Who is at the top of the Big Ten rankings halfway through the season?
The college football season is nearing the halfway point and every team in the Big Ten has played at least two games and most have played three. The top is starting to separate itself and the East Division is showing once again that they are the dominant side of the conference.
Before we head into Week 7 of the season, we debut our Big Ten Power Rankings based off what we have seen on the field.
1. Michigan Wolverines – 6-0, 3-0 in Big Ten
The Wolverines are the two-time defending Big Ten champion and they have done nothing over the first six weeks to make it look like they can’t do it for a third straight time.
The schedule is admittedly very soft so far this year, but they have dominated all six of their opponents and the starters have played in only part of one fourth quarter all season long. The offense has looked efficient and the defense gave up more than seven points for the first time all season against Minnesota. This team is very talented and very deep.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes – 5-0, 2-0
The Buckeyes get the nod over Penn State, but just barely. Both teams look like they can compete with Michigan for the top of the Big Ten this year.
The Buckeyes own a win on the road over Notre Dame, but with the Fighting Irish struggling against Duke and losing to Louisville that win doesn’t look as impressive anymore. Ohio State did get a solid win over Maryland on Saturday, but its offense still has some question marks.
3. Penn State Nittany Lions – 5-0, 3-0
The Nittany Lions have looked as good as advertised this year, but their biggest win of the year came against the offensively deficient Iowa Hawkeyes. They had a bye on Saturday and will play UMass next weekend.
They will finally get their first real test in two weeks when they go to Ohio State to take on the Buckeyes in a huge game for their Big Ten and CFP hopes.
4. Wisconsin Badgers – 4-1, 2-0
The Badgers are the first team on the rankings from the West, but their still a lot of question marks for them as they head into their matchup with Iowa next weekend. The Badgers have two wins in the Big Ten, but were beaten by Washington State when they headed out west. A win next Saturday would put the Badgers in a great spot to make it to the Big Ten championship game.
5. Maryland Terrapins – 5-1, 2-1
The Terrapins jumped out to an early 10-0 lead over Ohio State on Saturday and led early in the second half 17-10, but then the wheels fell off and they would lose 37-17. The Terrapins thought this was their year to compete with the top three in the East and they do still have Penn State and Michigan, but the loss to the Buckeyes is a tough one.
6. Iowa Hawkeyes – 5-1, 2-1
The Hawkeyes defense is still legit, but that offense is still not very good. Despite the lack of offense, the Hawkeyes are still just a game back of the Badgers and they get their shot at them on Saturday. They are on to their backup quarterback after transfer Cade McNamara suffered a torn ACL. Their defense just might be good enough to carry them to the Big Ten championship, but they have to beat the Badgers on Saturday.
7. Rutgers Scarlet Knights – 4-2, 1-2
The Big Ten is a jumbled mess at this part of the list and the Scarlet Knights look to be the best of that group. They have lost two of their last three, but those losses came to Michigan and Wisconsin. They will have two very winnable games coming up as they play Michigan State and Indiana. It gets much tougher after that as they will play Ohio State, Iowa and Penn State. If Rutgers can get out of those five games 3-2, then they will be very happy.
8. Northwestern Wildcats – 3-3, 1-2
The Wildcats might be a bit better than we thought coming into the season. That isn’t saying a whole lot as most thought they were the worst team in the Big Ten. They get the nod at eight due to their win over Minnesota and they played Penn State to a tie at halftime. They aren’t very good yet, but neither are the teams below them.
9. Minnesota Golden Gophers – 3-3, 1-2
The Golden Gophers have showed signs of being ok, but they also blew a 21-point fourth-quarter lead against Northwestern. On Saturday they were no match for the Wolverines, but they do get a bye week before they head to Iowa in two weeks. If they can beat the Hawkeyes on the road then they can jump up the rankings.
10. Nebraska Cornhuskers – 3-3, 1-2
It hasn’t been pretty, but the Cornhuskers have won three games this year. They aren’t ready to compete with the best teams in the Big Ten, but they have three winnable games coming up against Northwestern, Purdue and Michigan State. They need to win all of those games to get bowl-eligible because they end the season with Maryland, Wisconsin and Iowa.
11. Purdue Boilermakers – 2-4, 1-2
The defending West Division champions have taken a step back this year, but they did play Iowa tough on Saturday in a 20-14 loss. It was a much better performance than their 38-17 loss to Wisconsin two weeks ago. It doesn’t get any easier for the Boilermakers as two fo their next three games are against Michigan and Ohio State.
12. Michigan State Spartans – 2-3, 0-2
The Spartans have had a ton of off-the-field distractions this year and it hasn’t helped them on the field. They won their first two games, but have lost their last three and haven’t been very competitive. They head to Rutgers on Saturday in a game they must win. They play No. 2 Michigan the week after and still have Ohio State and Penn State on the schedule.
13. Indiana Hoosiers – 2-3, 0-2
The Hoosiers continue their downward slide since their great COVID-19-shortened season in 2020. They have won just eight combined games since that season and this year their only wins have come against Indiana State and Akron and it took them four overtimes to beat the Zips. Their offense has struggled and it doesn’t get any easier as they must travel to Michigan next Saturday.
14. Illinois Fighting Illini – 2-4, 0-3
A year after nearly winning the Big Ten West, the Fighting Illini have fallen on tough times. They have yet to win a conference game so far this year and are coming off an ugly 20-7 loss to Nebraska on Friday night. Their only two wins on the season were a comeback victory over Toledo and a six-point win over FAU. They are not very good and a trip to Maryland on Saturday isn’t going to be easy.
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