Nittany Sports Now will have a Big 10 Power Ranking System throughout the year. These rankings are fluid fight now as we have not entered conference play full swing and things will change throughout the season. Ohio State tops my Power Rankings over Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State because of they have C.J. Stroud who is the best player in the conference right now.
1. Ohio State
Ohio State started off slow against Notre Dame, and Arkansas State had success throwing the football at times. They won’t be tested until Oct. 8 against Michigan State. But for now, they are the best team in the Big Ten as I see it.
2. Michigan
Playing Colorado State and Hawaii will not show a good gauge of how good this team is. Neither will Saturday’s game against UConn. However, the offense is looking great with J.J. McCarthy at quarterback. The first test for the Wolverines will be tested in two weeks against Maryland.
3. Michigan State
The Spartans are third, but Penn State is creeping up on them. They shut out Akron on Saturday and rushed for 200 yards. but they will face a tough test going up to Washington next Saturday.
4. Penn State
Penn State’s freshmen contributed heavily on Saturday against Ohio. These freshmen are already battle-tested going at Auburn, with them going up against Purdue on Sep. 1. Penn State is a 2.5-point favorite.
5. Minnesota
The Golden Gophers rolled up 679 yards on Western Illinois. They allowed less than 200 yards of total offense on Saturday. They will play at Colorado on Saturday, and they look like the best team in the Big Ten West.
6. Maryland
The Terrapins dominated Buffalo and Charlotte in the first two games, and they will have a nice tune-up at home against SMU before heading into the Big Ten East gauntlet.
7. Purdue
Purdue expectedly bounced back against Indiana State on Saturday. They are expected to contend in the Big Ten West. A win at Syracuse would go a long way to getting ready for the rest of their Big Ten schedule.
8. Rutgers
Rutgers is beating the teams that they are supposed to beat, and they are 2-0, and they are playing a must-win game at Temple if they want to have a chance at bowl eligibility.
9. Wisconsin
The Badgers came out flat at home against Washington State, and with Ohio State and Minnesota coming up to start conference play, they could be behind the curve in the Big Ten.
10. Illinois
Bret Bielema has his team playing his style of running the ball, playing defense, and efficient passing. They beat a quality power five team in Virginia which bodes well for when they go into conference play.
11. Iowa
The offense needs to put up points period. The Hawkeyes’ defense deserves better than 14 points in the last two home games.
12. Indiana
Indiana is 2-0, with a conference win against Illinois, but it is hard to wipe out the stench of a 2-10 record in 2021. A win over Western Kentucky will show that they have improved.
13. Northwestern
The Wildcats lost at home to the Duke Blue Devils, a team that is expected to be towards the bottom of the ACC standings. They would have been 0-2 if not for Scott Frost giving the game away in Dublin.
14. Nebraska
Scott Frost has been fired, and he deserved it after losing to Georgia Southern at home. They were willing to pay the extra $7.5 million to terminate him before Oct. 1. Interim head coach Mickey Joseph will have a stiff first test with Oklahoma coming to Lincoln next Saturday.
Twitter: @bwalkerdadonn
