Week 9 in the Big Ten caused a big change in our outlook at the top of the conference. The UCLA Bruins have been dominant on defense, helping them stay perfect. The Ohio State Buckeyes were on the other side of a commanding victory as they felt the loss of Julian Sayin more than ever. USC football, with its big win, is back in the thick of things.
Here are my Big Ten football rankings after Week 9:
1. UCLA Bruins (8-0)
The UCLA Bruins remain perfect and dominant. Their defense makes up for any of their offensive deficiencies. This is a well-rounded oil machine. Bob Chesney, in a short amount of time, has the Bruins as the best team in the Big Ten.
2. Indiana Hoosiers (8-1)
The Indiana Hoosiers saw the same story on offense early against the Minnesota Gophers. There is new upside with backup
quarterback Grant Wilson, who is fully healthy and can lead the Hoosiers' offense to success without costly mistakes. Now with Grant Wilson, the Hoosiers may have a shot at postseason success.
3. USC Trojans (7-2)
The USC Trojans, when healthy, are a dangerous team across all of college football. Their true freshmen are unstoppable, and when their run game gets going, the offense as a whole is unstoppable. After their win against the Ohio State Buckeyes, they have new life, and it will be interesting to see what comes next.
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-2)
The Ohio State Buckeyes got smacked in the mouth by a humbled USC Trojans team. It looks like their quarterback play could very well hinder their success the rest of the season. The Trojans' defense had them bottled up for the majority of the game. The Buckeyes are extremely vulnerable.
5. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-2)
Each week we see a totally different version of the Iowa Hawkeyes. This past week they looked like a College Football Playoff team. The Wisconsin Badgers did not belong on the same field as them. That is what happens when the Hawkeyes' defense gets complemented by competent quarterback play. Hank Brown was super efficient, and as a result, the Hawkeyes scored 30 points. If Iowa can get consistency, they have a very high ceiling.
6. Oregon Ducks (5-3)
The Oregon Ducks lost their shot at the College Football Playoff, but with how clutch Dylan Raiola is, they could give that same fortune to a few other teams to finish out the season. Although this is a disappointing season, the Ducks are still a high-quality football team, and Week 9 reflected that.
7. Northwestern Wildcats (6-2)
Aidan Chiles played well again, with high-level production. However, the Northwestern Wildcats are not there yet. The Wildcats can not put away teams late in games. They should have gotten their signature win in Week 9. Week 9 instead became a game that will show why this season was capped at a good bowl game.
8. Wisconsin Badgers (5-3)
All their effort and energy were put into humbling the USC Trojans. This team had no type of resistance for the Hawkeyes. This was a comeback-to-live game for the Wisconsin Badgers, and it is clear they are not a contending team this year anymore.
9. Washington Huskies (5-3)
Demond Williams Jr. got his special moment with the Washington Huskies as he led a comeback victory coming off the bench. That may have been exactly what he needed to get his mojo back. All the Huskies needed was a trustworthy back with confidence, and it was an interesting path to getting that, but they have it now.
10. Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-3)
The Nebraska Cornhuskers got great news that starting quarterback Anthony Colandrea will be returning next season. That good news didn't translate to the field this past week, as Colandrea threw 3 interceptions. The story for the Nebraska Cornhuskers this season will be blown leads.
11. Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-3)
The Minnesota Gophers have been a hard team to read, but just like many teams facing the Indiana Hoosiers, they were up to the challenge. P.J. Fleck and the Gophers' biggest challenge will come in the final week of the season against the Wisconsin Badgers.
12. Michigan Wolverines (5-3)
This was a great week to back up the decision to start Tommy Carr. Carr elevated the Wolverines past the Rutgers Scarlet Knights; however, that is not an impressive win for Michigan. Coaching remains the biggest issue plaguing the Wolverines this season.
13. Penn State Nittany Lions (4-4)
The Penn State Nittany Lions' run game showed real life in Week 9, and that should be the formula moving forward to help this season end off on a good note.
14. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-3)
Knocking off the Maryland Terrapins by a game-winning field goal really sums up the Illinois Fighting Illini's contention status this season. Their record should take a huge hit in their upcoming games against real contenders.
15. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-6)
Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the best of the bad football teams. They took the Michigan Wolverines to the brink of an upset, but the play of Tommy Carr helped Michigan prevail. Rutgers has a legitimate shot at winning 2-3 more games this season, but even with that, this season still ends up being a very mediocre year.
16. Purdue Boilermakers (3-5)
This was a game the Purdue Boilermakers needed to have for their bowl game chances. Unfortunately, Ryan Browne simply has not been good enough for Purdue to have the same offensive success they had at the start of the season. Things will get uglier before they get better for Purdue.
17. Michigan State Spartans (2-6)
Michigan State Spartans got the week off, but that will not make much of a difference for the rest of the season as they have 3 games that should extend their long losing streak.
18. Maryland Terrapins (2-6)
The Maryland Terrapins played the Fighting Illini closely but are still a team deserving of the last spot in this ranking. The one thing to be hopeful about with this team is that it's still stuck in a sophomore slump.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Big Ten power rankings after Week 9 - USC rises back to top tier
