Big Ten Power Rankings: Week 7

During the seventh week of the college football season, the Big Ten had their fair share of interesting matchups.

Ohio State/Wisconsin offered the game of the week hype and definitely delivered. We also saw Michigan State continue to struggle after consecutive losses.

There were also several double-digit decisions that shouldn’t have come as a big surprise.

Let’s take a look at where things stands after seven weeks.

Ohio State Buckeyes

6-0

Last week: 5-0Last rank: 1st

What a thriller at Camp Randall. Wisconsin had Ohio State early on, but J.T. Barrett willed the Buckeyes to victory. Is there a player more valuable to his team?2

Michigan Wolverines

6-0

Last week: 6-0Last rank: 2nd

Michigan was idle this past weekend after dismantling Rutgers 78-0. The Wolverines have a pretty easy road before facing Ohio State on Nov. 26. That’s when we’ll find out who the top dog in the conference is.3

Wisconsin Badgers

4-2

Last week: 4-1Last rank: 3rd

Two losses to a pair of top five teams for Wisconsin. That’s nothing to be ashamed of, so the Badgers don’t get bumped from the top three. This was a team that was so close to being a top five group itself.4

Nebraska Cornhuskers

6-0

Last week: 6-0Last rank: 4th

Tommy Armstrong had one of the worst performances of his career. Still, Nebraska had a way to fend off a pesky Indiana team. The Cornhuskers are definitely back.5

Northwestern Wildcats

3-3

Last week: 3-3Last rank: 10th

Northwestern had an awful start to the season. However, the Wildcats have won three of their last four and are fresh off a win over Michigan State. This offense is clicking on all cylinders and is extremely dangerous.6

Iowa Hawkeyes

5-2

Last week: 4-2Last rank: 11th

It’s been quite a bit different of a season in 2016 for Iowa. However, they defeated Minnesota and Purdue in back-to-back weeks and are still 3-1 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin awaits and should provide a barometer of how good the Hawkeyes really are.7

Penn State Nittany Lions

4-2

Last week: 4-2Last rank: 9th

Penn State had a bye this week and it came at a great time. The Nittany Lions need to get their defense healthy, especially with a matchup against Ohio State looming this weekend. James Franklin still has yet to get that marquee win during his tenure.8

Indiana Hoosiers

3-3

Last week: 3-2Last rank: 6th

Indiana has made some noise this season. The Hoosiers have beaten Michigan State and nearly came back to knock off Nebraska this past weekend. This is a very talented group that shouldn’t be taken lightly.9

Minnesota Golden Gophers

4-2

Last week: 3-2Last rank: 8th

Without Mitch Leidner, Minnesota used the ground game to handily defeat Maryland. Rodney Smith is one of the more underrated backs in the Big Ten and he showed it. The Golden Gophers should be bound for a decent bowl game this holiday season.10

Maryland Terrapins

4-2

Last week: 4-1Last rank: 5th

Maryland have put together back-to-back clunkers against Penn State and most recently Minnesota. The Terrapins have had trouble stopping the run in addition to scoring points. They need Perry Hills back if they want to beat a struggling Michigan State team on Saturday.11

Michigan State Spartans

2-4

Last week: 2-3Last rank: 7th

Michigan State is probably one of the most underachieving teams in the country. The Spartans have lost four straight after a 54-40 loss at the hands of Northwestern. This is a team that needs a win in the worst way against Maryland this weekend.12

Purdue Boilermakers

3-3

Last week: 3-2Last rank: 13th

It’s been an abundance of issue for Purdue. So many in fact that they fired Darrell Hazell on Sunday. The running game hasn’t produced and the defense has been just as bad. 13

Illinois Fighting Illini

2-4

Last week: 1-4Last rank: 14th

Illinois beat Rutgers this past weekend in a battle of the two worst teams in the Big Ten. The offense isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire. This is a program that is far away from making any sort of noise in the conference.14

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

2-5

Last week: 2-4Last rank: 12th

This probably isn’t what Chris Ash had in mind when he took the Rutgers job. The Scarlet Knights have scored just 14 points in four Big Ten games so far. The stretch doesn’t get much easier with Minnesota and Indiana up next on the schedule.