Should Penn State football fall in Big Ten power rankings after Ohio State loss?

The biggest game in college football this past week took place in Columbus. Unfortunately, our beloved Penn State football program came up on the short end once again against Ohio State. But the game did provide clarity at the top end of the Big Ten power rankings with the two and three spots.

Elsewhere around the conference, there are some weird happenings for both Michigan schools. Iowa nearly pulled off a win again with little help from its offense, and Wisconsin had a nice comeback against Illinois.

Week 9 Big Ten power rankings

There was more movement this week in the Big Ten power rankings than there had been the previous couple of weeks. Let’s see how things shake out as we head into the last weekend of October.

No. 14 Indiana 2-5 (Last week 14)

The Hoosiers took the early lead against Rutgers this past Saturday, but saw it quickly turn into a 17-14 halftime deficit and eventually a 31-14 defeat. It was the Hoosiers’ third loss in a row, and they have yet to win a conference game this season.

Tom Allen signed a 7-year contract extension in 2021, and his current buyout is 20 million. It is a steep price, but the Hoosiers should have never extended Allen after a flash-in-a-pan season affected by COVID-19 in 2020. Leaning towards Allen being let go at the end of this season.

Indiana travels to Happy Valley to take on Penn State football this Saturday.

No. 13 Northwestern 3-4 (Last week 13)

Northwestern fell to Nebraska on the road 17-9 on Saturday, managing only three field goals. The offensive line is one of the worst in the country. The Wildcats gave up eight sacks, which brings their total to 30 sacks allowed in seven games.

Northwestern will attempt to get back to .500 with a home date against Maryland next.

No. 12 Michigan State 2-5 (Last week 12)

Not sure which scoreboard moment was worse for Michigan State. The goose egg the Spartans put up against rival Michigan or having to apologize for this mind-numbing decision.

The season keeps getting worse for the Spartans, and they seem to just be going through the motions. They next travel to Minnesota.

No. 11 Purdue 2-5 (Last week 9)

A bye week for Purdue, but with some adjustments for teams that played games this past week, the Boilermakers lost a couple of spots in the Big Ten power rankings. Purdue is in danger of missing a bowl game a year after winning the Big Ten West.

It has been a tough first year for coach Ryan Walters. Up next is a trip to Lincoln to face Nebraska.

No. 10 Illinois 3-5 (Last week 10)

Illinois held a 21-7 lead over Wisconsin heading into the fourth quarter. The Illini came out with a 25-21 loss. Luke Altmyer was the Illini’s leading passer and rusher with 100 yards each through the air and on the ground. Johnny Newton’s ejection for targeting in the fourth quarter was a game-changer as the Badgers scored 15 points after his departure from the game.

Illinois finally gets to its bye week. But if Illinois wants to go bowling this season, it will need to win three of its final four games.

No. 9 Nebraska 4-3 (Last week 11)

The Cornhuskers are starting to get a little momentum. They have won four out of their last five after beating Northwestern. Their defense is really starting to shine as well.

Matt Rhule’s first season did not start great, but he has a chance to break the Huskers bowl draught in his first season. They host the Boilermakers on Saturday.

No. 8 Maryland 5-2 (Last week 6)

Sorry, Terps. You had a week off, but your stock is falling for losing two in a row and the teams behind you won. So you get dropped in the Big Ten power rankings this week. Plus things off the field are not going well either. Perhaps a trip to Evanston will cure what ails you.

No. 7 Minnesota 4-3 (Last week 8)

The Gophers managed just four field goals, but it was enough to upset offensively challenged Iowa 12-10. The win was not without controversy, as Iowa’s Cooper DeJean appeared to give the Hawkeyes the lead with his punt return touchdown with about 80 seconds left in the game. But he was ruled to have made a fair catch signal before receiving the punt, and replay confirmed this fact.

No matter how it happened, Minnesota will take its first win in the series since 2014 and first in Iowa City since 1999. The Gophers host Michigan State on Saturday.

No. 6 Rutgers 6-2 (Last week 7)

Congrats to Rutgers. After their win over the Hoosiers, the Scarlet Knights are now bowl-eligible. They were invited to the Gator Bowl in 2021 as a Covid-19 replacement for Texas A&M, but that was after a 4-8 record. This will be the Scarlet Knights’ best season since 2014 when they went 8-5.

Up next for Rutgers is a bye week followed by a home date with Ohio State.

No. 5 Iowa 6-2 (Last week 4)

Iowa fans are certainly upset about the way the Minnesota game ended. However, the Hawkeyes’ offense is so poor that if they turn just one other offensive series into a field goal, they win the game. No matter how hard the Ferentz family tries to convince us, relying on your defense and special teams to score while your offense constantly sputters is not complimentary football.

The Hawkeyes get a bye week before traveling to Chicago to take on Northwestern at Wrigley Field. There is not enough time in two weeks to fix all the offensive problems.

No. 4 Wisconsin 5-2 (Last week 5)

Led by backup quarterback Braedyn Locke, the Badgers had a furious fourth quarterback where they scored 18 points in the final frame to beat Illinois. Locke played well with 245 yards and two touchdowns. Braelon Allen posted 145 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

With Iowa’s loss, the Badgers are now back in first place in the Big Ten West, although they do not have the tiebreaker due to their head-to-head loss to the Hawkeyes. Wisconsin has a huge challenge with Ohio State coming to Madison on Saturday night.

No. 3 Penn State 6-1 (Last week 3)

Penn State football essentially had three weeks to prepare for the Buckeyes. The defense was ready for the most part, outside failing to contain Marvin Harrison Jr., like most teams. The offense looked in complete disarray as the Nittany Lions fell 20-12 in a game not even as close as the score indicated.

Penn State football converted a putrid one of 16 third down attempts and lacked any sort of cohesiveness on that side of the ball. A penalty nullified a scoop and score by linebacker Curtis Jacobs in the second quarter, which if it stood could have changed the outcome.

But in the end, Penn State football just did not play well enough to beat Ohio State once again. The Nittany Lions will look to rebound by hosting Indiana on Saturday afternoon.

No. 2 Ohio State 7-0 (Last week 2)

Ohio State’s offense looked fairly pedestrian against Penn State, besides Marvin Harrison Jr. racking up 162 yards on 11 receptions and a touchdown. The Buckeye defense however was stout and has been a real bright spot for them this season.

The Buckeyes appear to be the only team that can challenge Michigan this year. But their offense will have to find ways to be more productive than it has been. Next up is a road trip to Madison.

No. 1 Michigan 8-0 (Last week 1)

Let’s start with what happened on the field this past Saturday. The Wolverines blanked the Spartans to the tune of 49-0. They racked up 477 yards and 28 first downs, while J.J. McCarthy threw four touchdown passes. This was more than enough to keep Michigan atop the Big Ten power rankings.

Now the bad news. The NCAA is investigating an alleged sign-stealing operation that appears to have been ongoing for the past few seasons at Michigan. Not sure what will come of it, but for now it is not how the Wolverines want to be spending their off week.

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