The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2018 THE WOLVERINE 47 Some recent conference heavyweights are struggling while Michigan is laying in the weeds, positioning itself for a top-five (at least) finish. Here's where the Big Ten teams ranked as of Dec. 17 in our estimation: 14. Iowa (6-6 overall, 0-2 Big Ten) — Attrition cost the Hawkeyes much of a very good team, leading to a 6-6 start that included losses to Louisiana-Lafayette and South Da- kota State. U-M's next Big Ten opponent (on the road Jan. 2) started conference play with losses to Penn State and Indiana. 13. Wisconsin (5-7, 1-1) — The Badgers have a lot of work to do to get back to the top of the Big Ten, where they have spent much of the last decade. Wisconsin lost by 25 at home to Ohio State before sneaking out of Happy Valley with a one-point win at PSU. 12. Illinois (8-5, 0-2) — The Fighting Illini started 6-0 and then lost five of their next seven games, including a loss to New Mexico State in Chi- cago … the only team with a pulse it's played in the non- conference slate. Illinois lost at Northwestern and blew one at home to Maryland, losing by one after seeming to have taken control late. 11. Indiana (6-6, 1-1) — The Hoosiers began the sea- son with a blowout loss to In- diana State, but then started to improve. They beat No. 18 Notre Dame, gave then-No. 1 Duke all it could handle in Bloomington and seemed to be making strides under new head coach Archie Miller … and then lost to Fort Wayne by 20 Dec. 18. 10. Rutgers (10-3, 0-2) — The Scarlet Knights hadn't beaten anybody good until upsetting No. 15 Seton Hall Dec. 16, an impressive win. Rutgers played Michigan State tough at home and were only blown out once, a 22-point loss at Minnesota. 9. Penn State (9-3, 1-1) — The Nittany Lions have made strides under Pat Chambers and are a point away from be- ing 2-0 in conference play. An 85-54 win over rival Pitt and a road win at Iowa highlight the early schedule, but this squad still has a lot to prove. 8. Nebraska (7-5, 1-1) — The Cornhuskers got a nice win against Boston College and another over Minnesota after getting pounded at Michigan State, and though they lost their last two (at Creighton and versus Kansas), they played tough in both games. The Jayhawks needed a triple down the stretch to win 73-72. 7. Northwestern (8-4, 1-1) — Ranked to start the season, the Wildcats have struggled a bit under the weight of ex- pectations. They lost by 36 to Texas Tech and have struggled with some bad teams recently, including a 62-60 win over DePaul. They're well coached under Chris Collins, though, and have potential. 6. Maryland (10-3, 1-1) — The Terrapins posted a double- digit win against Butler, but also have losses to St. Bonaven- ture, Syracuse and Purdue. They had to come from behind at Illinois to avoid an 0-2 Big Ten start, but there's talent on this team and a good chance they'll be among the top five by year's end. 5. Michigan (10-3, 1-1) — John Beilein's team had its struggles in a few non- conference games, but it also picked up a couple of the league's more impressive wins in beating UCLA and Texas. This team would be in great shape had it just held on to a 20-point lead at Ohio State, but it's steadily improv- ing. 4. Minnesota (9-3, 1-1) — The Golden Gophers posted double-digit losses to both Nebraska and Arkansas, and they nearly allowed an Ala- bama team playing with only three players over the final 10-plus minutes to upset them in November. Minne- sota also narrowly escaped Drake, winning by only a point, and seems to be re- gressing. 3. Ohio State (9-3, 2-0) — The Buckeyes started slowly, blowing big leads against Butler and Clemson in losses, but they began the Big Ten season 2-0 with a blowout win at Wisconsin and a come-from-behind victory over Michigan. This team has some talent and seems to be com- ing together. 2. Purdue (11-2, 2-0) — After puzzling losses to Tennessee and Western Kentucky, the Boilermakers came back with wins against Arizona, Louisville, Maryland and Northwest- ern. They've won three since the victory over the Wildcats, including a 15-point win over Butler. This is a good and well- coached team. 1. Michigan State (11-1, 2-0) — The Spartans are the best team in the Big Ten with no close second and a legitimate national title contender. They've blown out good teams like North Carolina and Notre Dame, and have the talent to run the table in the conference. — Chris Balas Freshman guard Jordan Poole helped the Wolverines take their Big Ten opener versus Indiana, coming off the bench to score 19 points in a 69-55 victory Dec. 2. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Judging The Big Ten Heading Into Conference Play