Big Ten Power Rankings: What We Learned In Week 8

The Game of the Century of the Week* came and went, and we now have definitely answered the question, "What was the best Big Ten game of 2011".  Wisconsin vs. Michigan State.  Period.

What else happened?

Minnesota continued its attempt to become the worst Big Ten team of all time and the arcane section of the rulebook lent a helping had—as did the Nebraska rushing attack.

Penn State finally settled on a quarterback and guess what, best offensive day ever (yes, one half of offense is enough to accomplish this for the 2011 Nittany Lions).  Northwestern is not amused.

James Vandenberg and Marvin McNutt combined to score ALL THE TOUCHDOWNZ** against Indiana. This may have found yet another answer to the eternal question: Who is stupid enough to want to start at quarterback for the Hoosiers?

Finally, it was just more of Zook bein' Zook, man.

What did we learn and how does it affect the Big Ten race as we stare down the home stretch?  Answers to come.

*(Shamelessly stolen from Dr. Saturday)

**(Not really all the touchdowns)

12. Minnesota 1-6 (0-3) (12)

Last Week: Lost to Nebraska 41-14

Minnesota just can't win, even the best defensive plays end up somehow going wrong.  

In the first quarter Minnesota stopped Nebraska on a fourth and short attempt in the Gopher redzone.

 Martinez made the pitch on the option, running back Aaron Green couldn't bring the ball in, and it bounced out of bounds.  

What seems like a rallying point for any other team just turned into more heartbreak.  The pitch was ruled a backward pass—which, unlike a fumble—is advanced to the spot which it went out of bounds.

It has just been that kind of season for Minnesota.

The Gophers were never really in this one from the start.  

Nebraska put 10 points up in the first quarter and added three more touchdowns—one a fumble return touchdown.  It pretty much sucked any life from the Gophers before the teams even hit the locker room.  

Minnesota outscored Nebraska 14-7 in the second half mostly because the Gophers got to go up against the Nebraska second team.  

If Minnesota was playing in a league of all the Big Ten schools' second teams, the Gophers might have a shot at going .500.

As it stands Minnesota winning another game this year would be a major upset.

The Gophers were bad on offense, gaining just 254 yards and only 11 first downs while giving up a turnover that directly led to a defensive score.  On the other side of the ball it wasn't much better.  

Nebraska was able to run for 346 yards on over six yards per carry.

The future is not bright.  Minnesota still has games against Michigan State, Wisconsin and Iowa over the next three weeks. They have two final games against Northwestern and Illinois.  

At this point it is beginning to look like not even Ron Zook can screw up a game against the Gophers.

Next Week: vs. Iowa

11. Indiana 1-7 (0-4) (11)

Last Week: Lost to Iowa 45-24

At first the game looked like it was going to be a shootout, but in the second quarter the Hawkeyes were the only ones with bullets left.

Indiana's season hasn't gone much better than Minnesota's.  

However, the Gophers have been hapless in every facet of the game since a near upset of USC* in the first week.

Indiana has put together a handful of good offensive performances that inspire hope for Kevin Wilson's future teams.

Apparently this hope isn't sufficient for five-star quarterback recruit Gunner Kiel who had decided to reopen his recruitment.

In this game the Hoosiers offense did its best to keep up with Iowa.  

True freshman quarterback Tre Roberson led the Hoosiers on two scoring drives to open the game and seemingly cemented himself as the starter after another solid performance.  

Roberson finished the game completing two-thirds of his passes for 197 yards and a touchdown at over eight yards a completion. He was also the leading rusher for Indiana with 84 yards at over five yards per carry.  

The rest of Indiana's rushing offense was split between Stephen Houston (72 yards, 3.8 YPC) and Kofi Hughes (51 yards, 7.3 YPC).

Despite solid offensive production, the Hoosiers couldn't overcome a porous defense that allowed Iowa to pass for over 15 yards per attempt.  

Most of the Hawkeye passes went to receiver Marvin McNutt who finished with six catches, 184 yards, three touchdowns, and a per reception average of 30 yards.

Ultimately, that is where Indiana failed on a day where it did almost everything else well.  

The Hoosiers converted half of the 14 third down attempts and two of three fourth downs, didn't turn the ball over once and even out-gained Iowa on the ground 217 yards to 203.

If Roberson can continue to play well there are still two games left that Indiana has a good chance of staying competitive in: home games against Northwestern and Purdue.  

Wins in these two games would go a long way toward building the kind of positive momentum that first-year coach Kevin Wilson needs.

Next Week: vs. Northwestern

*(Which, in hindsight leaves one asking: How did that almost happen?)

10. Northwestern 2-5 (0-4) (9)

Last Week: Lost to Penn State 34-24

It is more of the same for Northwestern as the defense couldn't make enough stops and the offense faltered in the second half.

The first half looked to be going Northwestern's way.

The two teams exchanged scoring drives and the vaunted Penn State defense gave up three Wildcat drives of over seventy yards.

Northwestern kicked a field goal to go up four with less than a minute left to go before halftime.  That was the last positive development in the game.  

Penn State moved 63 yards in 40 seconds to get a touchdown before halftime. Penn State then turned a Northwestern interception into the final score of the game in the third quarter.  

The teams exchanged punts the rest of the way en route to a ten point Northwestern loss.

Once again Dan Persa was deadly accurate, completing 26 of 34 passes for 294 yards and a touchdown. 

Unfortunately, his tipped pass turned into the interception that was returned to set up the final Penn State score.  

On the ground Persa added another touchdown, but turf toe issues forced the Wildcat signal caller out of the game again late.

The rest of the offense was pretty much confined to Kain Colter rushing.  The backup quarterback/do-it-all skill player carried nine times for 51 yards and a touchdown.  

Northwestern as a team finished with just 94 yards on 2.5 yards per carry.

On defense Northwestern continued its bad habit of letting opposing quarterbacks do whatever they want in the passing game.  Matt McGloin was quietly efficient with 17 of 26 passing two touchdowns and no interceptions.  

Even worse is that the run defense that had played so well against Michigan and Illinois reverted to old form. The defense allowed Silas Redd to rush for 164 yards on 18 carries.

Northwestern, with games left against Nebraska and Michigan State, is now almost assuredly out of bowl contention.  The Wildcats began the season as Legend's division contenders led by a dark horse Heisman candidate.  

Now, the best case scenario is five wins.

There are a lot of questions about how high this team can climb when it can't even deliver a winning season with its best quarterback in years returning for his senior season.

Needless to say, this isn't where Pat Fitzgerald thought his team would be staring down November.

Next Week: at Indiana

9. Illinois 6-2 (2-2) (6)

Last Week: Lost to Purdue 21-14

After the first six weeks of the season it looked like 2011 would be Ron Zook's coaching masterpiece.

A dangerous running team suddenly developed one of the best pass-catch duos in the conference.

It's opposite a solid defense and anchored by a pass rushing terror who is aptly named Mercilus.

Now, just two weeks later it looks like 2011 might really be a Ron Zook masterpiece.  

Think about it. This is a man that has made a habit of building talented teams that perpetually under perform and choke in all the most painful ways. 

They then show a faint glimmer of hope only to revert to an even deeper depth of failure.  

Doesn't it stand to reason that Zook would finally find a way to one up himself?  Create a team that few believed strongly in, build up goodwill and whispers of ten wins, then send it all crashing down right as people finally bought in.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Ron Zook's gift to the world.  He made us all question our innate distrust of all things led by Zook.  

He made us forget who he really was only to send it all rushing back in a swirl of bad special teams failed drives and defensive lapses.

Illinois first ten drives ended in eight punts an interception and a failed punt that set up Purdue's final score.  

Only in the fourth quarter was Illinois able to get any offense going. By then it was too little too late as the onside kick attempt with under a minute left failed.

For the game, Illinois gained more yards than Purdue (366 to 304). They gained more first downs than Purdue (21-15), and ran the ball more effectively (3.7 YPC to 3.0 YPC).  In the end it didn't matter.

Nathan Scheelhaase passed for over 200 yards but did so at just 6.2 yards per attempt and for no touchdowns.  

The running game was effective with Jason Ford. He had ten carries for 83 yards and a touchdown. Illinois focused too heavily on the pass and paid for it.

Defensively Illinois played alright for most of the game.  Back-to-back 80-plus yard scoring drives to end the first quarter and a quick Purdue score after a failed Illinois punt put Purdue up for good.

Where does Illinois' season go from here?  

Next week Zook's team travels to play Penn State in what is looking like a third loss. Then after a bye week, Illinois closes out the season with home games against Michigan and Wisconsin followed by a trip to Minnesota.  

At this point anything from 0-4 to 3-1 is possible over that stretch, but recent breakdowns have to have Illinois fans bracing for the worst.

But hey, at least Illinois is bowl eligible.  For a Ron Zook team this early in the year, that is still quite the accomplishment.  Thank goodness for small miracles.

Next Week: at Penn State

8. Purdue 4-3 (2-1) (10)

Last Week: Beat Illinois 21-14

Purdue is finally beginning to play like the team Danny Hope thought he had.  

After coming within a few mistakes of upsetting Penn State last weekend, Purdue finally caught a few breaks and is now strangely tied for second in the Leader's division.

The most promising aspect of this turn in fortunes is the continued development of Caleb TerBush as a passer.  

Against Illinois he was very good, completing 16 of 25 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns.  

This was fortunate as the Boilermaker rushing attack was mostly bottled up.  

Three players rushed for between 20 and 30 yards.  Three more added between 10 and 20 as Purdue struggled to find much room on the ground against a good Illinois front seven.

However, two first quarter drives of 88 and 91 yards and a quick score following a failed Illini punt were all the offense Purdue needed on the day because of a solid defensive effort.  

Purdue blanked Illinois through three quarters, not once allowing Illinois within even a long throw of the endzone.

While Nathan Scheelhaase was able to pass for 217 yards, the going was slow.  It took him 35 attempts to get there.

On top of that, his number one target AJ Jenkins was bottled up to just 92 yards and no touchdowns on eight receptions.

Now, all of the sudden it seems like Purdue might be able to sneak into a bowl game after all.  

Next week Purdue travels to Michigan in a matchup that is much less comfortable for the Wolverines than it was a couple weeks ago.  

A game against Wisconsin at Camp Randall the week after might be too much to hope for.

Back-to-back home games against Ohio State and Iowa are both winnable, as is the final game of the season at Indiana.

After a season and a half of the worst streak of injury luck one can imagine, there might finally be a light at the end of the tunnel for Danny Hope's squad.

Next Week: at Michigan

7. Iowa 5-2 (2-1) (7)

Last Week: Beat Indiana 45-24

There wasn't much Iowa couldn't do on Saturday, or more appropriately, there wasn't much Indiana could do to stop Iowa on Saturday.

Iowa's offense was effective in just about every facet of the game.  

James Vandenberg only threw 16 passes on the day, but he completed 12 of them.  Four of those completions went for touchdowns.

Catching half of those passes was Marvin McNutt. His three touchdowns were more than enough to get him the career touchdown reception record at Iowa.  

The running game was similarly effective as Marcus Coker ran for six yards per carry on his way to 139 yards and two touchdowns.

The ease with which Iowa moved the ball is evident in the box score.  The Hawkeyes gained 22 first downs and were only forced into eight third down attempts—six of which were converted.

Defensively Iowa had a rough day containing the running game, especially true freshman quarterback Tre Roberson. He led the team with 84 yards at over five per carry.  

Three Hoosier players rushed for over 50 yards, and Indiana as a team finished the day gaining an average of 4.6 yards per carry.

Iowa has seen its share of heartbreak this year—first against Iowa State and then against Penn State—but the offense is as dangerous as any when firing on all cylinders.  

Iowa gets a game against Minnesota next weekend before hosting the Michigan schools in back to back weeks to start November.  

With only one conference loss so far, Iowa could very well be playing for the Legend's division crown on November 25th, if the Hawkeyes can take care of business over the next month.

Next Week: at Minnesota

6. Penn State 7-1 (4-0) (8)

Last Week: Beat Northwestern 34-24

Last week there were some rumbles of dissent after I placed Penn State behind Iowa in the power rankings.  

While my reasoning was clear (and in my mind solid) it came with one caveat: I couldn't justify pushing Penn State into the top half of the power rankings when Joe Paterno was content to waste two or three possessions on Rob Bolden per game.

Now, I have no problems moving the Nittany Lions up.  

It seems that Paterno has finally come to terms with the fact that Matt McGloin gives his team the best opportunity to win.  It paid off in one of the better games Penn State has played this year.

In the first half the Nittany Lions needed offense, and McGloin helped lead the offense on five long scoring drives including three touchdowns.  

McGloin finished the day with 192 yards and two touchdowns while completing 65 percent of his passes.  

He was complimented well on the ground by Silas Redd, who continues to be the focal point of this Penn State offense. He is looking even more comfortable handling the workload.

Redd finished with 164 yards and a touchdown on just 18 carries.

In the second half the game called for defense. Penn State answered with an interception that set up a touchdown and four forced punts while allowing less than 100 yards in the entire second half.

Penn State continues to find ways to win games week in and week out.  Halfway through the Big Ten schedule the Nittany Lions are the only remaining Leader's division team that has yet to lose a conference game.

Next week Penn State gets Illinois at home before a bye week.  After that comes the true test: three games in a row vs. Nebraska, at Ohio State, and at Wisconsin to finish the season.  

Penn State controls its destiny right now, but to survive the last stretch of games Penn State is going to need a lot of help.  

Matt McGloin may not be the answer, but settling on him is potentially a step in the right direction for what has been a directionless offense. 

Next Week: vs. Illinois

5. Michigan 6-1 (2-1) (5)

Last Week: Bye

Michigan got a much needed bye week to rest up after a long seven game stretch to start the season.

Now Michigan faces down a final five game stretch that will go a long way toward defining the direction of the program.  

A strong finish to the season will show that these aren't Rich Rodriguez's Wolverines.  

The last three years have seen Michigan falter down the stretch as the schedule got tougher and the offense struggled to retain its early season form.

If Hoke can rally the troops and finish the season on a winning note, there is still an outside chance that Michigan wins the Legend's division (requiring MSU to lose two games, of course).

More importantly are the games against Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and a suddenly frisky Purdue team are all the kind that Rodriguez teams struggled in a year ago.  

All four of the games are within the reach of a good Michigan team.

After the last three years the media is circling like buzzards ready to feast on the same "Big Ten struggles" meme that haunted Rodriguez all the way to his firing in January.

Then, of course, there is the biggest prize: a win against rival Ohio State.  

This could be Michigan's best chance for a win since 2006.  There is no game on the schedule that would engender more support for the new coach than a win over the struggling Buckeyes.

With Purdue playing inspired football, Iowa finding an offense, Illinois being Illinois, and both Nebraska and Ohio State being capable of shutting down the Michigan offense, this could be the same kind of November run that sends Michigan fans running for cover.

So yeah, no pressure Brady.

Next Week: vs. Purdue

4. Ohio State 4-3 (1-2) (4)

Last Week: Bye

Maybe the Buckeyes learned to pass on the week off.  Probably not.

The problems in the passing game are too deeply entrenched.  The continued absence of DeVier Posey is no help in a young and inexperienced receiving corp.

However, Ohio State doesn't need to air it out to win.  Just play solid defense and run the ball effectively, and Braxton Miller should be able to make a few things happen in the passing game.

With Wisconsin coming to town, Ohio State has a great opportunity to catch the Badgers in an emotional hangover from last week's loss to Michigan State.  

Games against Indiana and Purdue follow are both very winnable.  All of this sets Ohio State up for a two game closing slate of Penn State and Michigan—two teams the Buckeyes have had a lot of success against in the past few years.

Ohio State's chances at a Leader's division title are slim, but there are more than enough opportunities to spoil a few other teams' season.

Spoiler, that isn't a role Ohio State often gets to play, but after the turmoil from the last year it is better than nothing.

Next Week: vs. Wisconsin

3. Nebraska 6-1 (2-1) (3)

Last Week: Beat Minnesota 41-14

The farther along we get in the season, the less and less games against Minnesota mean.  

Nebraska doubled the Gophers' total yards in the game and gained 16 more first downs on the back of a yards per carry average (6.2).

That almost matched what Minnesota was able to do per pass attempt (6.8).

What does any of it mean?

With a visit from Michigan State—suddenly the biggest, baddest team on the Big Ten block, Nebraska has a chance to retake the drivers seat in the race for the Big Ten Legend's division.  

A win over Michigan State would give Nebraska the tiebreaker and leave MSU at the mercy of waiting for a Husker loss.

Can Nebraska do it?  That is going to depend on Taylor Martinez.  

The last three quarterbacks that Michigan State has faced have been an escalating series of talented dual threat passers.

This includes from the young and raw Braxton Miller, through explosive but mistake prone Denard Robinson, to surgical and methodical Russell Wilson.  

Not one of the quarterbacks was able to put together a full game against the Michigan State defense.  

Taylor Martinez is bigger and stronger than those three, but more on par with Miller and Robinson as a passer.

Against Minnesota, Martinez was just 13 for 22 and did no better than 7.4 YPA.  

If Martinez can't find a way to deal with pressure against Michigan State and pass when the Spartans stack the box against him, Nebraska will be on the outside looking in on the Legend's division race.

Next Week: vs. Michigan State

2. Wisconsin 6-1 (2-1)

Last Week: Lost to Michigan State 37-31

Wisconsin's run at the top finally came to an end at the same place the Badgers fell a year ago.

At first it looked like the game was going to be all Wisconsin.  

The Badgers marched down the field on an opening drive behind a pounding run game led by Montee Ball, and capped it with a throwback touchdown to Jacob Pedersen.  

The first defensive play was a forced fumble that set the Badgers up for a quick 14-0 lead.  Wisconsin would need every one of those points over the next three quarters.

The story of the game wasn't what everyone expected.  Michigan State's defense vs. Wisconsin's offense fell largely in the Badgers favor.  

Despite a rocky middle of the game, Russell Wilson completed two thirds of his passes for two touchdowns.

His interceptions came on a miscommunication with Nick Toon (who failed to adjust his route and look for the ball) and an inadvisable overthrow to Pedersen.  

Other than that, Wilson played relatively well given the atmosphere.

The running game was similarly effective behind Montee Ball.  

Ball ran 18 times for 115 yards and at quite a few points during the game made Michigan State's run defense look more average than dominant.  

James White added 42 yards of his own and Russell Wilson had a few positive run plays to offset three Michigan State sacks.

The game, in the end came down to Wisconsin's pass defense.  Kirk Cousins found open receivers with alarming consistency, and those receivers picked up yards after the catch with ease.  

The first two Michigan State receiving touchdowns came after failed tackles or bad pursuit angles in the Wisconsin secondary.

The most successful MSU run play was a double reverse that sprung Keyshawn Martin for a 34 yard touchdown.  

Wisconsin simply couldn't make tackles in space and the Spartans made them pay.

The final key, which was plainly obvious to anyone watching, was the atmosphere.  

Wisconsin couldn't capitalize on early momentum to keep the crowd out of it, and after a safety the Badgers didn't look entirely comfortable again until the fourth quarter.  

Add in two blocked kicks —a 10 point swing—and it is clear that Wisconsin's one biggest fault as a team this year was totally out of its control: schedule.

Modern college football rewards teams that schedule easy non-conference slates.  

It becomes easier to carry a 4-0 record into the conference season.  Oftentimes four home games against cupcakes are going to equal four big paydays for the athletic department.  

However, in doing this a team gives up valuable experience dealing with hostile environments.  

Wisconsin's one non-conference game was played in Soldier Field against a MAC team.

There are no guarantees.  

Wisconsin could have scheduled a tough away game in September and lost.

It could have still been unable to deal with a Spartan Stadium crowd that was a definite home field advantage for large stretches of the game.  

However, one wonders just how much help it could have been for Wisconsin to have played on the road earlier this season. It comes especially in light of how easy the Badgers moved the ball down the field in the fourth quarter to tie*.

Now the goals radically shift for Wisconsin.

No longer is this team playing for a BCS championship invite.

Russell Wilson's Heisman campaign is almost assuredly over given that his two interceptions and safety were a big factor in his teams loss.

The Badgers' run first mentality is unlikely to provide him with the opportunity to put up the kind of stats needed to rebound from a loss, and not to mention strength of schedule concerns abound.

Wisconsin must shift its goals: win the Leader's division, get revenge on Michigan State in the championship game, and go to the Rose Bowl again.

Even after a devastating loss it is hard to see this team not doing just that.

Next Week: at Ohio State

*(This also raises the interesting follow up question: did Wisconsin's offensive success through the first half of the season doom it too failure against Michigan State when it came to key special teams plays?  The Badgers had only punted and attempted field goals a handful of times so far this year, and had not done so in a game that was anywhere near close.  Wisconsin clearly looked overwhelmed, and the ten point special teams swing arguably cost the Badgers the game.  That Michigan State executed those blocked kicks perfectly cannot be questioned.  However, it also looked like the Badgers were unsure on both blocked kicks: a function of inexperience in pressure situations.  All the more reason a tough non-conference schedule helps.)

1. Michigan State 6-1 (3-0)

Last Week: Beat Wisconsin 37-31

If you are ever walking your dog through East Lansing and it takes a dump on Mark Dantonio's lawn, I would suggest you clean it up lest you make an enemy for life.

It is becoming clear that Mark Dantonio carries a grudge longer than most men.  

First it was against Michigan for the postgame comments of Mike Hart following a comeback win in 2007.  

Now Dantonio has shifted his ire to the Badgers, who did nothing but benefit from the Big Ten's asinine tiebreaker rules last year to receive a Rose Bowl birth despite losing to Michigan State.

You can't claim it isn't an effective ploy, however.  Dantonio has gotten quite a few miles out of supposed "disrespect".

Wisconsin entered the game with one of the best offenses in the nation and a top three candidate for the Heisman trophy.  It leaves with its first loss and its dream season crushed.  

How did Michigan State do it?  Big plays.

First, after a punt that pinned the Badgers near the goal line, Jerel Worthy singlehandedly blew up the line to knock Wisconsin back to the one yard line, setting up the Russell Wilson intentional grounding safety.

Next after finally stopping a Wisconsin drive into Michigan State territory, the Spartans blocked the field goal attempt to set up a scoring drive of their own.

Before halftime Wisconsin tried to punt the ball away and go into the locker room down just two points, but the punt was blocked and returned for a touchdown.

Finally, Wisconsin fought back to tie the game with less than two minutes left.  Michigan State moved into position for a hail mary that was tipped right into the hands of receiver Keith Nichol for the game winning score with no time remaining.

These big plays were necessary because the heralded Spartan defense was merely average for most of the night.  

Russell Wilson struggled for a good chunk of the middle two quarters. He settled down late and ended up finishing the game with a respectable 223 yards and two touchdowns on a 66 percent completion rate.  

The Spartan defense did give him his toughest test, forcing two interceptions and three sacks.

It was on the ground that the Spartans struggled the most.  Wisconsin's running backs combined for 157 yards and a touchdown on 5.4 YPC, while Wilson added 43 yards and a touchdown of his own (sacks removed).

However, the most impressive player for Michigan State was without a doubt Kirk Cousins.  

With the running game bottled up for just 3.4 YPC, Cousins threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns while carrying the offense for large stretches.  

He constantly made plays to keep drives alive and set up his receivers with plenty of room to pick up yards after the catch.

Also, a heaping load of credit has to go to the Spartan wide receivers and tight ends.  Each of whom made at least a couple big plays to help get the Spartans over the hump—he biggest of which was the Keith Nichol catch on the hail mary.

Michigan State is now the clear leader for the Legend's division, and arguably the best team in the Big Ten.  

With what is looking like a much easier schedule than it did during the preseason, MSU will be favored in each of its remaining games.  

If Michigan State can survive an away game against Nebraska and exorcise some demons in Iowa City a couple weeks later, there is little doubt that Michigan State will be one of the two teams to play in the first Big Ten championship game.

What team lines up opposite them depends on just how much of a grudge Bret Bielema holds after this one.

Next Week: at Nebraska