Power Ranking Every 2015 Big Ten Football Team
The Big Ten regular season has wrapped, and as it currently stands, at least two teams from the conference still have their playoff hopes alive, with Ohio State possibly making for a third, in addition to the winner of this weekend's league title game between Iowa and Michigan State.
But around the rest of the Big Ten, things aren't necessarily quite as rosy, at least not at the schools that had disappointing finishes—or worse, disappointing seasons.
But regardless of where each individual team stacks up, it's hard to look at 2015 as anything but a step in the right direction for the Big Ten, even if it does appear to be top-heavy based on the standings. With that in mind, let's take a look at the power rankings of each conference team at the conclusion of the regular season.
14. Purdue
1 of 14
Despite enduring a 2-10 season in 2015, Purdue has opted to retain head coach Darrell Hazell, who is now 6-30 in his first three seasons in charge of the Boilermakers. Purdue did, however, decide to make significant changes to Hazell's staff, firing offensive coordinator John Shoop, defensive coordinator Greg Hudson and defensive tackles coach Rubin Carter.
But despite the drastic changes, it's hard to imagine a dramatic turnaround won't be needed to save Hazell's job in 2016.
Even with all of the reasons for pessimism—and there's plenty of them in West Lafayette at the moment—Purdue did show signs of promise in 2015, particularly in freshman running back Markell Jones, who rushed for 875 yards and 10 touchdowns in his debut season. If Jones can continue to progress in his college career, he could prove to be the type of player who can help turn his program around.
Whether or not that will be with Hazell at the helm over the long term remains to be seen. But no Big Ten team faces more uncertainty at the moment than the Boilermakers.
13. Rutgers
2 of 14
Given all the uncertainty Rutgers faced at the start of the season, the Scarlet Knights' campaign could have gone a lot worse. But Rutgers' 4-8 record, including a 1-5 stretch to close the season, was enough to cost head coach Kyle Flood his job and also led to the departure of athletic director Julie Hermann.
Where the Scarlet Knights go with their next two hires will go a long way toward determining the future of their football program. As it stands, Rutgers lays claim to the nation's 52nd-ranked recruiting class, a standing that could improve or decline depending on the next head coach.
But as far as 2015 is concerned, it's hard to view the Scarlet Knight's season as anything less than a disappointment. Rutgers possessed arguably the league's best receiver in Leonte Carroo but saw its passing offense rank just 86th in the country this season, along with a defense that ranked 112th.
Moving forward, the Scarlet Knights are going to need better efforts on both sides of the ball to become competitive in the Big Ten East. That will start with their next head coaching hire, who will be inheriting no shortage of question marks in Piscataway, New Jersey.
12. Maryland
3 of 14
Firing head coach Randy Edsall after a 2-4 start to the 2015 season, Maryland only went on to win one more game—a come-from-behind effort in its regular-season finale against Rutgers. That will make it highly unlikely that the Terrapins will retain interim head coach Mike Locksley and will continue on a national search to find Edsall's permanent replacement.
And while Maryland possesses a fertile recruiting base and significant Under Armour contract, turning the Terrapins into a Big Ten contender could prove to be an uphill climb. Maryland will lose its best player this season in star cornerback/kick returner William Likely, and Perry Hills has hardly looked like long-term solution at quarterback.
But with 4-star quarterback Dwayne Haskins headlining Maryland's 2016 class, there is reason for hope in College Park moving forward. The Terrapins will also have the ability to draw one of the bigger names on this year's coaching carousel, with Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin having already interviewed for the job, per Yahoo's Pat Forde.
Whether it will be Durkin or another candidate who takes the reins in College Park remains to be seen. But there may not be a Big Ten team with less fulfilled potential than Maryland at the moment.
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11. Nebraska
4 of 14
Nebraska made one of the more questionable decisions when it came to head coaches a year ago, firing Bo Pelini and hiring Mike Riley.
After Riley's first season in Lincoln, the decision seems even more debatable than it did at the time.
There may not have been a bigger disappointment in all of the Big Ten in 2015 than the Cornhuskers, who went just 5-7 in Riley's debut season. In the weaker Big Ten West division, Nebraska compiled just a 3-5 record in conference play, including a 2-3 stretch to close the season and just miss out on becoming bowl-eligible.
The Cornhuskers will retain Riley, but his seat is already heating up entering his first full offseason in Lincoln. A bowl game is still possible for Nebraska, based on its APR, but not even that could save Nebraska's season from being viewed as anything but a major disappointment.
10. Illinois
5 of 14
One of the tougher teams in all of the Big Ten to evaluate, Illinois could have experienced a much bigger disaster after it fired head coach Tim Beckman just one week prior to the start of the season. In fact, the Fighting Illini even chose to retain interim head coach Bill Cubit, signing him to a two-year extension.
But while Illinois may appear more stable than it did three months ago, it's still coming off a 5-7 season that included a fifth-place finish in the Big Ten West.
The immediate future, however, could be bright, at least by the lower standards the Fighting Illini have set for themselves in recent years. Quarterback Wes Lunt and running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn will each return in 2016, as will receiver Malik Turner.
With the Big Ten West seemingly open, Illinois could well make a run. But if Cubit can't show progress in his second season in charge of the Fighting Illini, that familiar feeling of uncertainty will make another appearance in Champaign.
9. Minnesota
6 of 14
After entering 2015 with Big Ten West division championship aspirations, Minnesota endured a disappointing 2015 campaign that included the resignation of head coach Jerry Kill, due to health reasons. Despite going 1-4 in the two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year's absence, Golden Gophers brass opted to retain interim head coach Tracy Claeys.
But while Minnesota seems to be aiming for continuity, it also showed it's not adverse to making changes, firing offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover and quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski at the conclusion of the Golden Gophers' 5-7 regular season. Minnesota could still find itself in postseason play due to a shortage of bowl-eligible teams, but it's clear that the Golden Gophers offense was in need of a new direction.
Whether that will prove to be enough to aim Minnesota in the right direction next season is unclear. With Claeys having just received a two-year extension, the clock in Minneapolis is already ticking as the Gophers hope to prove that 2015 was just an aberration for a program that seemed to be trending upward in recent years.
8. Indiana
7 of 14
As far as pleasant surprises in the Big Ten go this season, Indiana has a case to be considered one of them.
Clinching a 6-6 record with wins over Maryland and Purdue to close the season, the Hoosiers obtained bowl eligibility this season for the first time since 2007.
That's the good news. The bad news is that Indiana almost didn't get there, despite jumping out to a 4-0 start. After losing the next six consecutive games, only its two-game winning streak to close the season prevented Kevin Wilson's team from once again being viewed as one of the Big Ten's biggest disappointments.
Hypotheticals aside, however, Indiana did what it needed to do and will enjoy postseason play this season for the first time in eight years. Where the Hoosiers go from here will be interesting to monitor and could depend on whether star running back Jordan Howard opts to return to Bloomington for his senior season.
7. Penn State
8 of 14
While just one of seven Big Ten teams to obtain a winning record this season with a 7-5 mark on the year, Penn State's 2015 campaign left more questions than answers. That was apparent following the Nittany Lions' 55-16 loss to Michigan State to close the regular season, which resulted in the firing of offensive coordinator John Donovan.
"I have tremendous respect for John and the work he has put in over the last five years," Penn State head coach James Franklin said in a statement. "I wish him and his family nothing but the best in the future."
The departure of Donovan, however, won't be enough to explain some questionable in-game decisions made by Franklin this past season, which seemed to be the difference in at least a few of Penn State's more disappointing losses. The Nittany Lions still have depth issues stemming from the unprecedented sanctions they've faced in recent years, but those are no longer completely to blame for Penn State's failures.
From a talent standpoint, the Nittany Lions had plenty, including quarterback Christian Hackenberg, star running back Saquon Barkley and a defense that ranked 15th in the nation and first in sacks. Why Penn State didn't win more games this year is still unclear; that question could continue to follow Franklin should his team's struggles continue.
6. Wisconsin
9 of 14
One of the Big Ten's bigger enigmas this year, Wisconsin looked like a Big Ten West title contender at times this season, and at others, it looked like a struggling team under a new head coach. Ultimately, Paul Chryst's debut season in Madison resulted in a 9-3 season for the Badgers, with plenty of signs of promise to point to moving forward.
While injuries prevented Corey Clement from being the replacement to Melvin Gordon III that many assumed he would be, Dare Ogunbowale and Taiwan Deal both showed potential while serving as a running back by committee in Wisconsin's run-heavy offense. Quarterback Joel Stave's eligibility will expire after the Badgers' bowl game, but junior backup Bart Houston looked formidable in limited playing time this season, including a 232-yard, two-touchdown performance in Wisconsin's 24-13 win over Illinois on Oct. 24.
Add in a defense that ranked third in the country, and there's reason to believe that Wisconsin is trending upward. And with the Big Ten West short on perennial contenders, the Badgers could be back in the playoff picture sooner rather than later.
5. Northwestern
10 of 14
The most unexpected surprise in the Big Ten this season came in the form of Northwestern, which put together a 10-2 season with its only losses coming by way to a pair of ranked opponents in Michigan and Iowa.
As opposed to past years, where such losses seemed to derail the Wildcats, Pat Fitzgerald's squad bounced back from its back-to-back defeats, reeling off five consecutive wins to close the season.
With quarterback Clayton Thorson only a redshirt freshman, Northwestern is in good shape moving forward and has potentially positioned itself as a perennial contender in the Big Ten West. A New Year's Day bowl win would also go a long way toward maintaining the momentum the Wildcats have built this season, which came on the heels of disappointing 5-7 seasons in 2013 and 2014.
Now it will be interesting to see how Northwestern, once again, deals with expectations it's not used to.
4. Michigan
11 of 14
After enduring a 5-7 season under Brady Hoke in 2014, it'd be hard to call Jim Harbaugh's debut season in Ann Arbor a disappointment. The Wolverines went 9-3 and were in contention for a bid to the Big Ten title game until the final week of the regular season.
But the way Michigan lost its final game, a 42-13 drubbing at the hands of rival Ohio State, is sure to leave a sour taste in the mouths of many in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines are headed in the right direction—that's never been in question since Harbaugh was hired a year ago—but could still have a long way to go to catch up with the likes of Ohio State.
For now, the Wolverines will focus on their upcoming bowl game, which will provide Harbaugh with the opportunity to make a statement for his program at the national level. Next season, Michigan will have to deal with replacing quarterback Jake Rudock, but Jabrill Peppers has already emerged as one of college football's bright young stars.
And with Harbaugh contemplating moving his starting safety to offense on a full-time basis, the impact he has on games may only continue to increase.
3. Ohio State
12 of 14
As college football's defending national champion, Ohio State was in prime position to defend its crown until a loss to Michigan State in the second-to-last week of the regular season put the Buckeyes on the outside looking in. Nevertheless, Ohio State could still crash the College Football Playoff, if some madness happens to work in its favor during the conference championship weekend.
And while it may be a long shot, it's worth noting that in the Buckeyes' big blowout win over Michigan to close the regular season, Ohio State finally appeared to be playing to its potential. Star running back Ezekiel Elliott ran for 214 yards and two touchdowns, with quarterback J.T. Barrett rushing for 139 yards and three scores.
Add in a dominating defensive performance by defensive end Joey Bosa, and it would be tough to argue that the Buckeyes aren't one of the four most talented teams in college football at the moment.
Talented and deserving, however, are two different arguments, and Ohio State will have to wait until this weekend to discover if it's the latter. It's been a strange season for the Buckeyes, with a quarterback controversy and off-field issues, but Ohio State finally appears to be hitting its stride.
Whether it will be too little, too late, has yet to be determined.
2. Michigan State
13 of 14
The team that beat the Buckeyes to play in the Big Ten title game, Michigan State, appears to finally be playing to its potential as well. That was evident in a 17-14 win over OSU in Ohio Stadium, which the Spartans followed with a 55-16 blowout over Penn State to close their regular season.
As a result, Michigan State will play in the Big Ten Championship Game this weekend, which will likely serve as a play-in game for the College Football Playoff. If the Spartans can punch their ticket in Indianapolis, you might not find a hotter team in the country than Mark Dantonio's, which makes Michigan State a real threat to win the national title.
But regardless of how this weekend plays out, the consistency the Spartans have shown in the past three years is something to marvel at. From 2013 to 2015, Michigan State has compiled a 35-4 record, a remarkable stretch for a program thought as secondary to its basketball counterpart.
All that's been missing from the Spartans' resume has been a national title. How the remainder of the 2015 season plans out could change that.
1. Iowa
14 of 14
The biggest surprise in all of the Big Ten, if not college football, Iowa is undefeated at the end of the regular season, with a date in the Big Ten title game set with Michigan State.
If the Hawkeyes can emerged from Indianapolis victorious, they'll be a lock for the College Football Playoff—an almost unfathomable turnaround for a program that went just 7-6 a season ago.
The biggest reason for Iowa's emergence is quarterback C.J. Beathard, who took over for Jake Rudock following the conclusion of the 2014 season. In his first full season as a starter, Beathard has thrown for 2,354 yards, 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions, mixing the abilities of both a game manager and playmaker into one.
Factor in the three-headed monster at running back that is Jordan Canzeri, LeShun Daniels Jr. and Akrum Wadley and it's no wonder why Iowa has emerged as the Big Ten's best this season.
Whether that will hold will be determined by what happens in Indianapolis this weekend and, perhaps, beyond. But the Hawkeyes deserve credit for their perfect record this season, which has them chasing history with what could be ahead in the coming weeks.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
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