The Big Ten Power Rankings sees a new No. 1 team after Week 6 saw the Michigan Wolverines destroy Rutgers, but conference is as deep as it has been in years.
While the non-conference schedule was all about the Big Ten elite asserting their dominance, conference play has allowed for some middling contenders to make a name for themselves.
Penn State has been the biggest surprise of the Big Ten so far, improving to 2-0 in conference play with a thorough dismantling of Maryland. And in Indiana’s gutsy effort against juggernaut Ohio State, they’re going to be a tough team to handle.
Even with the two favorites in the Big Ten West out of action, the conference made history in the AP Poll this week with four teams in the top 10 for the first time since 1960.
If this season has proved anything, it’s that Big Ten games will be among the most intriguing to watch, unless it’s a game like Michigan vs. Rutgers.
In the past two weeks, Rutgers have shown that they have a long way to go before they can compete with the Big Ten elite. Against Ohio State and Michigan, Rutgers has been outscored by a combined margin of 136-0, and have put up 155 total offensive yards in two games!
Ever since moving from the AAC, Rutgers is now 1-10 against Big Ten opposition. And if they keep losing like this, they might not stick around much longer. If only Houston was the team that joined a Power Five conference.
A season that started with so much promise has evaporated quickly. If any team could’ve been used to rebuild their confidence, it was Purdue, but they lost a game that was uglier than their four-game losing streak. They did have to operate with their backup quarterback, who’s normally brought in for running plays. While he played well, the only thing fans will remember is that fumble in overtime.
It would be easy to call Lovie Smith’s appointment a failure, but this was a largely inherited roster, and only a miracle worker could achieve success with this team. Smith’s first recruiting period will be a large measure of his success.
Purdue has now matched 2014 for most FBS wins in a season under Darrell Hazell. It’s easy to make fun of that, but they always take the Purdue Cannon seriously, and this was a much-needed win after an embarrassing effort against Maryland.
A lot of things had to go Purdue’s way. Wes Lunt got injured during the game, Illinois’ kicker missed his first field goal of the season as time expired, and they won in overtime after Chayce Crouch fumbled. But had they not capitalized on all of those chances, it would’ve been extremely disappointing.
Purdue will celebrate the fact that they’ve already improved on last years’s record. But a quick glance at their schedule suggests that this could be their last win of the season. Darrell Hazell will want to ensure that’s not the case if he wants to get out of the hot seat.