The latest power rankings after a massive week in the Big Ten. Ohio State vs. Wisconsin lived up to the billing, while Purdue finally axed Darrell Hazell.
The Big Ten had plenty to offer in Week 7. While everyone’s attention was on Ohio State vs. Wisconsin, which got some College GameDay love, there were exciting games all across the board. And as we saw out of West Lafayette, the results reverberated well past Saturday.
While Wisconsin deserves credit for hanging tough with Ohio State all game long, their path to Lucas Oil Stadium has gotten a lot harder now with two losses. And while the Buckeyes could still make the playoff as a one-loss team, so long as they beat Michigan, everyone wants that final game to come down to two unbeaten teams, if only to bring back memories of 2006.
With all that in mind, here’s a look at where every Big Ten team stands at the midway point of the season.
I think it’s safe to say the Scarlet Knights aren’t winning another game in 2016. If you can’t get it done against an Illinois team that has given up an average of 30 points, then you don’t deserve a Big Ten win. On the plus side, they finally snapped their scoreless streak of 11 quarters, keeping their cannon guy busy.
It’s official: Darrell Hazell is out, which means fans won’t have to spend their whole day figuring out how he shapes his hat. Hazell’s dismissal was the culmination of what turned out to be a miserable week for Purdue fans, which started when their most productive pass-catcher Domonique Young underwent leg surgery. Even on a terrible team, he still managed to put up 338 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Hazell leaves Purdue with a .214 win percentage and five FBS wins in three and a half years. The only reason they didn’t do it sooner was because of his contract – he was signed for six years and $2 million, which is a lot of money to absorb.
If there’s one silver lining, it’s that Purdue should be the front-runner to get P.J. Fleck. For him, transitioning from Western Michigan to Purdue will be a lot easier than transitioning to LSU or Notre Dame. And for all of their faults, Purdue is still a Big Ten team with history. He’ll surely welcome the challenge of rebuilding the Boilermakers as well, while Les Miles seems destined to end up at South Bend.
Lovie Smith finally won his first Big Ten game, and he did so under a new quarterback. Even though Wes Lunt has served the Illini well, Chayce Crouch looked good in relief against Purdue, and won his first start against Rutgers. The reason he won, though, was because of his defense, which forced five turnovers.
There’s obviously room to improve, and Illinois’ defense won’t look this good all year since they won’t play Rutgers again. But at least they have something to build on moving forward.