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Phil Harrison

Big Ten football power rankings after Week 10: A change at the top.

The calendar continues to flip on the 2022 college football season and there are only three weeks left in the Big Ten season before we find out which teams go to Indianapolis to face off in the Big Ten Championship game.

Week 10 was an odd one, to say the least. Ohio State and Michigan struggled against two teams that aren’t very good. Illinois lost to Michigan State, and Iowa continues to improve, this time beating Purdue to really bunch things up in the West division.

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With all that we’ve seen this season, we try to pivot and reassess things after every week and it’s no different after Week 10. We have to keep in mind the body of work and each individual situation with every game, but these are power rankings and not standings.

Here is how we believe the power stacks up in the Big Ten after the last slate of games where every team was in action.

14
Northwestern Wildcats (1-8, 1-5)

Nov. 5, 2022; Evanston, Illinois; Northwestern Wildcats quarterback Brendan Sullivan (10) runs against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first half at Ryan Field. David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Lost at Ohio State, 21-7

Previous week Change
14 no change

Northwestern put up a pretty good fight against Ohio State in some extreme weather conditions, but couldn’t finish the deal. This is still a bad team with a lot of heart and that’s about all we can say for Pat Fitzgerald’s team.

Next Up

vs. Minnesota

13
Indiana Hoosiers (3-6, 1-5)

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Tom Allen walks along the sideline during the fourth quarter of an NCAA Division I football game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Lost to Penn State, 45-14

Previous week Change
13 no change

Whereas Northwestern put up a good fight at home against one of the top teams in the league, Indiana did the exact opposite hosting Penn State. This sure looks and feels like a team that has quit on the season, and you have to wonder what direction Tom Allen has this program pointing after two straight very disappointing seasons.

Next Up

at Ohio State

12
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-5, 1-5)

Last Week

Lost vs. Michigan, 45-17

Previous week Change
12 no change

Rutgers put up quite the fight in the first half against Michigan, but the Wolverines were able to wear down the Scarlet Knights’ defense and pull away in the second half. If you’ve followed us long enough, you know we never give credit for close wins in this column but appreciate the effort.

Next Up

at Michigan State

11
Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-6, 2-4)

Nebraska’s Turner Corcoran plays during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, in East Lansing, Michigan. AP Photo/Al Goldis

Last Week

Lost vs. Minnesota, 20-13

Previous week Change
11 no change

At least the last four teams on Big Ten Power Rankings made it easy by losing. To be fair, Nebraska has looked much more competitive since the firing of Scott Frost, but there’s still a long way to go. At the end of the day, it’s another one-score loss for the poor Cornhuskers.

Next Up

at Michigan

10
Purdue Boilermakers (5-4, 3-3)

Purdue Boilermakers tight ends Paul Piferi (89) and Payne Durham (87) celebrate Piferi’s touchdown on the Indiana State Sycamores defensive line during the NCAA football game, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.  USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Lost vs. Iowa, 24-3

Previous week Change
6 – 4

It’s not often that we drop a team this drastically, but Purdue has looked lost the last couple of weeks, especially this past week against Iowa. The teams now ahead of them are playing much better than the Boilermakers at this point. Aidan O’Connell had a rough day with two picks and an under 50% completion percentage.

Next Up

at Illinois

9
Iowa Hawkeyes (5-4, 3-3)

Oct. 22, 2022; Columbus, Ohio; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz coaches during the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Won at Purdue, 24-3

Previous week Change
10 +1

Very quietly, Iowa seems to be getting better, and it’s all because of better production on offense. Believe it or not, the Hawkeyes are still in the mix for a West division title though they might need a bunch of tiebreakers to go their way if they can win out and Illinois loses once more. This appears to be a team on an upward trajectory since the train wreck at Ohio State.

Next Up

vs. Wisconsin

8
Wisconsin Badgers (5-4, 3-3)

Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Win vs. Maryland, 23-10

Previous week Change
9 +1

Wisconsin has been a vastly different team at home than on the road, and, thankfully for the Badgers, they did their best work against the Terrapins in Madison this past week. There is a path still to get to Indianapolis, but Graham Mertz has to be good Graham Mertz away from Camp Randall to make it happen. He’ll get a shot to be just that next weekend.

Next Up

at Iowa

7
Michigan State Spartans (4-5, 2-4)

Michigan State Spartans linebacker Jacoby Windmon (4) misses the tackle on Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) during first-half action Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, at Spartan Stadium. USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Win vs. Maryland, 23-10

Previous week Change
8 +1

The Spartans beat all the odds by beating West division leading Illinois on the road with eight players suspended and all of the drama surrounding the fight after the Michigan game last week. We’ll see if this team can continue to rally and spoil other teams’ hopes down the road.

Next Up

vs. Rutgers

 

6
Maryland Terrapins (6-3, 3-3)

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Lost at Wisconsin, 23-10

Previous week Change
5 -1

We’re starting to see some of the same issues with Maryland wearing down toward the end of the Big Ten season, but we have to remember the Terps are getting Taulia Tagovailoa healthy and it’s more difficult to win at Wisconsin than the alternative. It gets real with a trip to Happy Valley next week.

Next Up

at Penn State

5
Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-3, 3-3)

Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Win at Nebraska, 20-13

Previous week Change
7 +2

I’ll be honest, I have no idea how the West division is going to shake out, but we’re giving Minnesota a little more credit for going through a tough stretch when injuries crept up and for bouncing back with a win on the road. Most likely though, it’ll all change next week.

Next Up

vs. Northwestern

 

4
Illinois Fighting Illini (7-2, 4-2)

Sept. 10, 2022; Champaign; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive lineman Keith Randolph Jr. (88) and teammates celebrate Saturday’s 24-3 win over the Virginia Cavaliers at Memorial Stadium. Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Lost vs. Michigan State, 23-15

Previous week Change
4 no change

You had a feeling the balloon would pop at some point for Illinois, but not this week against an undermanned Michigan State team. Still, it’s hard to drop the Illini based on what they’ve done this year. This is still a good defensive ball club that can be physical on both sides of the ball.

Next Up

vs. Purdue

3
Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2, 4-2)

Oct. 29, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford throws a pass during the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium. Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week

Won at Indiana, 45-14

Previous week Change
3 no change

It sure looks and feels like the Nittany Lions are a team on the rise. The offense piled up almost 500 yards of offense on the road, but it was the defense that set the tempo by allowing under 200 yards of offense by Indiana. The schedule is awfully favorable for Penn State down the road and there’s a better-than-good chance this could end up being a New Year’s Six bowl team if it can run the table.

Next Up

vs. Maryland

2
Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0, 6-0)

Nov. 5, 2022; Evanston, Illinois; The Ohio State Buckeyes sing “Carmen Ohio” following the NCAA football game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Ohio State won 21-7. Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

Last Week

Won vs. Penn State, 44-31

Previous week Change
1 -1

We thought long and hard about whether we should give Ohio State a pass because of the weather conditions at Northwestern. The reality is this team has struggled to run the ball three straight weeks and that’s not going to cut it in late November against TTUN. Either the Buckeyes find a way to squeeze the lemon in the running game or we’ll all pray for great weather on Nov. 26 so the passing game can hum. We can’t excuse the lack of toughness any longer and that’s why we make the call to move the Buckeyes down one this week.

Next Up

vs. Indiana

1
Michigan Wolverines (9-0, 6-0)

Quinten Johnson #28 and Joe Taylor #39 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrate a turnover on downs against the Michigan State Spartans during the fourth quarter at Michigan Stadium on Oct. 29, 2022, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Nic Antaya/Getty Images

Last Week

Won at Rutgers, 52-17

Previous week Change
2 +1

There may have been some issues in the first half against Rutgers, but Michigan righted the ship in the second half and won convincingly against a Rutgers team on the decline. This team looks like a physical bunch built to give Ohio State everything it can handle at the end of the season.

Next Up

at Rutgers

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