East
1. Ohio State (3-0, @ Maryland) - Defeated a Rutgers team who is improved, but still not nearly good enough to compete with the blue blood. Justin Fields continues to be amazing, and is clearly the best QB, and team, in the Big Ten.
2. Indiana (3-0, @ Michigan State) - Indiana was the higher-ranked team in a matchup with Michigan for the first time in a long time, and took care of business at home. They put themselves in a position to finish in the top 2 in the East, and potentially a B1G title game with an upset over Ohio State, should they win out.
3. Maryland (2-1, vs Ohio State) - Who would've expected Maryland to be 2-1 after the debacle against NW week 1? Transfer QB Taulia Tagovailoa looked impressive again, throwing 3 TD's against a clearly bad, and possibly unmotivated Penn State.
4. Rutgers (1-2, vs Illinois) - Rutgers wasn't even close to pulling off the upset in the Shoe, but they showed that they have an offense capable of putting up points. Rutgers being #4 more speaks to the weakness in the East, rather than how 'good' Rutgers is.
5. Michigan (1-2, vs Wisconsin) - The same story under Harbough that we have seen play out before. A talented team, a decent, not great quarterback, and losing football games. Joe Milton struggled with completion percentage but threw for nearly 350 yards and 3 touchdowns. They only ran for 13 (!!) yards against a team they should dominate in the trenches.
6. Penn State (0-3, @ Nebraska) - Penn State fell to 0-3 in a lifeless game against Maryland, which is a game they should win every single time. The injury to Journey Brown and opt-out of linebacker Micah Parson, a potential top 5 pick in the draft, have surely hurt Penn St. This may more be a matter of the locker room losing interest in what is a very weird year
7. Michigan State (1-2, vs Indiana) - We all saw firsthand how poor this Michigan State team was on Saturday. They played undisciplined, didn't control the LOS on either side and had one of the worst QB performances I have seen in a long time during a B1G matchup. I don't know how, or when, Michigan State gets out of this hole.
West
1. Wisconsin (1-0, @ Michigan) - Another week with no game for the Badgers due to COVID-19. They did return to conditioning drills for those who are healthy and have a shot at playing this upcoming weekend. If they do not, they will be ineligible to have a shot at the B1G title game in Indianapolis. We only have one game to judge, and it was against Illinois, but they ran away with that in a laugher during Week 1.
2. Purdue (2-0, vs Northwestern) - We didn't get to see Purdue this week either after they had their game with Wisky called off. However, they looked good on the offensive side of the ball against both Iowa and Illinois, and have been without their best weapon in Rondale Moore. Get him back and the offense adds an entirely new dimension, which is scary to think about.
3. Northwestern (3-0, @ Purdue) - Northwestern won an ugly one against the Huskers, but a win is a win. They played good defense again, but only put up 21 points. I think when they start playing more high powered offenses, we will see the defense struggle. It is worth noting that they held Maryland to only 3 points in week 1, which is an offense that has exploded in the last 2 weeks.
4. Iowa (1-2, @ Minnesota FRIDAY) - Our Hawks destroyed a poor Michigan State team at home, and nobody is going to complain about that. They dominated the LOS on both sides of the ball, and had a balanced Run/Pass ratio. However, Spencer Petras still struggled outside of the first few drives and needs to improve for this Hawkeye team to get to where it wants to be.
5. Minnesota (1-2), vs Iowa FRIDAY - Much like Iowa, Minnesota played a poor team to get its first win of the 2020 season. They have had the opposite problem of the Hawks, putting up a ton of points, but not being able to stop anyone. They held Illinois to 14 points on Saturday, but that speaks to how bad Lovie Smith's team is.
6. Nebraska (0-2, vs Penn State) - The Huskers leading rusher was QB Adrian Martinez, and the team is still playing two QBs nearly halfway through the year. You know what they say, if you have 2 QBs, you don't really have one. They outgained Northwestern by nearly 150 yards, and still lost the game. Scott Frosts' seat is certainly getting warm in Lincoln, thanks to the delusional fanbase.
7. Illinois (0-3, @ Rutgers) - The Illini gave up 324 yards on the ground, including 5 rush TDs. If that doesn't tell the entire story of Illinois, then I don't know what does. They struggle up front on both sides of the football, and don't have the athletes on the outside to make up for it. A continuous bottom feeder doesn't look like it's going to get better anytime soon.
Overall
1. Ohio State
2. Wisconsin
3. Indiana
4. Purdue
5. Northwestern
6. Maryland
7. Iowa
8. Minnesota
9. Rutgers
10. Michigan
11. Penn State
12. Nebraska
13. Michigan State
14. Illinois
1. Ohio State (3-0, @ Maryland) - Defeated a Rutgers team who is improved, but still not nearly good enough to compete with the blue blood. Justin Fields continues to be amazing, and is clearly the best QB, and team, in the Big Ten.
2. Indiana (3-0, @ Michigan State) - Indiana was the higher-ranked team in a matchup with Michigan for the first time in a long time, and took care of business at home. They put themselves in a position to finish in the top 2 in the East, and potentially a B1G title game with an upset over Ohio State, should they win out.
3. Maryland (2-1, vs Ohio State) - Who would've expected Maryland to be 2-1 after the debacle against NW week 1? Transfer QB Taulia Tagovailoa looked impressive again, throwing 3 TD's against a clearly bad, and possibly unmotivated Penn State.
4. Rutgers (1-2, vs Illinois) - Rutgers wasn't even close to pulling off the upset in the Shoe, but they showed that they have an offense capable of putting up points. Rutgers being #4 more speaks to the weakness in the East, rather than how 'good' Rutgers is.
5. Michigan (1-2, vs Wisconsin) - The same story under Harbough that we have seen play out before. A talented team, a decent, not great quarterback, and losing football games. Joe Milton struggled with completion percentage but threw for nearly 350 yards and 3 touchdowns. They only ran for 13 (!!) yards against a team they should dominate in the trenches.
6. Penn State (0-3, @ Nebraska) - Penn State fell to 0-3 in a lifeless game against Maryland, which is a game they should win every single time. The injury to Journey Brown and opt-out of linebacker Micah Parson, a potential top 5 pick in the draft, have surely hurt Penn St. This may more be a matter of the locker room losing interest in what is a very weird year
7. Michigan State (1-2, vs Indiana) - We all saw firsthand how poor this Michigan State team was on Saturday. They played undisciplined, didn't control the LOS on either side and had one of the worst QB performances I have seen in a long time during a B1G matchup. I don't know how, or when, Michigan State gets out of this hole.
West
1. Wisconsin (1-0, @ Michigan) - Another week with no game for the Badgers due to COVID-19. They did return to conditioning drills for those who are healthy and have a shot at playing this upcoming weekend. If they do not, they will be ineligible to have a shot at the B1G title game in Indianapolis. We only have one game to judge, and it was against Illinois, but they ran away with that in a laugher during Week 1.
2. Purdue (2-0, vs Northwestern) - We didn't get to see Purdue this week either after they had their game with Wisky called off. However, they looked good on the offensive side of the ball against both Iowa and Illinois, and have been without their best weapon in Rondale Moore. Get him back and the offense adds an entirely new dimension, which is scary to think about.
3. Northwestern (3-0, @ Purdue) - Northwestern won an ugly one against the Huskers, but a win is a win. They played good defense again, but only put up 21 points. I think when they start playing more high powered offenses, we will see the defense struggle. It is worth noting that they held Maryland to only 3 points in week 1, which is an offense that has exploded in the last 2 weeks.
4. Iowa (1-2, @ Minnesota FRIDAY) - Our Hawks destroyed a poor Michigan State team at home, and nobody is going to complain about that. They dominated the LOS on both sides of the ball, and had a balanced Run/Pass ratio. However, Spencer Petras still struggled outside of the first few drives and needs to improve for this Hawkeye team to get to where it wants to be.
5. Minnesota (1-2), vs Iowa FRIDAY - Much like Iowa, Minnesota played a poor team to get its first win of the 2020 season. They have had the opposite problem of the Hawks, putting up a ton of points, but not being able to stop anyone. They held Illinois to 14 points on Saturday, but that speaks to how bad Lovie Smith's team is.
6. Nebraska (0-2, vs Penn State) - The Huskers leading rusher was QB Adrian Martinez, and the team is still playing two QBs nearly halfway through the year. You know what they say, if you have 2 QBs, you don't really have one. They outgained Northwestern by nearly 150 yards, and still lost the game. Scott Frosts' seat is certainly getting warm in Lincoln, thanks to the delusional fanbase.
7. Illinois (0-3, @ Rutgers) - The Illini gave up 324 yards on the ground, including 5 rush TDs. If that doesn't tell the entire story of Illinois, then I don't know what does. They struggle up front on both sides of the football, and don't have the athletes on the outside to make up for it. A continuous bottom feeder doesn't look like it's going to get better anytime soon.
Overall
1. Ohio State
2. Wisconsin
3. Indiana
4. Purdue
5. Northwestern
6. Maryland
7. Iowa
8. Minnesota
9. Rutgers
10. Michigan
11. Penn State
12. Nebraska
13. Michigan State
14. Illinois
