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It the last weekend of football in October, the Big Ten Conference narrowed itself down to only four contenders post-Week 9. The No. 1 Oregon Ducks (8-0, 5-0) hold the top spot for another week after beating No. 24 Illinois (6-2, 3-2) 38-9. Oregon started slow but have been flying ever since and now positioned themselves perfectly to be in the B1G championship game in its first year in the conference.
No. 3 Penn State (7-0, 4-0) and No. 4 Ohio State (6-1, 3-1) are set to square off in Week 10 and the winner should be the front runner to play Oregon in the B1G championship. Week 9 had both teams facing trap games with the big game looming, and both struggled in their wins. Ohio State scored late to take the 21-17 lead over Nebraska (5-3, 2-3) and were able to hold on. Penn State was up 14-13 going into the fourth quarter over Wisconsin (5-2, 3-2) but pulled away with 14 straight points for the 28-13 win.
No. 13 Indiana (8-0, 5-0) just continues to win after beating Washington (4-4, 2-3) 31-17 and has yet to trail in a game this season. First year head coach Curt Cignetti has the Hoosiers off to their best start since 1967. Indiana fans now have Ohio State on Nov. 23 circled on the schedule for possible battle between two undefeated teams with a trip to the B1G championship game on the line.
The B1G has five teams in the Associated Press Top 25 ranking after Week 9. Oregon stayed in the No. 1 spot after their top 25 win, while Penn State comes in at No. 3 3 and Ohio State at No. 4. Indiana stayed idle at No. 13 despite having a perfect record. Illinois barely stayed in the top 25 after losing to Oregon by 29 points.
Here are the post-Week 9 power rankings as voted on by College Football Dawgs' Big Ten writers.
1. No. 1 Oregon (8-0, 5-0)
38-9 win over No. 24 Illinois
Previous ranking: 1
Oregon stays on top for another week after taking down top 25 ranked Illinois 38-9. Oregon showed why they are the top team in the country by dismantling Illinois by halftime 35-3. Dillon Gabriel had another impressive day going 18-of-26 with 291 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 Interception. After another good game, the Ducks starting QB finds himself with the best odds to win the Heisman Trophy at +230.
Upcoming game: at Michigan (5-3, 3-2)
2. No. 3 Penn State (7-0, 4-0)
28-13 win over Wisconsin
Previous ranking: 2
Penn State avoided the upset with the 28-13 victory in a prototypical trap game against Wisconsin. In one of the biggest college football games of the year Ohio State comes to Happy Valley in Week 10 so it's very possible Penn State might have been looking ahead. Penn State starting QB Drew Allar got hurt late in the second quarter and was forced to watch the second half from the bench. Backup Beau Pribula came in and went 11-of-13, 98 yards and 1 TD. With a trip to a B1G championship on the line, PSU fans now need to wait and see if Allar will play this upcoming week.
Upcoming game: No. 4 Ohio State (6-1, 3-1)
3. No. 4 Ohio State (6-1, 3-1)
21-17 win over Nebraska
Previous ranking: 3
Like Penn State, the Buckeyes were able to avoid the upset in a trap game by beating Nebraska 21-17. Ohio State fans were not happy with how the Buckeyes looked especially coming off a bye week. Ohio State, with two of the best running backs in the country, only managed 64 yards on the ground with zero touchdowns.
The Ohio State offensive line seems to be the problem again this year and if head coach Ryan Day and staff can’t figure it out, they could find themselves out of contention for the B1G championship after next week. In their first five games, the Buckeyes averaged 46 points per game and 510 yards. In their last two games against good competition, they have only averaged 26 points and 376 yards.
Upcoming game: at No. 3 Penn State (7-0, 4-0)
4. No. 13 Indiana (8-0, 5-0)
31-17 win over Washington
Previous ranking: 4
Cignetti just continues to win games—this time beating Washington 31-17. Indiana did it without starting QB Kurtis Rourke who was injured the week before. Despite getting another win Indiana stayed at No. 13 in the AP top 25 rankings, with most wanting to see what they do against Ohio State before making a judgement on the team.
Tayven Jackson started for Rourke and went 11-of-19 with 124 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 Interception. Running back Justice Ellison had 123 yards on 29 carries with 1 TD. Indiana now has back-to-back meetings with teams from the state of Michigan before they have their first real test of the season on Nov. 23 when the play at Ohio State.
Upcoming Game: at Michigan State (4-4, 2-3)
B1G Power Rankings: Nos. 5-18
5. No. 20 Illinois (6-1, 3-1)
38-9 loss to No. 1 Oregon
Previous ranking: 5
Upcoming Game: Minnesota (5-3, 3-2)
6. Iowa (5-3, 3-2)
40-14 win over Northwestern
Previous ranking: 7
Upcoming game: Wisconsin (6-0, 3-0)
7. Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2)
38-13 loss to No. 3 Penn State
Previous ranking: 6
Upcoming game: At Iowa (5-3, 3-2)
8. Nebraska (5-3, 2-3)
21-17 loss to No. 4 Ohio State
Previous ranking: 11
Upcoming game: UCLA (2-5, 1-4)
9. Michigan (5-3, 3-2)
24-17 win over Michigan State
Previous ranking: 9
Upcoming game: No. 1 Oregon (8-0, 5-0)
10. Minnesota (5-3, 3-2)
48-23 win over Maryland
Previous ranking: 8
Upcoming game: No. 24 Illinois (6-2, 3-2)
11. Michigan State (4-4, 2-3)
24-17 loss to Michigan
Previous ranking: 10
Upcoming game: No. 13 Indiana (8-0, 5-0)
12. USC (4-4, 2-4)
42-20 win over Rutgers
Previous ranking: 13
Upcoming game: at Washington (4-4, 2-3)
13. Washington (4-4, 2-3)
31-17 loss to No. 13 Indiana
Previous ranking: 14
Upcoming game: USC (4-4, 2-4)
14. Maryland (4-4, 1-4)
48-23 loss to Minnesota
Previous ranking: 12
Upcoming game: Bye
15. Northwestern (3-5, 1-4)
40-14 loss to Iowa
Previous ranking: 16
Upcoming game: at Purdue (1-6, 0-4)
16. Rutgers (4-4, 1-4)
24-20 loss to USC
Previous ranking: 15
Upcoming game: Bye
17. UCLA (2-5, 1-4)
Bye
Previous ranking: 17
Upcoming game: at Nebraska (5-3, 2-3)
18. Purdue (1-6, 0-4)
Bye
Previous ranking: 18
Upcoming game: Northwestern (3-5, 1-4)
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