Big Ten power rankings, Week 11: Michigan humiliates Penn State

By Ethan Lee | Nov 5, 2018

ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 03: Chase Winovich #15 of the Michigan Wolverines gets ready to lead the team onto the field prior to the start of the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan defeated Penn State 42-7. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

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EAST LANSING, MI – OCTOBER 06: Northwestern Wildcats wide receiver J.J. Jefferson celebrates his team’s victory following a Big Ten Conference college football game between Michigan State and Northwestern on October 6, 2018, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, MI. (Photo by Adam Ruff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The Northwestern Wildcats are an enigma this season. This is a team that struggled to beat Rutgers by three points earlier this season and then just this past weekend went toe-to-toe with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

There’s a very real chance that Northwestern ends the regular season with an 8-4 record and is far and away the best team in the Big Ten West. Right now, this team is 5-4 but has appeared nearly invincible in conference play. So far, the only Big Ten team that was able to beat Northwestern was Michigan, and the Wolverines won thanks to a remarkable comeback.

The Ohio State Buckeyes did not look good this weekend. This is a team that was supposed to be able to contend for a national championship this year and it struggled against Nebraska. While the Cornhuskers are exciting to watch and have a bright future, they’ve still only got two wins on the season. Ohio State shouldn’t be struggling with them.

The Buckeyes won, so there’s no need for dropping them any. They’ve earned the No. 2 spot with some solid wins earlier this season. All of that said, Ohio State can’t overlook Michigan State this weekend. If they don’t take the Spartans seriously, the Buckeyes have a legitimate chance of losing that game and they’ll subsequently plummet in these power rankings.

The Michigan Wolverines played impressive football on Saturday. Against a Penn State team that looked like it might have been able to at least challenge Michigan, the Wolverines came out and won by 35 points, crushing Penn State’s hopes for this season. With Ohio State seemingly on the verge of trending downward and Michigan State took care of, it seems like there’s no team that can really rival Michigan right now on the field. That is unless the Wolverines meet up with Northwestern in the Big Ten title game. Then maybe the Wildcats can cause some more chaos.

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