Conference play has officially begun, and the chaos is happening. Wisconsin got to be at the center of one of the biggest upsets on this list, and the rankings will reward them accordingly. Beating No. 13 Penn State in Happy Valley is huge for the Luke Fickell program. There were some other big Big Ten games that really did work on these Power Rankings. Minnesota beating Washington, Oregon beating USC, and Iowa beating Michigan are all part of the consideration.
1. Indiana Hoosiers
The Hoosiers had a scare against Northwestern, but it was the first real contest they've had all season. Indiana wasn't ready for real competition, but they pulled it off and remain at the top. Sitting at 4-0 on the season and 1-0 in the conference.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes needed a statement win after falling to Texas earlier in the season, blasting Illinois to the point where Bret Bielema fired his defensive coordinator in the game. It was a big win for the Buckeyes to keep their CFP dreams in front of them.
3. Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to knock off Michigan in Ann Arbor. It was a Big Ten statement game. While they get to be No. 3 in these rankings, there are still some big question marks about Michigan, so watch this Hawkeyes team closely as they play Ohio State this week. Are they pretenders or contenders?
4. UCLA Bruins
Speaking of pretenders or contenders... what do we do with the Bruins? 4-0 and now 1-0 in the Big Ten after stomping on Maryland 54-3. It looked like a Power-4 team versus an FCS squad; it was brutal. They face off against the Oregon Ducks this week, and that may be the true litmus test.
5. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska is flying high after a big win over Michigan State. They are 4-0 and 1-0 in the Big Ten. With Maryland on the docket this week, it's hard not to see them continue to rise in the rankings.
6. Wisconsin Badgers
The Badgers had the best win of the week and also jumped the most spots. They went into a hostile road environment and knocked off a No. 13 Penn State team. They did it without having the best quarterback play, being penalized more than the Nittany Lions, and fighting the noise.
7. Oregon Ducks
The Ducks may be the better team than the Badgers, but here's the rationale... Both teams are 3-1 and 1-0 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin has a win against No. 13 Penn State, while Oregon has a win against No. 12 USC. The Ducks were ranked No. 20 when taking on USC. So the Badgers had the way more improbable win. That gives them a slight bump. And let's be honest, a Badger fan is writing this.
8. USC Trojans
USC did not look like a legitimate contender for the Big Ten after the Oregon game. It was a home game too, and yet their defense looked like a collection of construction cones against the Ducks. Yet, the Trojans are still 4-1 on the season.
9. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Washington may be bad this year, but it's good for the Gophers to expose that. Going into Husky Stadium and pulling off the upset is good for PJ Fleck and his team.
10. Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State will be fine in terms of the first year of Matt Campbell's tenure. Don't be surprised to see them mop the floor with Northwestern this week. But the loss to Wisconsin was rough for the hopes of this season.
11. Washington Huskies
What is happening in the Pacific Northwest? The Huskies almost lost to Utah State and then actually did lose to Minnesota... AT HOME. This team is falling fast.
12. Northwestern Wildcats
The Wildcats have put up quite the fight this season. Beating Colorado was a statement, and then they almost pulled off the craziest upset of the weekend by beating No. 5 Indiana. Coming up just short, but still, maybe the Wildcats have some juice this season.
13. Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines have been underwhelming all season; the latest loss to Iowa is just another example of that.
14. Illinois Fighting Illini
Bret Bielema was looking for magic in the bottle two seasons in a row, but was reminded that Illinois is not a real contender in the Big Ten this week against Ohio State.
15. Michigan State Spartans
The Spartans were never supposed to be good this season, but they have a favorable schedule and could still make some noise in the Big Ten. The game against Wisconsin this week is the one where they need to find a way to knock off the Badgers at Camp Randall.
16. Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue ran up against Notre Dame this week, and Wisconsin fans know that all too well. Purdue has shown life this season but still can't get out of the basement of the Big Ten.
17. Maryland Terrapins
Maryland looked terrible this week. How does Mike Locksley still have a job?
18. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Still the worst team in the Big Ten, but got to play Howard this week and get a feel-good win.
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