Big Ten Power Rankings #4

This week’s edition of Big Ten Power Rankings according to football reporters Cash Kruth and Jacob Carpenter (last week’s rankings in parentheses):

Cash’s rankings:
1. (1) Penn State (8-0 overall, 4-0 Big Ten)
2. (2) Ohio State (7-1, 4-0)
3. (3) MSU (6-2, 3-1)
4. (4) Minnesota (6-1, 2-1)
5. (7) Iowa (5-3, 2-2)
6. (5) Illinois (4-3, 2-2)
7. (8) Northwestern (6-1, 2-1)
8. (7) Purdue (2-5, 0-3)
9. (10) Michigan (2-5, 1-2)
10. (9) Wisconsin (3-4, 0-4)
11. (11) Indiana (2-5, 0-4)

I want to drop the Spartans, but I really don’t think the Golden Gophers would beat MSU straight-up. Elsewhere, a physical Iowa team continues to climb. U-M climbs up one only because Wisconsin is an utter disappointment.

Jacob’s rankings:
1 (1) Penn State
2 (2) Ohio State
3 (3) MSU
4 (4) Minnesota
5 (7) Northwestern
6 (5) Illinois
7 (8) Iowa
8 (10) Michigan
9 (6) Wisconsin
10 (9) Purdue
11 (11) Indiana

The gap between the two top teams is so huge that Penn State and Ohio State deserve the first eight rankings. If I could, I would probably put MSU and Minnesota in a tie for third, but I still don’t trust the Golden Gophers after their one-win season last year. If these were the Big Ten Fraud Power Rankings, Wisconsin would be No. 1 without question.