Big Ten Power Rankings: Spartans move up with win over Rutgers, new top team again this week
Michigan State has won consecutive games for the first time in months.
The Spartans picked up a second straight win on Saturday, with a victory over Rutgers. The win gets Michigan State back to .500 on the year and puts them one win away from reaching bowl eligibility.
See where I rank Michigan State and the rest of the Big Ten teams in this week’s Big Ten power rankings:
Northwestern
Record: 1-9 (1-6 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Loss at Minnesota
Next game: at Purdue (Nov. 19)
Another week, another loss for the Wildcats. Northwestern has yet to win a game on American soil and it doesn’t look like they will at this point in the season.
Indiana
Record: 3-7 (1-6 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Loss at Ohio State
Next game: at Michigan State (Nov. 19)
Like Northwestern, Indiana is in the midst of a very long losing streak. The Hoosiers have lost their last seven games and will look to right the ship against the Spartans next week.
Rutgers
Record: 4-6 (1-6 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Loss at Michigan State
Next game: vs. Penn State (Nov. 19)
Rutgers battled against the Spartans on Saturday and were able to make it a one possession game in the final minute. However, they came up short and now are in a tough spot when it comes to reaching bowl eligibility.
Nebraska
Record: 3-7 (2-4 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Loss at. Michigan
Next game: vs. Wisconsin (Nov. 19)
Nebraska won’t be bowling again this year with Saturday’s loss at Michigan closing the door on bowl eligibility for the Cornhuskers. The focus now shifts to the offseason and who will take over as the next head coach.
Maryland
Record: 6-4 (3-4 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Loss at Penn State
Next game: vs. Ohio State (Nov. 19)
I wish the Spartans got to play Maryland late in the season rather than early in the season because this is a Terps team that is crashing down. Maryland was shutout by Penn State on Saturday and may not win another game this year.
Illinois
Record: 7-3 (4-3 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Loss vs. Purdue
Next game: at Michigan (Nov. 19)
Illinois has fallen in back-to-back weeks and now appears to be in a tough spot when it comes to winning the Big Ten West Division. They’ll have to go on the road and knock off Michigan next week to have any hope of reaching Indianapolis after this week’s loss to Purdue.
Wisconsin
Record: 5-5 (3-4 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Loss vs. Iowa
Next game: at Nebraska (Nov. 19)
Things can change quickly from week-to-week, and we saw that with Wisconsin this week. The Badgers were handily beaten by Iowa on Saturday and that results in a big fall in our updated power rankings.
Purdue
Record: 6-4 (4-3 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win at Illinois
Next game: vs. Northwestern (Nov. 19)
Purdue picked up a massive road victory at Illinois on Saturday to keep their Big Ten West Division hopes alive. The win puts Purdue in a great spot to win the division should Iowa stumble in one of their final two games.
Minnesota
Record: 7-3 (4-3 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Northwestern
Next game: vs. Iowa (Nov. 19)
Minnesota simply keeps taking care of business with another easy victory. The opponents will get tougher, however, with their final two games coming against Iowa and Wisconsin.
Iowa
Record: 6-4 (4-3 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Wisconsin
Next game: at Minnesota (Nov. 19)
And just like that Iowa is in the drivers seat to win the Big Ten West Division. If the Hawkeyes win out, they’ll most likely be heading to Indianapolis — which is amazing to say out loud after Iowa struggled offensively for most of this season.
Michigan State
Record: 5-5 (3-4 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Rutgers
Next game: vs. Indiana (Nov. 19)
The Spartans have looked like a much different team in the past few weeks with wins in three of their last four games. Michigan State is just one win shy of bowl eligibility with a winnable game next week against Indiana.
Penn State
Record: 8-2 (5-2 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Maryland
Next game: at Rutgers (Nov. 19)
Penn State looked impressive against Maryland in Saturday’s 30-0 win over the Terps. The Nittany Lions are the clear-cut third best team in the league, but the gap between them and Ohio State-Michigan is pretty large.
Michigan
Record: 10-0 (7-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Nebraska
Next game: vs. Illinois (Nov. 19)
Michigan picked up another double-digit win this week but it wasn’t an overly impressive win against the lousy Cornhuskers. However, it doesn’t ultimately matter as long as the Wolverines keep winning, with the season finale against Ohio State determining Michigan’s fate.
Ohio State
Record: 10-0 (7-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Indiana
Next game: at Maryland (Nov. 19)
Ohio State looked like Ohio State again on Saturday, and thus has moved back into our top spot. The Buckeyes will have one more tune-up game against Maryland next week before they play for all the marbles against rival Michigan in the season finale.
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