Vaughn Dalzell shares his Big Ten power rankings with teams like Illinois and Michigan State closing in on Purdue.
1. Purdue Boilermakers (18-2, 7-2)
Upcoming games: Saturday against Rutgers (-12), Wednesday against Northwestern (-15) *Projected line*
Odds to win the Big Ten: (-350)
Purdue is riding a four-game winning streak heading into Sunday's road game against Rutgers and once again leads the poll. With upcoming matchups against Rutgers, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Indiana and Minnesota, the Boilermakers are looking to overcome perhaps the toughest remaining period of the regular season.
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2. Wisconsin Badgers (15-4, 7-1)
Upcoming games: Friday vs. Michigan State (-5), Thursday vs. Nebraska (-1)
*Projected line*
Odds to win the Big Ten: (+380)
The Badgers bounced back from a road loss at Penn State with back-to-back wins over Indiana and Minnesota. The road won't be easy for Wisconsin, with home games against Michigan State and Purdue over the next 10 days, as well as a road game at Nebraska. Wisconsin is currently in 2A for this next team.
3. Illinois Fighting Illini (14-4, 5-2)
Upcoming games: Wednesday against Northwestern (-4), Saturday against Indiana (-14) *Projected line*
Odds to win the Big Ten: (+600)
Terrence Shannon Jr. returned to Illinois and the Fighting Illini earned a win over Rutgers. Shannon had 16 points, four assists, and one steal in the win. With Shannon on the court, the University of Illinois has a chance to win the national championship with a deep bench that was utilized during the six-game absence (4-2 record).
4. Michigan State Spartans (12-7, 4-4)
Upcoming games: Friday against Wisconsin (+5), Tuesday against Michigan (-9)
*Projected line*
Odds to win the Big Ten: (+4000)
Michigan State's stock is rising as the Spartans extend their second-longest winning streak of the season. A win over Wisconsin could put Michigan State in a position to live up to its preseason excitement.
After the Wisconsin game, Michigan State had an eight-game advantage, winning 10 of its final 11 games to end the season (Purdue's only underdog). If you believe in MSU, now is the time to buy the stock, but if you don't, you'll get great value by weakening the Spartans.
5. Iowa Hawkeyes (11-7, 3-4)
Upcoming games: Wednesday vs. Maryland (-5), Saturday vs. Michigan (-1)
*Projected line*
Odds to win the Big Ten: (+5000)
Through eight games, Iowa State boasts the best 3-point defense in the Big Ten (27.3%) and ranks among the top five in the nation in offensive turnover rate (13.2%). If the Hawkeyes can get road wins over Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State in three of their next four games, Iowa State will become a team that gets even more buzz in the media as a March sleeper.
However, six of the seven losses were against higher-ranked teams (Purdue twice, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Creighton, Oklahoma), so maybe the Hawkeyes are a team that wins when they should and loses when they should lose late in the game. unknown.
6. Nebraska Cornhuskers (15-5, 5-4)
Upcoming games: Saturday against Maryland (+1), Thursday against Wisconsin (+1)
*Projected line*
Odds to win the Big Ten: (+12000)
Nebraska was going in a bad direction, but wins at home against Northwestern State and Ohio State put them back in the middle of the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers have the second-fastest offense in conference play, but the slowest defense, making it a tough matchup. But if the team can shoot the three-ball, they can beat Nebraska (40.7%, last in the Big Ten).
7. Northwestern Wildcats (13-5, 4-3)
Upcoming games: Wednesday vs. Illinois (+4), Saturday vs. Ohio State (-2)
*Projected line*
Odds to win the Big Ten: (+18000)
Northwestern has its lone win over Maryland in two of its last three games. Two of the next three games include Purdue and Illinois, so the Wildcats will still have to face teams like Ohio State, Minnesota and Michigan State. Northwestern is very close to becoming a Big Ten contender.
8. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (10-8, 2-5)
Upcoming games: Sunday vs. Purdue (+12), Wednesday vs. Penn State (-5)
*Projected line*
Odds to win the Big Ten: (+50000)
Rutgers had a week off in preparation for back-to-back home games against Purdue and Penn State. Since 2020, Rutgers has won five of six regular season games against Purdue and four of seven against Penn State. The split is extremely important as Rutgers has lost four straight on the road and is now 2-5 in league play.
9. Indiana Hoosiers (12-7, 4-4)
Upcoming games: Saturday against Illinois (+14), Tuesday against Iowa (+2)
*Projected line*
Odds to win the Big Ten: (+30000)
Things aren't looking good for Indiana at the moment, as the Hoosiers have lost two straight, three of their last four games and four of their last six. The Hoosiers have a week of rest, which may be just what Indiana needs to stay above .500 in Big Ten play (currently 4-4).
The odds are against the Hoosiers, as Indiana is favored in only two of the next 10 games until the end of the regular season.
10. Minnesota Golden Gophers (12-7, 3-5)
Upcoming games: Saturday vs. Penn State (+1), Saturday vs. Northwestern (-1) *Projected line*
Odds to win the Big Ten: (+50000)
The Gophers may be the coldest team in the Big Ten, as Minnesota has lost four straight. The Path to Victory will have three of its next four games at home, but those games will be against Wisconsin, Northwestern and Michigan State.
Minnesota appears to have peaked with a seven-game winning streak from Dec. 6 to Jan. 7. The Gophers are enduring a tough period that will determine the success or failure of this team's return to the tournament.
11. Ohio State Buckeyes (13-6, 3-5)
Upcoming games: Saturday vs. Northwestern (+2), Tuesday vs. Illinois (+4)
*Projected line*
Odds to win the Big Ten: (+50000)
The Buckeyes' loss to Nebraska marked Ohio State's 12th straight road game since last season. OSU plays one more road game on the deck at Northwestern before playing at home against Illinois before heading to Iowa for its third road game in four contests. It's safe to assume that OSU is in a tough spot.
12. Maryland Terrapins (11-8, 3-5)
Upcoming games: Wednesday against Iowa (+5), Saturday against Nebraska (+1)
*Projected line*
Odds to win the Big Ten: (+50000)
Maryland has dropped three games in a row and five of its past seven as it continues to turn the ball over.
The Terps turned the ball over 65 times in their five conference losses, shooting 25-of-89 (28%) from deep. Conference games like this are hard to win, and Maryland's season may be determined by those two factors, as it has been an underdog in six of the Big Ten's last 12 games.
13. Penn State Nittany Lions (9-10, 3-5)
Upcoming games: Saturday vs. Minnesota (-1), Wednesday vs. Rutgers (+5)
*Projected line*
Odds to win the Big Ten: (+50000)
Saturday's matchup with Minnesota will be an important game as it is one of two remaining games in which the Nittany Lions are projected to be the favorites (vs. Indiana, -2). Penn State has lost 10 of its past 15 games, with all five wins coming at home.
14. Michigan Wolverines (7-12, 2-6)
Upcoming games: Saturday vs. Iowa State (+1), Tuesday vs. Michigan State (+11)
*Projected line*
Odds to win the Big Ten: (+50000)
The Wolverines' struggles continued after the loss to Purdue, with Michigan losing seven of its past eight games. Their only win was a home win against Ohio State, notoriously the worst road team in the conference. Like Penn State, Michigan is projected to remain a favorite in his two games remaining in the season (vs. Rutgers, -4, vs. Nebraska, -1).
Big Ten Power Rankings posted
- Purdue (-350)
- Wisconsin (+380)
- Illinois (+600)
- Michigan State University (+4000)
- Iowa (+50000)
- Nebraska (+12000)
- Northwest (+18000)
- Rutgers (+50000)
- Indiana (+30000)
- Minnesota (+50000)
- Ohio (+25000)
- Maryland (+50000)
- Pennsylvania (+50000)
- Michigan (+50000)
*B1G Ten regular season championship odds (provided by DraftKings)
Developments from last week:
Go up: Michigan State (5th), Iowa (6th), Nebraska (7th), Rutgers (10th)
Going down: Northwestern (4th), Indiana (8th), Minnesota (9th)
