Big Ten Power Rankings: Michigan draws first blood atop Big Ten East
The first of the major matchups in the Big Ten East is in the books, and Michigan came out ahead to defend its place near the top of the Big Ten Power Rankings following all of the Week 7 action.
The Wolverines’ big win over Penn State sets up a potential two-team race for the division — and in all probability the conference — with Ohio State also running unbeaten.
Elsewhere a handful of results led to relatively minor moves up and down the middle of the ranks. Let’s dive in.
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Today we update the Big Ten Power Rankings following Week 7 games.
2022 Big Ten Power Rankings – Week 7
The Buckeyes were on a bye over the weekend, getting the chance to watch their chief opposition in the division emerge from the Michigan-Penn State game. Ohio State will be back in action against Iowa at home this week, but it’s the road trip to Penn State in two weeks that fans will have circled at this point.
Big boys, big plays, big holes. Michigan simply imposed its will on Penn State, opening some gaping holes in the run game for Donovan Edwards and Blake Corum to exploit on their way to helping the Wolverines pile up 418 yards rushing. Each back popped a 60-plus yard run in the 41-17 win over the Nittany Lions, and Michigan now gets a bye week to rest and regroup.
- Illinois (+1)
The Fighting Illini moved to 6-1 with another win, this time a 26-14 victory over Minnesota that Illinois trailed in for fewer than three minutes. Running back Chase Brown powered the offense with a 180-yard day on the ground as quarterback Tommy DeVito was sharp again. The defense recorded three interceptions, sealing the game late with a pair of takeaways. Illinois now gets a bye week before a pretty manageable second half of the season.
- Penn State (-1)
The Nittany Lions were exposed on Saturday, unable to stop the Wolverines on the ground as the game wore on. Michigan simply pounded Penn State into submission, outscoring the Nittany Lions 25-3 after halftime. Though Penn State no longer controls its own destiny in the conference race, the looming meeting with Ohio State in two weeks means the division is still far from decided. First up, though, a home date with Minnesota this week.
Another week, another win for Purdue. And again… what could have been if not for some early-season gaffes late in games. In any case, a 43-37 win over Nebraska team that has been playing much better under interim coach Mickey Joseph was a quality result. The Boilermakers certainly play a lot of close games. Outside of a 56-0 win over Indiana State in Week 2, every Purdue game this season has been decided by 10 points or fewer. Five of the seven have been one-score games.
The Terrapins battled to come away with a 38-33 win over the Hoosiers despite the loss of starting quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa in the fourth quarter. But that’s the big news from Saturday, not the win over Indiana. Tagovailoa was carted off and will get an MRI on his knee. His availability is likely to have a significant impact on Maryland’s results the rest of the way.
- Iowa (+2)
The Hawkeyes were off over the weekend and move up the rankings after a couple teams in the middle tier in the league suffered losses. Iowa had some serious soul-searching to do on offense and regardless what Kirk Ferentz found, he’ll probably have a tough time actually demonstrating any progress immediately. A road trip to a well-rested Ohio State is on tap.
- Minnesota (-1)
Want to know what playing against an ideal Bret Bielema team is like? Look no further than the Illinois-Minnesota box score. Minnesota ran just 42 plays in the game to Illinois’ 86, while losing the time of possession battle 40:04-19:56. It’s hard to beat Bielema when he gets his team to play his brand of football. Now Minnesota hits the road to take on Penn State with both looking to rebound from a loss.
- Michigan State (+4)
It certainly wasn’t the most impressive win, but Michigan State did manage to top Wisconsin 34-28 in double overtime after botching a field goal attempt at the end of the fourth quarter and dropping an interception in the first overtime. But the Spartans finally got things going defensively, harassing the Badgers in the backfield throughout the contest. Now a bye week to get healthy, finally with a little positive momentum.
- Wisconsin (-2)
The Badgers just couldn’t get much going outside of running back Braelon Allen. Allen ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries, but Wisconsin was limited to just 283 total yards in the contest. Quarterback Graham Mertz was sacked three times and threw one interception and he was lucky not to have a few more of both as Wisconsin’s Big Ten Power Rankings slide continues.
- Nebraska (-1)
Nebraska continues to look like a different team under interim coach Mickey Joseph, and the Cornhuskers fought hard in a loss to Purdue on Saturday. The Boilermakers were well-balanced offensively, though, able to do enough when it mattered to secure the win. Nebraska gets a bye week and then will host Illinois on Oct. 29.
- Indiana (-1)
The game was there for the taking in the fourth quarter, but the Hoosiers couldn’t stop backup Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. on the ground after he replaced Tagovailoa. That resulted in a fourth straight loss for the Hoosiers following a 3-0 start to the season. Next up is a road trip to Rutgers, with the Scarlet Knights coming off a bye.
- Rutgers (-1)
Greg Schiano‘s bunch got a bye week on the heels of a 14-13 loss to Nebraska, the third straight loss for the team after a 3-0 start. There are some winnable games coming up the next couple weeks, which will likely determine how far along Schiano’s rebuild gets in Year 3. Indiana is first up.
The Wildcats had a bye week following a fifth straight loss, a 42-7 blowout at the hands of Wisconsin. There aren’t many positives for Northwestern, which will now hit the road in back-to-back weeks against Maryland and Iowa before hosting Ohio State.
Want to see how this week’s power rankings compare to our previous edition? Check out the 2022 Week 6 Big Ten Power Rankings here!