Big Ten Power Rankings: Wisconsin back in the saddle and riding high
Rob Oller1. Ohio State (3-0): The Buckeyes already were the team to beat before getting the weekend off to prepare for Indiana. (Last week: 1)
2. Indiana (4-0): The Hoosiers are hungry for a win against Ohio State, which they have not had since 1988. Filling their bellies will prove challenging. (LW: 2)
3. Wisconsin (2-0): Apparently rested Badgers are not rusted Badgers. With Northwestern up next, we're about to find out who is best in the West. (LW: 7)
4. Northwestern (4-0): Wildcats are 4-0 for the first time since 1996. The defense is legit, but is the offense vibrant enough to hang with Wisconsin this week? (LW: 3)
5. Iowa (2-2): The Hawkeyes are right where you would expect them to be. Not amazingly good or terribly bad. (LW: 6)
6. Maryland (2-1): When COVID-19 comes calling, as it has in College Park, there is no telling when the Terrapins will get back at it. (LW: 5)
7. Nebraska (1-2): Scott Frost needed a win over a power program. He will take one over an ex-power program, which is what Penn State is trending toward. (LW: 9)
8. Purdue (2-1): The Boilermakers need Rondale Moore back to ignite a passing offense that is good (ranked 17th nationally) but could be great. (LW: 4)
9. Michigan (1-3): The Wolverines have internal issues that won’t be easily fixed under current coaching. Future coaching won’t have it easy, either. (LW: 10)
10. Minnesota (1-3): The Gophers moved up one spot after getting drilled by Iowa. What’s that tell you about the bottom four teams? (LW: 11)
11. Illinois (1-3): The Illini get off the schneid by dropping some schadenfreude on Rutgers (LW: 14)
12. Rutgers (1-3): The Scarlet Knights look better than they have. Really. But that’s like saying an open wound looks better than a compound fracture. (LW: 8)
13. Michigan State (1-3): The Spartans are simply awful. But they’re not at the bottom because … (LW: 13)
14. Penn State (0-4): The Nittany Lions are the awfulest, which is not a word, but that’s OK because right now PSU is not a factor. (LW: 12)
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