Big Ten football is chugging right along, and we’ve now seen four weeks of action (though some have had unscheduled bye weeks). What we thought we knew going into the very delayed season thanks to the coronavirus pandemic has changed substantially from the start of the 2020 conference campaign.
The fourth week of play reminded us that the league is in a bit of an upside-down year. Indiana leads the Big Ten East while Michigan and Penn State sit at or near the bottom. In the West, Northwestern and Purdue are looking good (along with Wisconsin), while Minnesota seems to have bottomed out.
It’s all been a crazy year and a zany football season. It makes you wonder what this week will hold. Let’s hope the wackiness doesn’t hit the Horseshoe this Saturday.
Regardless, it’s not holding us back here at Buckeyes Wire. Each week we take a look at the pecking order in the conference, and here’s how we see it after another week. It’s our Week 4 Big Ten football Power Rankings.
Next … 14 thru 11
Teams trying to stay out of the cellar
14. Penn State (0-4) – last week (13)
I really can’t believe this program can’t win a game with the talent on the roster. Something is amiss with what’s going on this season under James Franklin. Either the motivation isn’t there in a bizarre season, or “We were” should be the new rallying cry.
13. Illinois (1-3) – last week (14)
A win, is a win, is a win when the name of your football team is Illinois. So yeah, there’s that in Champaign. We’re not impressed yet though, not even as impressed as we were with the beard Lovie Smith decided to shave off.
12. Rutgers (1-2) – last week (8)
It looks like Greg Schiano’s team ran out of wood to chop against Illinois. Still, this team is much, much better than the last couple of years.
11. Minnesota (1-3) – last week (12)
After finally getting a win, the Gophers ran aground while rowing what was left of the boat P.J. Fleck still has in the water. This looks like a rebuilding year in Minneapolis.
Next … 10 thru 6
Teams looking for respect
10. Michigan (1-3) – last week (10)
As low as the Michigan program has been through the last decade or so, it’s hard to imagine a valley as deep as this one because there doesn’t truly seem to be an answer on how to turn this thing around. I wonder how many khakis are being burned each week in and around Ann Arbor.
9. Michigan State (1-3) – last week (9)
The Spartans have gone from bad to worse after looking revitalized against rival Michigan. Then we all realized how bad at playing the game of football the Wolverines are.
8. Nebraska (1-3) – last week (8)
Scott Frost got a much-needed win on Saturday but there’s still a long way to go. Beating Penn State doesn’t have nearly the clout it has in years past.
7. Maryland (2-1) – last week (6)
It looks like the ‘Terps will be sitting another week out because of a surge in coronavirus cases in their program. We’ll keep things here for now.
6. Iowa (2-2) – last week (7)
Now we’re starting to see Iowa hit the upside of its inconsistent ways. The first two weeks were the valley of what we see almost yearly from the Hawkeyes. What will be next?
Next … 5 thru 1
The contenders … for now
5. Purdue (2-1) – last week (5)
The Boilers almost won the title of upstart team of the West Division when it dropped a close one to Northwestern. They still look like a pretty good team that could cause some issues.
4. Northwestern (4-0) – last week (4)
Yeah, the Wildcats are undefeated, but we’re still waiting to see what happens when they take on a real, quality opponent. They’ll need more than protractors and calculators against Wisconsin Saturday.
3. Indiana (3-0) – last week (3)
They’re playing real live football in Bloomington this year. The defense has been solid and the offense one of a big-play variety. A big test awaits against Ohio State this weekend.
2. Wisconsin (2-0) – last week (2)
I almost moved Indiana into the No. 2 spot last week. After watching the Badgers dismantle Michigan, I’m glad I didn’t. This team looks to be for real, but it needs to finally get over the “championship” hump now that it’s over the coronavirus hump.
1. Ohio State (3-0) – last week (1)
The Buckeyes had practice and that’s about it after Maryland had to cancel the contest with OSU because of a coronavirus outbreak. Ohio State on a bye is the best kind of Ohio State for the ‘Terps. The Buckeyes are still top dog until they show they aren’t
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