at Illinois. If they beat Michigan State and win at Michigan, they’re going to the Big Ten championship. If they go 12-1 with a second straight conference title, they’re back in the playoff.
Best Guess Final Record: 12-0
2. Iowa (8-0)
W, Maryland 31-15: It still might not be splashy, and the running game wasn’t working, but there wasn’t any problem getting by Maryland to keep the dream season alive. The next two weeks might be a little bit tricky having to deal with Indiana on the road coming off a bye week before the rivalry date against Minnesota, and now, the Purdue game isn’t quite the layup it seemed like it’d be a few weeks ago. Going to Nebraska – certainly a desperate Nebraska – in the regular season finale is going to be a problem. As long as the Hawkeyes win three of their last four, they’re in the Big Ten title game. Win that, and yeah, 12-1 Iowa is in the playoff.
Best Guess Final Record: 11-1
3. Michigan State (8-0)
UP NEXT: at Nebraska: The Spartans really, really, really needed the bye-week, and now it’s time for the finishing kick to try to play stronger and be more consistent. They can lose at Nebraska or to Maryland or Penn State – but not to more than one of them – as long as they beat Ohio State. Like Iowa and OSU, 12-1 with a Big Ten championship gets them into the playoff, but it’s time to start getting more out of the defense and starting to look the part of a possible playoff team. Even at 8-0, MSU has been way too shaky.
Best Guess Final Record: 11-1
4. Michigan (6-2)
W, at Minnesota 29-26: Coming so close to losing to a mediocre Minnesota is more than forgivable considering the emotion of the week for the Gophers, but now it’s time to get back to being 2015 Michigan. Rutgers isn’t doing anything offensively, and the Wolverines have to shut it down. With dangerous road games at Indiana and Penn State, the Wolverines have to fight through with their defense and running game to get to Ohio State with a potential chance at something special. Win the next three games, hope for two Michigan State losses, and the battle with the Buckeyes is for the East.
Best Guess Final Record: 10-2
5. Wisconsin (7-2)
W, Rutgers 48-10: Everyone has injuries, but what would the Badgers be if they had RB Corey Clement for the full season? They can’t get the Iowa game back now, so all they can do is hope for the Hawkeyes to somehow lose twice, and take care of business themselves by winning the last three games. Going to Maryland shouldn’t be an issue with the way the Bucky D is playing, but the last two dates against Northwestern and at Minnesota might be a fight. With Clement back, though, all of a sudden the offense returns.
Best Guess Final Record: 10-2
6. Northwestern (6-2)
UP NEXT: Penn State: The Wildcats got two weeks off after the Nebraska win and now it’s time to go on a roll. They’re bowl eligible, so it’s all gravy going forward with a chance to come up with a strong record starting with home games against Penn State and Purdue. The date with the Nittany Lions is the key – it’s an even game that’ll go a long way to determining the bowl pecking order. Closing out at Wisconsin and in Chicago against Illinois won’t be easy, but with the way the defense is playing, it’s not asking for too much to get at least a split.
Best Guess Final Record: 9-3
7. Penn State (7-2)
W, Illinois 39-0: It’s not a stretch to call the blowout win over Illinois the team’s best performance of the season. Best of all, Christian Hackenberg is starting to heat up at just the right time, while the defense made amends for the close call against Maryland. The Nittany Lions are already bowl eligible, but there’s still a remote chance to pull off the East title by winning out and with plenty of help. Beat Northwestern on the road, beat Michigan, beat Michigan State in East Lansing, and hope Ohio State loses twice and the Spartans trip up along the way, and it’s just that easy. It’s not going to happen.
Best Guess Final Record: 7-5
8. Illinois (4-4)
L, Penn State 39-0: Has reality set in, or is the three-game losing streak simply a case of playing Iowa and Penn State on the road and Wisconsin at home? There’s still plenty of time to get to six wins and become bowl eligible, but it’s not going to happen with an offense that’s scored 14 points or fewer in four of the last six games. After what Purdue did last week, the road game in West Lafayette becomes dangerous, and then comes the home game against Ohio State for the final true home game of the year. Going to Minnesota is a problem, and facing Northwestern in Chicago is like a road game. It’ll be really, really tough to get to six wins.
Best Guess Final Record: 5-7
9. Nebraska (3-6)
Best Guess Final Record: 4-8
10. Minnesota (4-4)
L, Michigan 29-26: Not only was the loss to Michigan the ultimate kick in the stones because of the way it ended, but it was also a big misfire in the hunt for a bowl game. Now the Gophers have to go to Ohio State and Iowa in back-to-back weeks. Lose both of those, and they have to beat Illinois and Wisconsin at home to get to six wins. In other words, Michigan not only stuffed Mitch Leidner, it probably stuffed the likelihood of a 13th game.
Best Guess Final Record: 5-7
11. Rutgers (3-5)
L, at Wisconsin, 48-10: No, Rutgers hasn’t gone into the tank – it played Ohio State and Wisconsin. Losing by a combined score of 97-17 isn’t a positive in any way, though, and now the struggling offense has to go to Michigan. However, even with all the problems, there’s still a shot at getting to six wins and a bowl game as long as the Scarlet Knights can beat Nebraska at home. Do that, and then beat Army and Maryland to get bowl eligible making this a wildly successful season considering the circumstances.
Best Guess Final Record: 5-7
12. Indiana (4-4)
UP NEXT: Iowa: The Hoosiers got two weeks off to rest up after giving up 107 points in losses to Rutgers and Michigan State. Can the O get hot enough to screw up Iowa? Probably not, and it doesn’t help that Michigan comes to town for Senior Day the week after. That means the Hoosiers will likely have to win on the road at Maryland and Purdue to get to six wins. On a four-game losing streak that’ll likely be six, that’s going to be tough.
Best Guess Final Record: 5-7
13. Purdue (2-6)
W, Nebraska 55-45: Good for Purdue. The Boilermakers have been fighting, scratching and clawing all year, coming painfully close in losses to Marshall, Bowling Green and Michigan State. Is the win over Nebraska the moment when everything starts to kick in? It’ll be hard to get on a roll unless they keep it going with Purdue up next. With road games at Northwestern and Iowa to follow, and closing out with Indiana, just getting another win would be nice.
Best Guess Final Record: 3-9
14. Maryland (2-6)
L, at Iowa 31-15: This is going to be a painfully inconsistent team after the coaching change. The Terps are on a five-game losing streak with an offense that’s not coming up with the same game twice, while the defense has been consistently mediocre. There’s no break with Wisconsin up next followed up by a trip to Michigan State. There won’t be a bowl appearance, but with Indiana and at Rutgers to close out, there might be a win somewhere.
Best Guess Final Record: 3-9
