Big Ten Football Power Rankings Week 9: Ohio State stays strong

Oct 24, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans running back LJ Scott (3) celebrates a touchdown with Michigan State Spartans tight end Paul Lang (83) during the 2nd half of a game at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Week eight of Big Ten football play did not disappoint. Although week seven was better for obvious reasons — like the Michigan State miracle win over Michigan — it’s always fun to watch how top teams perform when there’s so much on the line and they’re facing adversity.

Take a look at our weekly Big Ten football power rankings. Do we have a new No. 1? Hint: there was plenty of movement all around.

Best case scenario for Purdue: a bye week. The Boilermakers have had a rough start to the year, and it’s easy to see why they’re 1-6. Although they have played some decent teams tough, the Boilermakers just don’t have that killer instinct right now and they look helpless on the gridiron. Maybe the bye week will re-energize Darrell Hazell’s squad, but it’s looking like another bowl-less season for Purdue — pending a miracle.

It’s always a tough situation when you play a team like Ohio State after the Buckeyes finally named the correct quarterback — J.T. Barrett — the team’s starter. Unfortunately for Rutgers, it got to see first-hand just how good Barrett is.

Chris Laviano had a tough day, completing 10-of-20 passes for 117 yards and an interception while Leonte Carroo had a quiet evening as well, catching just three passes for 55 yards and no scores after reeling in six touchdown catches in his two previous games. Rutgers got destroyed, 49-7.

I still think Maryland might be the worst team in the Big Ten, but an average of our writers’ votes have resulted in the Terrapins coming in as the 12th-best team in the week nine power rankings.

After a bye week, the Terrapins played a surprisingly-close game against the Penn State Nittany Lions on the road, making my vote for Maryland as the worst team in the conference look iffy, at best. Either Penn State isn’t as good as we thought or the Terrapins are improved after the bye. Time will tell.

Next: No. 11 Indiana - No. 9 Nebraska