Hoosier Huddle's 2021 Big Ten Power Rankings: Week Seven
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Written by Evan McShane
It was a light week in the Big Ten as a handful of teams had their bye weeks. There was a major shake up though as Purdue knocked off Iowa in Iowa City. Here are our power rankings through seven weeks of the 2021 season.
1. Michigan State (7-0, 4-0) – Defeated Indiana 20-15
Michigan State is red hot to start the season. After defeating Indiana on the road despite playing poorly, the Spartans are the Big Ten’s first team to reach seven wins. MSU has a bye week before hosting Michigan in a pivotal showdown on 10/30.
2. Michigan (6-0, 3-0) – Bye Week
The Wolverines were off with a bye week. Michigan will host Northwestern next week at noon ET
3. Ohio State (5-1, 3-0) – Bye Week
The Buckeyes had the week off to get right. Ohio State will play Indiana in Bloomington next Saturday.
4. Penn State (5-1, 2-1) – Bye Week
Penn State had the week off to recover from their loss at Iowa. The Nittany Lions will host Illinois next week.
5. Iowa (6-1, 3-1) – Lost to Purdue 24-7
Iowa was embarrassed at home by Purdue. So much for the number two team in the country. Back to the drawing board for the Hawkeyes. They’ll have a bye week before playing Wisconsin on the road on 10/30.
6. Minnesota (4-2, 2-1) – Defeated Nebraska 30-23
The Gophers are two games above .500 following their home defeat of Nebraska. Minnesota is one of just three Big Ten West teams with a winning conference record. They’ll put that to the test next week when they host Maryland.
7. Purdue (4-2, 2-1) – Defeated Iowa 24-7
Purdue pulled off the road upset against Iowa, dominating the Hawkeyes for 60 minutes. The Boilers snuck into the top-25 this week. Purdue will host Wisconsin on Saturday.
8. Wisconsin (3-3, 1-2) – Defeated Army 20-14
The Badgers snuck by with a close win over Army at home on Saturday. Wisconsin will need some luck on their side next week when they head to West Lafayette to play Purdue.
9. Maryland (4-2, 1-2) – Bye Week
The Terps had the week off. Maryland will play Minnesota on the road next week.
10. Northwestern (3-3, 1-2) – Defeated Rutgers 21-7
Northwestern followed up their 56-7 loss against Nebraska two weeks ago with a much-needed win over Rutgers. Things won’t get any easier as the Wildcats head to the Big House next week to play Michigan.
11. Rutgers (3-4, 0-4) – Lost to Northwestern 21-7
Rutgers followed up their 3-0 start to the season with four straight Big Ten losses. The Scarlet Knights have a bye week next week before travelling to Illinois on 10/30.
12. Nebraska (3-5, 1-4) – Lost to Minnesota 30-23
Nebraska kept it close against Minnesota, but fell short in the end. The Cornhuskers are the Big Ten’s first team with five losses this season. They have a bye week before hosting Purdue on 10/30.
13. Indiana (2-4, 0-3) – Lost to Michigan State 20-15
The Hoosiers are floundering. More precisely, the Hoosiers offense is floundering. Once again, Indiana’s defense played more than well enough to give them a chance to win on Saturday. But once again, the offense looked like amateur hour. After high expectations to start the season, Indiana looks like they’ll need a miracle just to be bowl eligible.
14. Illinois (2-5, 1-3) – Bye Week
The Illini had a much-needed weekend off, although it might not matter next week. Illinois heads to Happy valley for a noon ET game against Penn State.