Rutgers-centric Big Ten Football Power Rankings Week 7, 2019
By Ed Stein
This week Empire Writes Back unveils our Big Ten Football Power Rankings (with a Rutgers twist). Four undefeated teams are fighting for the top spot.
Welcome to the first edition of our Big Ten Power Rankings. Now through the end of November, we will do this on a weekly basis. The conference finished Week 7 of the 2019 season with six Top 25 teams, which includes three in the top seven, as well as four undefeated teams. As of now, the Big Ten will have something to say about who gets into the College Football Playoff in January.
Last week, the rich got richer, and the poor were worse off than they were on Saturday morning. The haves and have-nots are a good way to define the Big Ten football teams at this juncture of the 2019 season. There is somewhat of a middle class, but compared to the top teams, those schools are in a much lower income bracket.
Here is our Rutgers-centric Power Ranking for the week ending October 12, 2019
The Basement
14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-5, 0-4 Big Ten)
Last Week: Rutgers was stomped once again in a conference game. This time it was Indiana who did them in, as the Scarlet Knights went down 35-0. It should have been much worse. Rutgers gained a total of 75 yards, including ONE YARD PASSING. I can’t remember the last time I saw anything close to that in a football game played at the NCAA Division 1 level (FCS & FBS), or higher.
RU’s defense wasn’t much better, allowing the Hoosiers 557 yards. This one underscores just how bad the 2019 season is going for Rutgers. Ever since QB McLane Carter suffered a concussion in game two, the Knights have been in a downward spiral. It’s like watching someone slowly drown in quicksand and not being able to help.
This Week vs No. 20 Minnesota: Rutgers is going to sink a little deeper into the quicksand this week at home against 20th ranked Minnesota. The Big Ten West Division-leading Golden Gophers have scored an average of 35.5 points per game, and will probably blow that number out of the water on Saturday. At, least Minnesota’s defense hasn’t been so great this season. They gave up 21 points to South Dakota State and barely pulled out a “W” in a 35-32 victory over Georgia Southern in their third game. Even so, it’s going to be another lopsided loss for Rutgers.