My latest Big Ten power rankings has a change at the top and some suggestions
IOWA CITY, Iowa – My Big Ten power ranking at the midway point of Iowa’s regular-season schedule.
And speaking of the midway point; that is where you’ll find the Hawkeyes on this list, right smack in the middle of 14 teams.
It isn’t where fans expected Iowa to be at this stage, or at any stage of the season for that matter. But it’s better than last week when Iowa was 10th in the power rankings.
I said heading into the weekend that the only way I would move Michigan in front of Ohio State for the top spot is if the Wolverines beat Rutgers by at least 75 points.
Well, here you go:
1. Michigan (6-0) – Jim Harbaugh briefly considers having a sleepover with his offensive staff as a show of appreciation for the Rutgers rout.
2. Ohio State (5-0) – Urban Meyer briefly considers retiring after seeing the final score of the Michigan-Rutgers game.
3. Wisconsin (4-1) – The Wisconsin players and coaches spent the bye weekend waiting for Barry Alvarez to tell Paul Chryst what to do next.
4. Nebraska (5-0) – I’m hearing that Nebraska fans in a recent survey picked Alabama, Clemson and Washington as the teams mostly likely to finish runner-up to the Cornhuskers for the next three national titles.
5. Penn State (4-2) – Also hearing that Penn State fans in a recent survey said they still believe that the Earth is flat, that asbestos is safe and that Joe Paterno is misunderstood.
6. Northwestern (2-3) – Northwestern had a week off, which gave the players more time to study game film and more time to study organic chemistry, quantum physics, thermodynamics and whatever else smart kids study these days.
7. Iowa (4-2) – Iowa is 2-0 in trophy game this season, but 0-2 against double-digit underdogs that have north as part of their name.
8. Maryland (4-1) – Maryland is 4-0 against bad competition and 0-1 against average competition after losing at Penn State this past Saturday.
9. Purdue (3-2) – The Boilermakers being over .500 in October is like the Chicago Cubs being the team to beat in October.
10. Indiana (3-2) – Indiana coach Kevin Wilson should consider having former Hoosier great Steve Alford back as a guest speak speaker to show his players that you can win big without being able to play defense.
11. Minnesota (3-2) – There is no truth to the rumor that Minnesota’s passing offense was fined after Saturday’s game for being a public nuisance.
12. Michigan State (2-3) – Mark Dantonio changes one of his unwritten rules by allowing his players to live in the past.
13. Illinois (2-3) – Lovie Smith has gone from rebounding from a loss in the Super Bowl to rebounding from a loss to Purdue at home.
14. Rutgers (2-4) – Members of the Rutgers men’s basketball team should make it a goal to hold Michigan to fewer than 78 points this season.