Big Ten Power Rankings
As another week in the season has gone by here are my new Big Ten Power Rankings as of February 10th:
- Maryland
Maryland remains on top of my rankings. It is coming off two more wins, one against #18 Purdue. The Terps have gone from the #4 to the #2 team in the country, and I see them climbing to #1 in the next couple of weeks. The only currently ranked team Maryland has left to play is Purdue again, who they just beat by 11.
2. Iowa
Coming off one of their easiest weeks in the Big Ten, the Hawkeyes have improved from the #5 to the #4 team in the country. The only tests that Iowa has for the rest of the year are Indiana twice, Michigan (who it beat by 11 points earlier this year), and Wisconsin.
3. Michigan State
The Spartans picked up some quality wins by beating Rutgers by 37 and Michigan by 16 to improve their national ranking to #8, before falling at Purdue. Look for the Spartans to finish they season strong.
4. Purdue
Purdue has moved up one spot in my rankings after even after losing to Maryland by 11. They are currently the #18 team in the nation. The Boilermakers won their first game against a ranked team in a thriller against Michigan State.
5. Indiana
Not surprisingly Indiana dropped in the rankings after a loss to Penn State. The only reason it didn’t drop even more was because of the huge win against Michigan. The Hoosiers went on a 25-0 to end the first half. Now unranked, the Hoosiers will look to bolster their tournament resume as they have upcoming games against #4 Iowa and #8 Michigan State.
6. Wisconsin
The Badgers make a two spot jump after beating Illinois and Ohio State. Their movement has more to do with Michigan’s losses than Wisconsin’s wins. Wisconsin looks to continue its five game winning streak against Nebraska and Maryland this week as it needs to win to secure a spot in the tournament.
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7. Michigan
Probably not surprising to see the Wolverines drop after ugly losses to Indiana and rival Michigan State. Michigan is in the same boat as Wisconsin in terms of its tournament hopes after losing back to back games to ranked teams. Look for Michigan to get a win at Minnesota and compete to beat #18 Purdue.
8. Ohio State
The Buckeyes are coming off of two straight losses. They continue to struggle and are now ranked 8th in the Big Ten with a record of 14-10 (6-5). Tournament hopes for the Buckeyes are dwindling, and to make it they need to win out, which would include two games against Michigan State and one against Iowa.
9. Penn State
Penn State came through with a huge upset against Indiana. causing them to lose their ranking. The win also snapped a four game losing streak. The Nittany Lions are 11th in the Big Ten are probably won’t make much more noise this season (although I wouldn’t complain if they upset Iowa or Michigan State).
10. Nebraska
Nebraska dropped one spot in the rankings after losing to Maryland and beating Rutgers. Now 5-6 in conference play the Cornhuskers will look to continue winning at Wisconsin and at home against Penn State.
11. Northwestern
Northwestern came up with a big win against Minnesota by beating the Gophers by 24 points. Northwestern could finish the season strong with four of their last seven games coming against teams in the bottom six of the Big Ten.
12. Illinois
Illinois is coming off a crazy triple overtime win against Rutgers and a 12 point loss to Iowa. Illinois has had its ups and mostly downs this season, but don’t look for anymore ups this season. I think that beating Purdue will be their only highlight of the year.
13. Minnesota
Still winless in the Big Ten, Minnesota is coming off a blowout loss to Northwestern. The Gophers have a very tough stretch playing against Michigan, Iowa, and Maryland. They could still get a win or two to finish the season as they play last ranked Rutgers twice in the last four weeks of the season.
14. Rutgers
Still ranked last in the Big Ten, I think that the Scarlet Knights could finish the season without a conference win. They came so close to getting their first one in a 3 OT thriller against Illinois. Although they do have a decently easy schedule to finish the season, the team just doesn’t have what it takes to win.