Big Ten Power Rankings: Week Six

It was Show Yourself Saturday in the Big Ten. Some squads showed up, and some didn’t. Illinois and Indiana got big wins, Michigan State looked great even in defeat and Michigan…well, maybe we all hopped back on the Wolverines bandwagon a bit too soon. How do they stack up? Check it:

1. Ohio State – The Buckeyes are so head and shoulders above most of the conference right now, its looking more and more possible that OSU could run the table again. On a day when so many top national teams fell, the Bucks gave another lunch pail performance against Minnesota, dominating the Gophers 30-7. This team has looked great almost every week against what is certainly not a powerful schedule to date, but consider this: OSU easily beat a Washington team that took USC to the wire, and pounded Northwestern by 50 a week before the Wildcats almost beat Michigan. We’ll find out a lot this week in West Lafayette.
2. Purdue – The Boilers didn’t put the hurting on Notre Dame that I thought they would, but the bottom line is survival, and Purdue has made it to the Ohio State game 5-0. I’m still on the Curtis Painter bandwagon, don’t get me wrong, but his stats have down to earth a little bit, with a pick last week against Minnesota and 2 this week against ND. Right now, the pass defense is the biggest question mark. Part of the reason the Boilers have given up so many passing yards is that they’ve been ahead all year. But the 370 yards surrendered Saturday against what has been an awful, awful Irish attack has to have the folks in West Lafayette a little concerned.
3. Illinois – Bravo to Ron Zook and Illinois. The program turning win against Penn State will be magnified five-fold if the Illini can beat Wisconsin this weekend. Vegas is making ILL a 2 point favorite, which shows the kind of respect flying around for Illinois right now. Could Rashard Mendenhall be the best back in the Big Ten? He’s 3^rd in the conference in yardage, but the two guys above him, Mike Hart and PJ Hill, are both averaging 4.8 yards a carry. Rashard’s at 6.4.
4. Wisconsin – I’m just going to take this paragraph to tell you what I think of the national polls. The way the AP poll works is an absolute joke. The AP poll has become a system of punishment and reward, where a win moves you up, and a loss moves you down, no questions asked. Panic sets in when USC gets voted out of the top spot without losing. Teams climb up the ladder beating patsies just because they aren’t losing. Here is what a poll is supposed to be: a rating of what someone thinks the best teams are at that moment. Does anyone that has watched a second of college football right now think that Wisconsin is a better team than Florida? Better than Oklahoma? Better than West Virginia? Better than South Florida? Better than Oregon? Remember, we’re talking about what we’ve seen on the field this year. The polls are a disgrace.
5. Michigan State – The Spartans gave a valiant effort in Madison, but the defense isn’t quite ready to beat the big boys yet. Still, MSU outgained the ‘Scons by 100 yards, had less turnovers…but lost. Who’s the better pro prospect right now, Javon Ringer or Jehuu Caulcrick? Ringer got all the yards at Wisconsin, but at 6’0, 255, Caulcrick has the body.
6. Indiana – The Hoosiers righted the ship in a big way with a thrashing of Iowa as Kellen Lewis threw for 322 yards on just 26 attempts. The Hoosier running attack suffered a second straight week of ineptitude, but the Hawkeye front four is a tough nut to crack, and if Lewis can throw as well he did Saturday, its not as big a problem. I can’t quite figure out the defense, though. Two weeks ago they got lit up by Rashard Mendenhall and Illinois, this week Jake Christensen went off 300+ on them. With Penn State looking vulnerable, an 8-win season is well within reach.
7. Michigan – (throws his hands up) I don’t know. I just don’t know. This team obviously has the talent to play like the conference’s 2^nd best squad, but Michigan laid a major egg in Evanston Saturday and spent the better part of three quarters having no answer for, of all people, Northwestern backup RB Omar Conteh. If I had told you a week ago that UM would win the turnover battle +5 and only win by 12, you’d still be laughing.
8. Penn State – Maybe that battle two weeks ago in the Big House wasn’t the clash of the Titans we thought it was. Not to take any credit away from Illinois, but I don’t think this team is nearly as good as we thought it was after the quick start. In two weeks, Anthony Morelli has gone from being “on the verge of breaking in to the ranks of elite Big Ten QBs” (those are my words) to looking very average at best at Illinois. The D is still pretty doggone good, but will they get support?
9. Iowa – You’ve got to feel for the Iowa defensive line. This is a smash mouth unit filled with NFL talent, but they’re not getting any help from the offense. The Hawk offense is 102^nd in the nation in scoring and, ravaged by injuries it will be hard to improve. Iowa takes on a Penn State unit fighting for its life this Saturday, then gets improved Illinois, Purdue and Michigan State on successive weeks in October. Iowa should get one of those games, but its looking like a 3-6 start at best right now. They did the same last year, with three late wins sending Iowa to 6-6 and the Alamo Bowl. I don’t think they’ll get a similar bid if history repeats itself.
10. Northwestern – The Wildcats were close. Up 9 at half on the visiting Wolverines, but unable to stop shooting themselves in the collective foot, Northwestern couldn’t close the deal and fell, 28-16. When you’re playing an opponent like Michigan, you can’t A. turn the ball over 5 times, B. get to the 10 twice with no TDs, C. punt for an average of 34 yards a kick. So close.
11. Minnesota – Tim Brewster is starting to tinker, with the carries getting shifted around between Amir Pinnix and freshman Duane Bennett. There’s not a lot to say about this squad, other than that Brewster is there for the long haul, and obviously, that’s about how long its going to take. If you’re like me, you might find it hard to believe that Minny’s leading rusher was born in 1989. Gosh, I feel old.