There’s a clear cutoff in the Big Ten between the good teams and the bad ones. Right now, Michigan State is sadly in the bad tier — but how low should they rank compared to their peers?
Michigan State was blown out for a second straight week on Saturday in a 31-9 loss against Maryland. The Spartans made countless mistakes that ultimately cost them the game.
Buy Spartans TicketsThere was plenty of bad football elsewhere played in the conference so how low should we place the Spartans? See our updated weekly power rankings below:
14
Indiana
Record: 2-2 (0-1 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Akron
Next Game: at Maryland on Sept. 30
We have a new team at the bottom of the conference! The Hoosiers were lucky to survive an upset bid from Akron this weekend, and this honestly may have been their final win of the season based on what I saw on Saturday.
13
Purdue
Record: 1-3 (0-1 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Loss vs. Wisconsin
Next Game: Illinois on Sept. 30
Purdue is in an uphill battle in trying to reach bowl eligibility this year. The Boilermakers were blown out by Wisconsin in their Big Ten opener and will desperately need to pick up a win this week against Illinois to avoid the wheels completely coming off this early in the season.
12
Northwestern
Record: 2-2 (1-1 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Minnesota
Next Game: Penn State on Sept. 30
The Wildcats came up with the most shocking result of the weekend from the Big Ten — a 21-point comeback to stun Minnesota. I didn’t think Northwestern had the capability to pull off this upset, let alone do it in comeback fashion. So I’m going to them a little bit more credit than I have been here — at least for one week that is.
11
Illinois
Record: 2-2 (0-1 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Florida Atlantic
Next Game: at Purdue on Sept. 30
A win is a win — but that wasn’t pretty for Illinois. The Fighting Illini have yet to look impressive this year and at this point, it seems clear they will struggle to reach a bowl game since we aren’t seeing the necessary improvements from week-to-week.
10
Nebraska
Record: 2-2 (0-1 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Louisana Tech
Next Game: Michigan on Sept. 30
Nebraska took care of business in their final tuneup game of the year to get back to .500. Things are going to get much more difficult, though, with top five Michigan coming to town this week.
9
Michigan State
Record: 2-2 (0-1 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Loss vs. Maryland
Next Game: at Iowa on Sept. 30
Is this too high to put Michigan State after another stinker performance? Probably (I would have liked to put them lower honestly) but there are clear correctable things that can be cleaned up to elevate their status and flip the script on the year. The final score wasn’t great against Maryland but it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. If they lay an egg at Iowa this week, then I’ll be forced to drop them near the bottom though.
8
Minnesota
Record: 2-2 (1-1 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Loss at Northwestern
Next Game: Louisana on Sept. 30
Man… that’s simply not okay to let happen, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers blew a massive lead in a layup conference game against Northwestern this weekend. A loss like this probably closes the door on any chance of winning the Big Ten West Division and also proves Minnesota should be near the bottom of our power rankings.
7
Rutgers
Record: 3-1 (1-1 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Loss at Michigan
Next Game: Wagner on Sept. 30
Rutgers held their own against Michigan for a good chunk of this game before the Wolverines pulled away in the second half. Rutgers’ offense wasn’t able to get much going after an early score and that appears to be the side of the ball that needs the most work right now.
6
Iowa
Record: 3-1 (0-1 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Loss at Penn State
Next Game: Michigan State on Sept. 30
Iowa’s offense has been an issue the past few years but this week’s result was by far the worst we’ve ever seen. The Hawkeyes picked up only four first downs and 76 total yards in the shutout loss at Penn State. This week’s matchup against Michigan State is massive for Iowa to get back on track.
5
Maryland
Record: 4-0 (1-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win at Michigan State
Next Game: Indiana on Sept. 30
Maryland looked the part in a convincing win over Michigan State this weekend and is now setup for another winnable game to remain unbeaten vs. Indiana. If they take care of business this week, it’ll setup a matchup of unbeatens in Columbus on Oct. 7.
4
Wisconsin
Record: 3-1 (1-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win at Purdue
Next Game: Rutgers on Oct. 7
Wisconsin looked like the team we expected them to be in their blowout win of Purdue to open Big Ten play. If the Badgers play like that more consistently, they’ll cruise to the Big Ten West Division title.
3
Michigan
Record: 4-0 (1-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Rutgers
Next Game: at Nebraska on Sept. 30
It feels like Michigan is just playing with their food every week. The game was truly never in doubt against Rutgers, but the Wolverines still didn’t look overly impressive in the win. This week’s road trip to Nebraska should be a little bit of a tougher test for Michigan.
2
Ohio State
Record: 4-0 (1-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win at Notre Dame
Next Game: Maryland on Oct. 7
Ohio State now has arguably the best win of any team in the country. It wasn’t pretty nor dominant, but beating a top 10 Notre Dame team on the road is extremely impressive. The Buckeyes are once again for real.
1
Penn State
Record: 4-0 (2-0 in Big Ten)
This week’s result: Win vs. Iowa
Next Game: at Northwestern on Sept. 30
Penn State’s defense is pretty darn special. That unit was dominant again this week in a beatdown win over Iowa. The Nittany Lions remain in our top spot by a slim margin thanks to their dominant defense and generally impressive offense.
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