Big Ten power rankings
Big Ten power rankings: How far did the Gophers fall? How high did the Illini climb?
The Big Ten West looks nothing like most prognosticators predicted, and it's reflected in these rankings.
October 18, 2022 at 4:43PM
1. Ohio State (6-0, 3-0): Buckeyes had bye week to prepare for visit from Iowa's vaunted offense.
2. Michigan (7-0, 4-0): Wolverines flexed their run-game muscles by amassing 418 yards on the ground in 41-17 rout of Penn State.
3. Illinois (6-1, 3-1): Fighting Illini held ball for 40:04, had 86 offensive plays in 26-14 win over Gophers.
4. Penn State (5-1, 2-1): Nittany Lions should expect heavy doses of Gophers RB Mohamed Ibrahim in Saturday night's "White Out'' game.
5. Purdue (5-2, 3-1): Key three-game stretch begins Saturday for Boilermakers: at Wisconsin, vs. Iowa, at Illinois.
6. Maryland (5-2, 2-2): Win over Indiana was costly. QB Taulia Tagovailoa carted off field because of knee injury.
7. Gophers (4-2, 1-2): An offense that's been one-dimensional now might be without its starting quarterback.
8. Iowa (3-3, 1-2): Lost in the Hawkeyes' offensive issues is the fact they have a solid defense. It'll be tested at Ohio State.
9. Michigan State (3-4, 1-3): Spartans ended four-game skid with 34-28 double-overtime win over Wisconsin. They get a bye to prepare for Michigan.
10. Nebraska (3-4, 2-2): Cornhuskers hung tough but couldn't complete at Purdue. Visit from Illinois comes next.
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11. Wisconsin (3-4, 1-3): Fumble in second overtime doomed Badgers in loss at Michigan State.
12. Indiana (3-4, 1-3): Hoosiers have given up an average of 37.3 points in four consecutive losses.
13. Rutgers (3-3, 0-3): Scarlet Knights will try to end three-game skid in visit from Indiana.
14. Northwestern (1-5, 1-2): Wildcats drag five-game skid on road to Maryland.
He improved to 86-2 in his college career in his first action for the Gophers since March 2022.
