Big Ten Power-Rankings: Week 6
By NYHawkSXC on October 5 2009 6:03 PM
Another week has passed in the Big Ten but there haven't been too many changes in the rankings. What I've decided to do is add a section after the power rankings with some additional content- predictions, observations, questions, etc. Let me know what you guys think.
Anyways, here is where I feel the Big Ten currently stands:
1. Ohio State – Another dominant performance against Indiana. While the defense finally let an opponent score, the game was never in question. Pryor has continued to improve, throwing three touchdowns and rushing for another on Saturday. They’ll have their first conference test against a surging Wisconsin squad but other than that OSU should be on cruise control through October.
2. Iowa – A turnover allowed Arkansas St. to come back into the game Saturday. While the win may not have been in question, it does point to the fact that Iowa needs to work on its offensive consistency. Stanzi has looked better in each game this season but has had a few glaring mistakes in each of the past few games. Having an o-line that is finally healthy may give him some time to keep improving but the schedule gets brutal over the next three weeks (Michigan, @Wisconsin, @Michigan St.).
3. Penn State – They came out looking flat but were able to bring everything together in the second half and looked like the dominant team most people thought they would be at the beginning of the season. The o-line looked vastly improved but we still have to see if they can consistently compete against better defensive lines. One thing seems clear, when the o-line plays well, Clark and the rushing game can really take off.
4. Wisconsin – The badgers are rolling after two dominant wins against pretty good conference opponents. They’ll need to keep that momentum going into the next two weeks where they play at Columbus before getting Iowa at home. The badgers are a team that showed a lot of potential in the first couple weeks and they have really built on those wins. They have solid line play, quality running backs (Clay and Brown) and an impressive quarterback in Tolzien. This is perhaps the most resilient team in the Big 10; they have showed an impressive ability to rebound in games. Teams better watch out for Wisconsin.
5. Michigan – They lost their first game and it was to in-state rival Michigan State. However, I’m hesitant to move them down. No team below them has been as consistently competitive. The Wolverine offense has really come together nicely even if the defense has a long way to go. Michigan has big test coming up in Iowa City. They’ll need their defense to force Iowa to make mistakes allowing their offense more time to put points on the board.
6. Michigan State – They get a big bump in the rankings this week, after showing the ability to close out a game. They have been involved in close battles in each of the past four weeks but the Spartans did what they needed to do on Saturday: beat their in-state archrivals. They played solid, determined football and really ran the ball well. Whether or not MSU uses this win as a springboard remains to be seen, but it certainly wouldn’t surprise me if it did. They will face an uphill battle at 2-3 (1-1 in conference) to gain much respect nationally but the Spartans have a favorable schedule (getting Iowa and Penn State at home, and not playing OSU) and a lot of potential. We’ll see if they can put those losses behind them and start creating some positive momentum.
7. Minnesota – They played a pretty good game against Wisconsin but showed a serious inability to stop the run (allowing 295 yards rushing). This is a team that still looks fairly one-dimensional on offense and seems to have some serious questions on defense. On top of that, their schedule gets rough from here on in. The next three weeks Minnesota plays @PSU, @OSU and then gets MSU at home. They close the season @Iowa. Ouch. We’ll see how resilient this team is after a heartbreaking loss to border-rival Wisconsin. They’ll need to be to get through the rest of this season.
8. Northwestern – The defense came out and began another lackluster performance allowing Purdue to go up 21-3 early in the second quarter. However, the defense clamped down and on the offense continued to chip away at Purdue’s lead giving Northwestern a come from behind victory (taking their first lead in the final minutes of the game). While this is a Northwestern team that has been incredibly inconsistent, this was a win they needed. At 3-2 with road games at MSU and Iowa (they also play Penn State at home), the wildcats face an uphill battle. Even so, they have veteran-laden defense that showed that they can be dominant when everything clicks. It is possible that Northwestern can continue to chip its way into the upper tiers of the Big Ten the same way they chipped away a win against Purdue.
9. Indiana – Not quite the performance Indiana was looking for. While they were able to score two touch downs against Ohio State they looked helpless against the Buckeyes for the majority of the game. While the close loss to Michigan seemed to breathe life into this program, the Hoosiers will need to show an ability to rebound. Fortunately, their next three weeks offer them some very good opportunities to create positive momentum (playing Virginia, Illinois and Northwestern). We’ll see if they can capitalize on the opportunities they get.
10. Purdue – They came into this game strong but let it slip away (tale of the last four weeks?). Sitting at 1-4, Purdue is going to have a hard time salvaging this season no matter how much consistency they can build around their play-makers.
11. Illinois – They hung with Penn State in the first half but their offense still looked impotent. They did manage to stretch the field out with Benn more often but they weren’t able to produce points. The schedule gets easier from here but that won’t help the Illini unless they can find answers to some big questions.
Additionally - Let me start with some predictions:
Wisconsin @ OSU (OSU 27-17)
Michigan @ Iowa (Iowa 27-23)
Purdue @ Minn ([upset]Purdue 37-33)
MSU @ Illinois ([trap game]MSU 30-24)
Indiana @ Virginia ([upset] Indiana 17-13)
Miami (OH) @ NW (NW 24-13)
Eastern Illinois @ PSU (PSU 42-13)
Why do I think Purdue is going to win at Minnesota? Because Minnesota is coming off of a heartbreaking loss to Wisconsin and will have a hard time getting themselves motivated for the Boilermakers. I think Purdue will be determined to get a win after letting another game slip away from them.
Why do I think Indiana can upset Virginia? (would this even be an upset? ;)) I certaintly don't want to sound like a big ten homer, especially given how well the ACC has been representing itself. However, even in Virginia's huge win over conference rival UNC their offense looked really lackluster. The only game Virginia scored over 16 points was in a loss to Southern Mississippi. We'll see if Virginia is able to use their win as a springboard into this game, otherwise this has trap written all over it. Furthermore, Indiana doesn't look like a bad football team this year. They should be able to put some points on the board which I think will give them an edge.
Finally, let me end with a question: What team do you think is more frustrated right now - Illinois or Purdue?
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Tags: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Miami Ohio, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Virginia, Wisconsin, Big Ten