Big Ten Power Rankings: Don’t sleep on the Iowa Hawkeyes
By Mark Rogers
Jim O’Connor-USA TODAY Sports
The much anticipated Ohio State-Michigan State game is just two weeks away. The winner will most likely face Iowa for Big Ten supremacy. Which unbeaten owns the argument for best in the Big Ten right now in this week’s Big Ten Power Rankings.
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November 21st is coming. That’s the date circled on Big Ten calendars since the end of the 2014 season. Michigan State’s trip to Columbus to take on the defending national champions was supposed to be the game to decide conference supremacy and earn a berth in the College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes and Spartans remain undefeated and have garnered much of the attention for Big Ten teams this year, but don’t sleep on the Iowa Hawkeyes who are the third undefeated team in the Big Ten.
Despite Northwestern’s early statement vs Stanford. Regardless of Michigan’s emergence under Jim Harbaugh. And even with Iowa’s still unblemished record, the Buckeyes and Spartans remain on a collision course that will most likely decide the Big Ten and as a result deserve the top two spots in the Power Rankings.
But the gap between two and three where the Hawkeyes have been locked is growing smaller with each passing week. Iowa gets criticized for their strength of schedule, but it’s actually not bad, and you can still be a good team, even if you aren’t playing SEC West teams every week.
The games start to mean a little more moving forward and the pressure gets ratcheted up as championships are on the line, bowl berths up for grabs, coaches coaching for their jobs and players playing to boost their NFL Draft stock.
It’s going to be a great November in the Big Ten.
After reading through the Power Rankings entering Week 10, continue the conversation and let your voice be heard by leaving your reaction in the comments section with who you believe should be ranked higher or ranked lower. You can also chime in on our social media channels.
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