Big Ten power rankings after Week 10: B1G shakeup in overall rankings

The more it seems like we have a good handle on what the conference is,  chaos ensues.

The big story of the week was Michigan State — short-handed after what happened in Ann Arbor last week — upsetting ranked Illinois, severely hurting the Illini’s postseason prospects.

The next biggest? Ohio State struggling in inclement weather against one-win Northwestern.

Michigan looked like it could have been a statistic after a bad first half at Rutgers before it roared back in Piscataway. Penn State rolled Indiana, and Minnesota came back against Nebraska. Iowa scored a few times against a Purdue team that couldn’t, and Wisconsin ran all over Maryland.

PREVIOUSLY: Big Ten power rankings after Week 9

That said, here are our latest Big Ten power rankings with Week 10 in the books.

Michigan Wolverines (9-0)

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Michigan trailed at halftime, but then went on a scoring spree. The red zone woes weren’t an issue. The Wolverines scored touchdowns on six of seven trips inside the 20.

Both Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards managed over 100 yards rushing, though the pass game continues to underwhelm.

The big story here was the defense, which turned the game around in the second half. Michael Barrett had two interceptions, including a pick six, while freshman Will Johnson earned the first of his career. The maize and blue held Rutgers to five first downs.

At the moment, they’re still the top dog in the conference, though Ohio State looms. Nebraska comes to The Big House next week.

Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0)

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Ohio State finally found a way to run the ball after two weeks of not being capable on the ground. And it’s a good thing, too, because C.J. Stroud had his worst game in scarlet and gray, managing 76 yards passing in hostile weather.

The defense held down Northwestern’s passing game, but it struggled to stop the run. NU amassed 206 yards on the ground, though at 3.5 yards per carry.

The Buckeyes have Indiana next.

Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2)

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A blowout win is just what Penn State needed after an emotional loss to Ohio State last week.

Sean Clifford and Drew Allar combined for 304 yards passing, while the run game eviscerated the Indiana defense. IU’s banged up offense could do nothing against the rebounding PSU defense, with no passing game to speak of with Connor Bazelak out and just 65 yards rushing.

Penn State has Maryland, Rutgers and MSU remaining.

Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-3)

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Minnesota didn’t do anything particularly special in the win over Nebraska. Tanner Morgan was OK, but was injured late in the first half. Athan Kaliakmanis performed admirably in his stead, bringing the Gophers back after facing a 10-0 deficit.

Mo Ibrahim managed over 100 yards, and it was just enough to earn bowl eligibility for the season.

Northwestern is next on the schedule.

Illinois Fighting Illini (7-2)

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Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Illinois hosted a reeling MSU team and dominated in terms of total offense and total defense. The only thing the Illini couldn’t do was score.

After becoming the new Big Ten darlings, Illinois has fallen off given the loss to a Michigan State team that’s missing multiple starters. Perhaps it’ll be an up-and-down, week-by-week affair for a team getting its first taste of success in some time.

Purdue is next, with Michigan after that.

Maryland Terrapins (6-3)

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We still have Maryland ranked in a decent position, but the Terps are going to have to learn how to withstand the weather.

Taulia Tagovailoa returned to the starting lineup, but managed 77 yards through the air. The Terrapins couldn’t get much going on the ground, while the run defense fell apart spectacularly, as Maryland allowed two 100-yard rushers.

If Maryland can get a win at Penn State next week, it would do wonders for the program.

Wisconsin Badgers (5-4)

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The Badgers benefitted from some inclement weather on Saturday, as the passing game for either team couldn’t get going.

Both Graham Mertz and Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa managed 77 yards through the air, but Wisconsin has a better running game and run defense. UW managed 278 yards rushing while holding the Terps to 112 yards on the ground.

Don’t look now, but Wisconsin might be up to something. A trip to Iowa is next.

Iowa Hawkeyes (5-4)

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OK, so Iowa can do offense sometimes.

Kaleb Johnson was electric, managing 200 yards on the ground for a 9.1 yard per carry average, and Spencer Petras did just enough in the emphatic home win over Purdue.

The defense was tough, as usual, netting two interceptions and holding the Boilermakers to fewer than 300 yards of offense.

Iowa faces a resurgent Wisconsin team next week.

Purdue Boilermakers (5-4)

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One week, Purdue looks like a well-oiled machine, the next, the offense is nonexistent and it lets Iowa look like it has an offense.

Aidan O’Connell threw two interceptions while failing to clear 200 yards and the run game was disappointing yet again. No surprise against the Hawkeye defense. However, Iowa’s offense got going, fueled by freshman Kaleb Johnson’s 200 yards on the ground and Spencer Petras throwing for 193 yards.

If going up against a tough defense isn’t their thing, it’ll be just as tough next week, with Illinois up next.

Michigan State Spartans (4-5)

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Illinois dominated the box score but not the score that mattered.

Michigan State somehow rebounded from a debacle in Ann Arbor, finding ways to get into the end zone while Illinois failed to convert multiple fourth-down attempts. Tommy DeVito passed well, nearing 300 yards on Saturday, and Chase Brown did his thing. But the MSU defense bent and didn’t break, despite having two starters suspended due to the incident in Ann Arbor last week.

Perhaps the Spartans will be bowl eligible after all? They have Rutgers next.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-6)

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Still without Casey Thompson, Nebraska had a 10-point lead at halftime, but let Minnesota come roaring back, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

With a pedestrian passing game, the Huskers had to manage on the ground, and while their defense was solid, points are what matters. They’re still in the bottom tier and with a road trip to Ann Arbor, it doesn’t look like it’ll get much better.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-5)

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Poor Rutgers. It can hang the halftime lead against Michigan banner.

The Scarlet Knights started Gavin Wimsatt at quarterback, and he looked solid, putting 50-50 balls in the air for big gains. Then, he came back down to earth, throwing three second-half interceptions, including a pick six. RU managed one first down in the second half and five overall.

It looked like a solid outing for a minute, but the Wolverines were just too much overall.

Rutgers has MSU up next.

Northwestern Wildcats (1-8)

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It turns out, maybe don’t play the Wildcats in inclement weather.

Northwestern moves up a spot due to competitiveness — it had a lead on the Buckeyes, even! — though it still fell to mighty Ohio State.

In gale-force winds, passing the ball wasn’t an option as the Wildcats held C.J. Stroud to 76 yards through the air. While it was solid for awhile at holding down the ground game, the Buckeyes burst through, managing 207 yards rushing, led by Miyan Williams.

Brendan Sullivan passed for 79 yards and the rushers produced 206 yards — meaning, yes, Northwestern actually outgained OSU. However it’s still a loss, though maybe a more impressive one compared to the others.

NU plays at Minnesota next.

Indiana Hoosiers (3-6)

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Indiana has now claimed the role of the Big Ten team that sucks the most, despite it having more wins than the now No. 13 team.

The Hoosiers were not competitive without starting QB Connor Bazelak in the lineup, and they tried to become more balanced, trotting out three quarterbacks who attempted 29 passes to the team’s 34 runs.

They netted less than 200 yards of offense while giving up 483.

It will not get any better because next week IU plays at Ohio State.

Story originally appeared on Wolverines Wire