B1G Life, B1G Stage: B1G Review- Weak 6

If you take a look at the Coaches Poll this week, you will not see any Big Ten teams listed.

If that seems unusual to you, it should. This marks the first time in the history of the poll where no Big Ten teams are represented.

Ohio State is ineligible for the Coaches poll or it would be ranked, but the fact that none of the other 11 teams are speaks volumes about the state of the conference.

My eyes tell me, though, that the two best teams in the Big Ten are Michigan and Ohio State–the way it should be.

Michigan dominated Purdue by an eye-opening 44-13 margin. Many thought the Boilermakers would represent the Leaders Division in the B1G Championship Game, and they still may, but Purdue was run off the field by the Wolverines.

Ohio State’s defense may not have been all that impressive. But the Buckeyes’ offense more than made up for that, as OSU defeated Nebraska 63-38.

The Buckeyes’ next opponent, Indiana, jumped all over Michigan State at the start of the game. In the end, though, the Hoosiers fell to the Spartans 31-27. Indiana will welcome Ohio State into the primetime spotlight on Saturday night, though I’m not sure if that is a good thing for Hoosier fans.

Northwestern suffered its first loss of the season to Penn State, falling 39-28. The Nittany Lions trailed 28-17 entering the fourth quarter, but scored 22 points in the final quarter to earn the comeback victory. After losing its first two games of the season, Penn State has won four straight and now sits at 4-2 on the year.

Illinois continues to make its case for worst team in the Big Ten as the Illini fell to Wisconsin, 31-14. It was the third consecutive loss for Illinois.

After two weeks of Big Ten play, here’s a look at how the conference looks so far:

This week in the Big Ten features an intriguing game between Iowa and Michigan State. The Spartans didn’t look great in their win over Indiana and Iowa, coming off of a bye week, will look to stay unbeaten in Big Ten play.

Another game to keep your eyes on is Wisconsin @ Purdue. The winner of this game will likely represent the Leaders Division in the B1G Championship Game.