Big Ten football power rankings after Week 9: Ohio State/Penn State collision course

The Ohio State Buckeyes have been my No. 1 team all season long in these Big Ten power rankings. I didn’t even waver from that take when Ryan Day’s team went out to Eugene and lost to Oregon, but I’m starting to question how bulletproof the Buckeyes actually are. 

Ohio State lost its starting left tackle, Josh Simmons, against Oregon and coming out of the bye on Saturday, struggled to block Nebraska. The Cornhuskers, fresh off a 56-7 drubbing at the hands of Indiana, had Ohio State on the ropes in the fourth quarter before a Dylan Raiola interception sealed it. To make matters worse, Simmons’ backup, Zen Michalski was carted off in the second half, forcing All-American left guard Donovan Jackson to kick out to tackle. 

In Week 10, the Buckeyes are heading to Happy Valley to play the No. 3 team in the country, James Franklin’s 7-0 Penn State Nittany Lions and it could be Franklin's best chance to beat the Buckeyes since a one-point loss in 2018, if his team is healthy by kickoff at Noon ET on Saturday. Star defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton went down in the first half of Penn State’s win over Wisconsin, and starting right tackle Anthony Donkoh had to be replaced by Nolan Rucci, but the biggest injury was to quarterback Drew Allar’s left knee. 

Allar was injured on a sack at the end of the first half and did not return after halftime. Backup Beau Pribula led a comeback victory, but if Allar can’t go, the Nittany Lions will have a tough time keeping pace with Ohio State’s loaded offense and taking advantage of a questionable secondary that the Ducks attacked. 

Ohio State has the most loaded roster in the country, and I'd still pick them straight-up against Oregon in a neutral-site Big Ten Championship game. The irony is if the Buckeyes lose to Penn State with this much talent and potentially miss the 12-team College Football Playoff, which would be in the cards with Indiana heading to Columbus in Week 13, then the man who assembled the roster could be on the hot seat for not living up to its expectations.

Quarterback injuries are going around at the moment, and Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers survived one on Saturday. Kurtis Rourke was lost in IU’s rout of Nebraska in Week 8, and in Week 9, with the help of a first-quarter pick-six along with a timely punt return, the Hoosiers stayed unbeaten with Tayven Jackson at quarterback. 

The top tier is clear, and the Illinois Fighting Illini are clearly not in it. Bret Bielema’s team played Penn State close in Happy Valley back in Week 5 in a 21-7 loss, but never had a real chance of pulling an upset, and then in Week 9 never made a game of it in Euguene. Oregon scored touchdowns on five of its six first-half possessions and cruised to a 38-9 win. 

Elsewhere in the conference, Michigan and USC both stopped their free-falls with home victories, USC beating Rutgers on Friday night and Michigan beating Michigan State on Saturday afternoon with Davis Warren back at QB.