B1G Power Rankings: Week 9

1. Ohio State (9-0, 5-0, LW: 2)

The champs just keep winning.

2. Iowa (9-0, 5-0, LW: 3)

The Hawkeyes simply refuse to lose. Minnesota, Purdue, and Nebraska stand in their way of an undefeated season. Can the Hawkeyes finish the season unblemished and make the College Football Playoff?

3. Michigan State (8-1, 4-1, LW: 1)

The Spartans kept playing with fire and it finally came back to bite them in the tukus as Nebraska stunned them on a controversial touchdown pass late in the 4th quarter. The Spartans continued to let inferior teams play with them and Nebraska was the one team to get over the hump and take down Sparty.

4. Wisconsin (8-2, 5-1, LW: 4)

The Badgers toyed with Maryland but ultimately came out on top. Their only losses are to the current #2 and #5 teams in the country. They boast the second-best scoring defense in the nation to go along with a strong as always running game. They have two tough games against Northwestern and Minnesota to close out the season.

5. Michigan (7-2, 4-1, LW: 6)

The Wolverines are fresh off a dominating performance against our beloved Scarlet Knights. They travel to Indiana this week to face Nate Sudfeld and the potent Hoosiers offense. After that game, they must travel to Penn State for what will be a great game. And of course, as always, they wrap up the season with The Big Game.

6. Northwestern (7-2, 3-2, LW: 7)

The Wildcats knocked off Penn State on a last-second field goal to move to 7-2 on the year. They have been another pleasant surprise in the B1G, and made headlines with their wins against Stanford and Duke. Their win against Stanford looks better and better every week, as they are the only blemish on the #7 Cardinal's schedule. Sandwiched between their game against Purdue and season finales against Illinois is a showdown against Wisconsin which has all the makings of a classic B1G game.

7. Penn State (7-3, 4-2, LW: 5)

The Nittany Lions suffered a tough loss to Northwestern this past weekend. Christian Hackenberg struggled mightilyonce again and Saquan Barkley was their only offense. It got to the point where Barkley was playing wildcat QB (Mo Sanu, anyone??) since Golden Arm was so ineffective. Games against Michigan State and Michigan won't be very kind to Penn State as they try to wrap up a strong season.

8. Illinois (5-4, 2-3, LW: 9)

After their game against Purdue was hyped up to be a crucial one for both teams, the Illini went on the field and beat the tar out of the Boilermakers to the tune of 48-14. The Illini are only 1 win away from bowl eligibility, but must beat either Ohio State, Minnesota, or Northwestern to get there. Bill Cubit has done an exceptional job with group of kids, and would likely have the interim tag removed from his title if he can win just 1 of the next 3 games.

9. Nebraska (4-6, 2-4 LW: 11)

The Cornhuskers move up after knocking off Michigan State in dramatic fashion. They feature one of the best offenses in the conference. Mike Reilly seems to have this team fired up and ready to kick some ass. They are currently 4-6 and need to beat Rutgers on Saturday to have a chance at bowl eligibility. After the Scarlet Knights, Nebraska will play host to #5 Iowa, with bowl eligibility on the line.

10. Minnesota (4-5, 1-4, LW: 8)

Tracy Claeys was just named the full-time head coach of the Gophers, who have turned in two inspiring performances since Jerry Kill retired. Their poor clock management against Michigan cost them the game, and maybe their postseason hopes, though. They have 3 games left, against Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. None of those games are easy wins, but their best chances are closing out the season with back to back wins at home to secure a postseason bowl birth.

11. Indiana (4-5, 0-5, LW: 13)

The Hoosiers stuck with Iowa until the very end, but ultimately came out losers. Pencil in their game against Michigan in as a loss. They then embark on a 2-game road trip to determine the future of the football team. If they can beat Maryland and Purdue, they will be locked into a bowl game. If not, there could be major changes in Bloomington.

12. Rutgers (3-6, 1-5, LW: 11)

We all know plenty about this team. They will need to win out to make a bowl game, unless they get to 5 wins and have a little luck. Rutgers, and Kyle Flood more specifically, cannot afford to get blown out against Nebraska this week. After their showdown against the Huskers, they have road games at Army and Maryland. As we know, no game is a guarantee for the Scarlet Knights and they need to play for some respect this year if they really love their coach and want him to stay.

13. Purdue (2-7, 1-4, LW: 10)

Well, they had a good run in the top-10. However, getting blown out by Illinois will drop you down pretty far. At least their coach gets one more guaranteed year!

14. Maryland (2-7, 0-5, LW: 14)

Unlike certain teams, Maryland has shown the ability to stay competitive with some of the top teams. However, with their only wins coming against Richmond and USF and an 0-5 conference record, I have no choice but to leave them at the bottom.