Ohio State Rises In Week Nine Polls

The Week Nine AP and USA Today Coaches’ polls were released on Monday and five Big Ten teams were fortunate enough to make the cut, including Purdue who topped both polls. Unfortunately, while it was nice to see five teams ranked, a few others dropped.

Here is where the Big Ten landed:

Week Nine AP Poll:

• No. 1 - Purdue
• No. 14 - Wisconsin
• No. 15 - Indiana
• No. 24 - Ohio State
• Receiving Votes: Illinois, Michigan State

Week Nine USA Today Coaches’ Poll:

• No. 1 - Purdue
• No. 15 - Wisconsin
• No. 19 - Indiana
• No. 23 - Ohio State
• No. 24 - Illinois
• Receiving Votes: Michigan State, Penn State, Maryland

The biggest story this week was Ohio State, who rose into both polls after two solid wins, including a notable win on the road against Northwestern on Sunday. It stood out among all Big Ten results, particularly given how well the Wildcats had been playing.

The other major story continues to be Purdue’s spot atop the rankings. Unfortunately for Boilermaker fans, soon after the rankings were released, Purdue fell at home to Rutgers. As such, this is likely the final week Purdue will be ranked No. 1 for at least the near future.

Penn State also finally started getting some respect among the voters, which has to be a great sign for the Nittany Lions. The squad continues to impress and could easily enter the top 25 with just a few more wins. The team will get two great opportunities to build its resume this week with Michigan on the road on Wednesday and Purdue on Sunday.