Big Ten Power Rankings After Week Nine: Penn State Proves It's Worthy

The best of the Big Ten clashed on Saturday night in Ohio Stadium when Penn State and Ohio State met in a battle that would go a long way to determining the Big Ten Champion. 

The game was a hard-hitting, hard-nosed, defensive slugfest from the very beginning.  It was everything that Big Ten football became famous for and everything Big Ten football is now criticized for.

With the high flying offenses of the Big XII and SEC, the BCS glamour conferences, football fans have come to expect high scores and high flying shoot 'em up offenses. 

But, call me old fashioned, I find nothing wrong with an defensive game.  It is just as exciting and can be more intense of a game watching experience.  Those types of games are where the roots of the Big Ten Conference come from.

The days of three yards and a cloud of dust may be long gone, even in the Big Ten.  But every once in a while we will remember those days when a good, old fashioned Big Ten smash mouth, defensive clash is happening right in front of our eyes.

The Big Ten Power ranking are voted on by B/R Big Ten Community members Bobby Cash, Joe Guarr, Nino Colla, Isaac Luber, Adam Lissenden, and Kristofer Green.

1. Penn State (6)  66

Bobby:  With the win in Columbus the Lions are fast tracked to at least the Rose Bowl but have their eyes set on the higher prize. Next weekends game at Iowa could be a trap game coming off of a big win. If they can survive the road game at Iowa they should go undefeated and will win the Big Ten Championship outright. No turnovers and no penalties proves that this team is focused and disciplined which is what you need to win a championship.

Joe:  Won at the Horseshoe with a very convincing defensive effort. Don't be surprised if they end up playing for all the marbles when January rolls around. Penn State is now looking at a Rose Bowl berth at the very least.

Nino:  Head and heels the best the Big Ten has to offer this year. Now they just have to take care of business. Their defense really stepped up when they needed it to and Evan Royster was huge in the fourth quarter.

Isaac:  No doubt.  No more questions.  A bad performance and playing not to lose, having an injured QB, and still winning.  Completely stopped Pryor and Beanie, great defensive performance.  Not only best in the Big 10, but best in the Nation.  No doubt in my mind who wins in January in Miami!  WE ARE...PENN STATE!!!

Adam:  Beating the Buckeyes in "The Shoe" gets them top-billing.

Kristofer:  The end is in sight for the Nittany Lions.  They can see the finsh line, but will going undefeated be enough?  PSU fans know all too well that it isn't always enough.  Could the Lions be denied again?  I doubt it.  But the first oder of business in Happy Valley should be a scrappy Iowa team that has upset in mind.

2. Ohio State  60

Bobby:  I am keeping the Buckeyes at No. 2 because they proved that they belonged on Saturday. They held Penn State's high powered spread HD offense to one touchdown and if they do not turn the ball over who knows what might have happened. Their offense is still feeling its way out with Pryor at the helm but their defense made a statement that they are one of the best in the Big Ten. With next weekend's bye the whole season now turns to Michigan.

Joe:  Terrell Pryor showed that he is in fact human in the loss to Penn State, but this shouldn't affect the Buckeyes too much. They'll put an exclamation point on a 10-2 season by stomping Michigan in a few weeks.

Nino:  They showed a lot against Penn State, but their season isn't over. They still have a shot at a BCS bowl if they play really good in their remaining games. Not bad for them if they can do that and let Pryor take his lumps this year.

Isaac:  Pryor just couldn't handle the great PSU.  Neither could Beanie.  Their defense held their ground and they put up a good fight.  Looks like a Rose Bowl, and a rematch against USC.

Adam:  Still have an outside chance to make a BCS bowl.

Kristofer:  The Buckeyes put up a valient effort against PSU, but two mistakes were too many.  Many choose to forget Terrelle Pryor is only 19 years old and has only been in college for two months.  Let him take his lumps...it will only make him stronger.

3T. Michigan State  51

Bobby:  Sparty finally beat Michigan at the Big House, but who hasn't these days. Javon Ringer got back on track with almost 200 yards rushing. The defense is still the soft spot on this team. Saturday was a good bounce back performance after being embarrassed at home, but it's not as good of a win as Sparty fans want to think it is.

Joe:  Anybody who was banking on a Spartan collapse after the blowout at the hands of the Buckeyes is sorely disappointed. MSU bounced back with a statement win over Michigan. This team has two more games left at home against weakened opposition and should finish with at least nine wins. And who knows, with a great effort from Mark Dantonio's defense, they may just break the Happy Valley Curse this year.

Nino:  This is a decent team, but a flawed one. They should have beat Michigan by more than two touchdowns. Their defense is problematic and they make too many mistakes. Javon Ringer can be shut down as we've seen.

Isaac:  They were able to beat "Big Brother" handily, controversy and all.  They regained their composure.

Adam:  Four teams in the Top 25 thanks to Sparty.

Kristofer:  The Spartans are back on track with a win over arch rival Michigan.  But the games just get bigger.  The Spartans could find themselves in a New Years day bowl if they keep on winning.

3T. Minnesota  51

Bobby:  The Golden Gophers pounded out a hard fought win Saturday at Purdue. Their defense did not let Purdue's offense score a touchdown and they knocked Curtis Painter out of the game. This team needs to keep the momentum on their side and if they keep winning a January bowl could be within this team's grasp.

Joe:  It was ugly against Purdue but it was a win. They're finding ways to get it done this season. Even if the Gophers don't win another game in 2008 this season has to be considered an overwhelming success.

Nino:  I don't think there's any other team that could stake claim to being ahead of Minnesota other than the top three. Adam Weber is playing good ball.

Isaac:  They can win all they want, they are not jumping higher than 3!  They lost to OSU, and are definitely not better than PSU.  Keep up the good work, Gophers.

Adam:  Still winning, still wondering how far they can go.

Kristofer:  I can't say enough about the job Tim Brewster has done at Minnesota.  The Gophers are angling for a New Year's Day bowl one year after going 1-11.  Simply amazing.

5. Iowa  39

Bobby:  The Hawkeyes are a close fifth behind the Spartans. They will have had the off week to prepare for their showdown with No. 3 Penn State. It will be interesting to see if Shonn Greene can run the ball against the Lions' defense with the way they stopped Beanie Wells in Columbus. If Iowa cannot run the ball I dont think they will be able to outscore Penn State. This team can prove a lot next weekend.

Joe:  The Hawkeyes are probably looking at 7-5 AT BEST for this season. 6-6 seems more likely. With Kirk Ferentz consistently falling short of lofty expectations, I've got to wonder why he still has a job.

Nino:  This team is gaining steam and getting better every week, Hopefully the off-week doesn't hurt them. Shonn Green is the real deal.

Isaac:  We'll see what they're made of in two weeks...Let's Go State!  Iowa is mediocre, in my opinion.

Adam:  Shonn Greene will lead, who will follow?

Kristofer:  The Hawkeyes should feel disrepected.  I'm shocked they haven't received any top 25 attention.  A win over PSU would certainly go a long way to getting some of that respect back.

6. Northwestern  38

Bobby:  A dissappointing loss Saturday at Indiana. Northwestern was not able to get into a rythym on offense all day and CJ Bacher turned the ball over which is uncharacteristic. With Bacher's injury this team is headed downward in my rankings.

Joe:  I know they got upset by Indiana but the Wildcats are still looking at a probable berth in the Motor City or Insight Bowl. CJ Bacher runs their spread offense very well, they'll recover from the loss at Indiana.

Nino:  I saw a loss like the Indiana upset coming, They are a nice little story, but they are still Northwestern and still will lose some more games in-conference.

Isaac:  Even after this awful loss, they don't lose that much ground.  Northwestern is still looking for a nine-win season... 10 is basically out of the question in my mind, but who knows?

Adam:  Even with the tough loss to Indiana, they still pose a threat.

Kristofer:  A tough loss for the Wildcats, but one they will learn from.  Even with the health of quarterback C.J. Bacher in question, I think the Wildcats have a great chance at slowing Adam Weber and the Minnesota offense.  A win this week and the Wildcats are in great shape.

7. Illinois  28

Bobby:  A bad loss to Wisconsin propels the Illini down to No. 7 in my poll. Juice Williams either looked startled or injured on Saturday. His throws were erratic and off target all day long. To me it looked like something was not right with his throwing arm because he missed easy passes.

Joe:  At the beginning of the season I would have expected Illinois to be hovering around third or fourth in the Big Ten at this point with a bowl bid already locked up. They've looked great at times this year (against Michigan) and awful (against Wisconsin.)

Nino:  Another team that is much better than their record says they are. Zook needs to get some better defensive players in there.

Isaac:  They are really going downhill.  A pretty nice start, but you've got to finish the season.  So sad for Juice and the Illini.

Adam:  The Juice needs to be let lose in order for the Illini to succeed.

Kristofer:  The Illini are so hard to gauge.  Which team will show up?  The team that played Missouri and was great offensively but bad defensively?  The team that played Michigan and put it all together?  Or the team that played Wisconsin and just couldn't do anything.

8. Wisconsin  24

Bobby:  Finally the Badgers got a conference win. For a while, I had almost talked myself into believing this team was going winless in the Big Ten. They are still not a very good team but may have finally found a QB.

Joe:  Normally beating Illinois wouldn't be a big deal, but when you go into the game 0-4 in the conference and desperately needing a win to revive rapidly-fading bowl hopes, you'll take any reason you can find to celebrate. A trendy preseason pick to play in a New Year's Day bowl, Wisconsin will now struggle to reach six wins with upcoming games against Michigan State, Indiana and Minnesota.

Nino:  This team is so much better than their record would indicate, I'm glad they finally got on the board against the Illini.

Isaac:  After four Big 10 losses, they beat Illinois.  Man, Illinois is really going downhill.  Badgers bowl eligible this year?  Its a possibility.

Adam:  Will the real Wisconsin Badgers please stand up?

Kristofer:  The Badgers will now benefit from a less challenging second half schedule.  The win over Illinois was nice, but the Badgers are still in a world of hurt.

9. Indiana  16

Bobby:  A big win on Saturday at home against Northwestern. Young team had a huge performance from their true freshman WR Doss. And their defense forced turnovers which limited Northwestern's high powered offense.

Joe:  The Hoosiers need to win three of their last four to make a bowl. They won't beat Penn State, and they'll likely have trouble with Central Michigan. Indiana will be home for Christmas.

Nino:  I didn't think they'd get a win in-conference this year. Credit to them for hanging tough and getting on the board.

Isaac:  They won!!!  Still, they are awful.  But for this week, they take 10th over Michigan.

Adam:  The Hoosiers upset Northwestern, is Penn State next?

Kristofer:  Nice win for the Hoosiers, but there is still very little to get excited about in  Bloomington.

10. Michigan  13

Bobby:  It was a coin flip between Purdue and Michigan for the bottom spot. And Michigan lost. They must run the table from here on out to A) be bowl eligible, and B) continue their streak of non-losing seasons. Unfortunately for Rich Rod it looks like both of those will not happen in Ann Arbor this year, which would be quite shocking.

Joe:  The Wolverines still have a lot of work to do, but looked decent at times against Michigan State. The game was not as close as the 35-21 score would indicate, but Michigan is playing a little better every week.

Nino:  Finally starting to show some fire and emotion. They took advantage of some Spartan mistakes but made too many of their own. Steven Threet is their unquestioned leader, but Purdue might be their best shot at another Big Ten win.

Isaac:  They lost, and so they drop from nine to 11, mostly because Indiana and Wisconsin won.  Sorry UM!  You do stink...but maybe you can jump back to 10 if Indiana loses next week.

Adam:  Laughable, but at least they're not Purdue.

Kristofer:  The Wolverines are showing improvement, but unfortunately they only went from abyssmal to bad.  This off-season will be the most important off-season in the history of Michigan football.

11. Purdue  10

Bobby:  Curtis Painter got knocked out, and the offense couldn't find the end zone all day against Minnesota on Saturday. The end is almost in sight for Tiller and his Boilermaker team, finally.

Joe:  Joe Tiller probably wishes he'd retired last year.

Nino:  If they don't beat Michigan, at least there is Indiana.

Isaac:  Another bad offensive performance against Minnesota, and they hung in there and fought it out.  They just can't win.

Adam:  The Boilermakers look 150 percent awful.

Kristofer:  Things couldn't be much worse for Joe Tiller and the Boilermakers.  Look on the brightside Joe, this time next year you'll be fishing and this mess will be Danny Hope's to clean up.