Hoosier State of Mind
Fansided

Big Ten Power Rankings: Indiana football drops again after Week 8

By Connor O’Keefe

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Julian Fleming (4). Mandatory Credit: Brooke LaValley/Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Julian Fleming (4). Mandatory Credit: Brooke LaValley/Columbus Dispatch /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
11 of 14
Next
Big Ten football
Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Last game: 24-16 win vs. Minnesota
Next game: Oct. 29 vs. Nebraska

A bye week was much needed for Illinois and their lead running back, Chase Brown, who is now tied for the lead in Division I football for total rushing attempts (192) and still leads all running backs in college football in rushing yards (1,059). With back-to-back weeks of 30+ carries, Brown was in need of some rest.

The story of this season for the Illini has been largely on the back of Chase Brown, who has rushed for 100+ yards in each of the seven games this season. The one head-scratcher that Illini fans will look back on was the Week 2 loss to Indiana, who now sits at the bottom of the Big Ten and loser of five straight games.

The Fighting Illini now have to focus on taking down the Cornhuskers in this Week 9 matchup. Illinois carries a two-game winning streak against Nebraska going into this contest. But losers of 12 of the 18 all-time games between the two teams, history is not in favor of the Illini to win this weekend. The Huskers are coming off of a bye week as well after a tough road loss to Purdue.

Will the Illini continue to rise up the rankings?

Home/Indiana Football