College football rankings: Big Ten standings entering Week 9

Here are the Big Ten standings as Week 9 of the 2021 college football season approaches.

Two Big Ten titans clash as the No. 8 Michigan State Spartans will host the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines on Saturday afternoon with major College Football Playoff implications on the line.

Even with a massive rivalry game going on down in Jacksonville, Florida, this battle between the Michigan schools is the biggest game of the weekend. Both teams are 7-0 overall and 4-0 in Big Ten play. While it is still a long road to get to Indianapolis out of the East, the winner of this game might have what it takes to win at Lucas Oil Stadium in December and get into the big dance.

Here are the Big Ten divisional standings heading into the Week 9 slate of games.

Big Ten East standings entering Week 9

1. Michigan Wolverines: 4-0 (7-0 overall)
2. Michigan State Spartans: 4-0 (7-0 overall)
3. Ohio State Buckeyes: 4-0 (6-1 overall)
4. Penn State Nittany Lions: 2-2 (5-2 overall)
5. Maryland Terrapins: 1-3 (4-3 overall)
6. Rutgers Scarlet Knights: 0-4 (3-4 overall)
7. Maryland Terrapins: 0-4 (2-5 overall)

The four Big Ten teams without a conference loss all reside in the eastern division. Michigan and Michigan State are unblemished through eight weeks, while the Ohio State Buckeyes did suffer a non-conference loss at home to Pac-12 contender Oregon. While Penn State was a cool story for a while, the Nittany Lions have two losses and are once again out of the College Football Playoff.

Big Ten West standings entering Week 9

1. Iowa Hawkeyes: 3-1 (6-1 overall)
2. Minnesota Golden Gophers: 3-1 (5-2 overall)
3. Wisconsin Badgers: 2-2 (4-3 overall)
4. Purdue Boilermakers: 2-2 (4-3 overall)
5. Illinois Fighting Illini: 2-3 (3-5 overall)
6. Northwestern Wildcats: 1-3 (3-4 overall)
7. Nebraska Cornhuskers: 1-4 (3-5 overall)

The Big Ten West may not be as compelling as the East, but the divisional race is still up for grabs. Iowa is the top dog out West, but the Hawkeyes have a tough home loss to Penn State. Keep an eye on P.J. Fleck’s Minnesota Golden Gophers who are 5-2 on the year and 3-1 in Big Ten play with their only conference loss being at home to Ohio State. The Big Ten West has yet to be decided.

Once again, we should expect the winner in the East to dismantle the winner in the West in Indy.

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