Weekly Big Ten Power Rankings (games played thru January 8)

 Weekly Big Ten Power Rankings (games played thru January 8)

1. Purdue Boilermakers, (15-1, 3-1) - Purdue recovered after their loss to Rutgers and went on the road to beat Ohio State and Penn State. Next Opponents: 1/13, Nebraska.  Previous Week - 1

2. Michigan State Spartans, (11-4, 3-1) - Michigan State is red hot right now. They crushed Nebraska by 18 and stymied Michigan at home. Next Opponents: 1/10, at Wisconsin; 1/13, at Illinois. Previous Week - 6

3. Rutgers Scarlet Knights, (11-5, 3-2) - Rutgers had a very impressive week despite losing at home to Iowa, the Scarlet Knights knocked off #1 Purdue and blew out Maryland. Next Opponents: 1/11, at Northwestern; 1/15, Ohio State. Previous Week - 3

4. Northwestern Wildcats, (12-3, 3-1) - Northwestern is surging right now. They lost to Ohio State earlier in the week but recovered with big wins over Illinois and Indiana. Don't blink now but the Wildcats are atop the Big Ten right now. Next Opponents: 1/11, Rutgers; 1/15, at Michigan. Previous Week - 11

5. Ohio State Buckeyes, (10-5, 2-2) - Ohio State looked very impressive in their win at Northwestern, but blew a chance at knocking off Purdue and then were outplayed by a struggling Maryland team. Next Opponents: 1/12, Minnesota; 1/15, at Rutgers. Previous Week - 2

6. Wisconsin Badgers, (11-3, 3-1) - The Badgers split two conference games this week. They slipped past bottom dweller Minnesota and lost by double-digits to Illinois. Badgers have not looked impressive lately but stay atop the Big Ten standings. Next Opponents: 1/10, Michigan State; 1/14, at Indiana. Previous Week - 5

7. Michigan Wolverines, (9-6, 3-1) - The Wolverines had an impressive blowout win over a struggling Maryland team and knocked off Penn State, but felt short against their rivals Michigan State. Next Opponent: 1/12, at Iowa; 1/15, Northwestern. Previous Week - 9

8. Penn State Nittany Lions, (11-5, 2-3) - The Nittany Lions had a tough week. They started off with a big win over Iowa, but lost on the road against Michigan and a neutral floor meeting with Purdue. They have a chance on Wednesday to pick up a big win. Next Opponents: 1/11, Indiana. Previous Week - 4

9. Iowa Hawkeyes, (10-6, 2-3) - The Hawkeyes were on the verge of collapse until they punched Indiana in the mouth for their first Big Ten win of the season and then walked into The RAC to overwhelm Rutgers. Next Opponents: 1/12, Michigan; 1/15, Maryland. Previous Week - 13

10. Illinois Fighting Illini, (10-5, 1-3) - The Illini were thoroughly outplayed by Northwestern earlier in the week but they made up for it with a nice 10 point win over Wisconsin. Next Opponents: 1/10, at Nebraska; 1/13, Michigan State. Previous Week - 7

11. Maryland Terrapins, (11-5, 2-3) - Maryland was blown out by Michigan and Rutgers earlier this week, but they made up for it with a big win over Ohio State. Next Opponents: 1/15, at Iowa. Previous Week - 10

12. Indiana Hoosiers, (10-5, 1-3) - Indiana is in a world of trouble right now. They lost to Northwestern and Iowa. They are injury plagued at the moment and are sitting near the bottom of the Big Ten. Next Opponents: 1/11, at Penn State; 1/14, Wisconsin. Previous Week - 8

13. Nebraska Cornhuskers, (9-7, 2-3) - Nebraska got waxed by Michigan State this week, and topped Minnesota in OT. Next Opponents: 1/10, Illinois; 1/13, at Purdue. Previous Week - 12

14. Minnesota Golden Gophers, (6-8, 0-4) - The Gophers are still searching for their first Big Ten win of the season. They fell short against Nebraska and Wisconsin this past week. Next Opponent: 1/12, at Ohio State. Previous Week - 14