The college football world is through 10 weeks of football, 11 if you count the weird week 0 that was thrown in the mix, and yet we still don't have the Big Ten figured out. It's a mess. If you thought you had it figured out, something changes, like Oregon upsetting Ohio State, to disrupt the whole thing. Who had UCLA as the top team on their preseason bingo card?
Let's re-rank the entire Big Ten after 10 weeks, and this week even brought some more disruption to the whole picture.
1. UCLA Bruins
There is still some talk about the UCLA Bruins being imposters, as they've had a pretty manageable Big Ten schedule. Yet, in hindsight, that win over Oregon and Wisconsin are starting to look better and better. Those two teams are tied for third in the conference. So, give the flowers to UCLA; they are undefeated and continue to roll.
2. Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana was on a bye this week, but sits alone at second in the conference standings and in these power rankings.
3. Iowa Hawkeyes
The Hawkeyes had that weird loss to Minnesota, but other than that, their resume is pretty clean. They only have two losses, and now they cruise into a very manageable part of their schedule. Illinois may be the only roadblock left.
4. Oregon Ducks
Oregon has had a really strange season, but the talent on the roster has always been there. It took Dan Lanning a while to tap into it, but against the Buckeyes, the Ducks showed up and showed out. That was a massive win for them, to set things back on course. With three losses already, it may be a little too late for the CFP, but you truly never know.
5. Ohio State Buckeyes
Losing to Oregon was not part of the plan, and now the Buckeyes have two losses in a row and three on the season. They still have wins over Iowa and Indiana, so they have to remain at the top of this pile, but it's not pretty right now for Ohio State.
6. Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin has three losses, but they are all against ranked teams: Notre Dame, UCLA, and Iowa. The Badgers even have a ranked win over USC. So, the Iowa loss was embarrassing, but they haven't had an actual bad loss like some of the other teams in this top half of the Big Ten.
7. Illinois Fightin Illini
The Illini have rattled off four wins in a row. They are getting hot at the right time, but are also about to take on their biggest stretch of the season. The next three games to close out conference play are against UCLA, Iowa, and Northwestern.
8. USC Trojans
USC beating Ohio State looks less impressive now. However, if they can beat Indiana this weekend, then give them their cake and let them eat it.
9. Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern had their moment this season, but the team is crashing now. Yet, with a similar resume to Wisconsin (with one more Big Ten loss), they hang out in this same top area of the Big Ten. Finding a way to beat Ohio State this weekend would go a long way.
10. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota has a really weird-looking resume. A loss to Purdue but a win over Iowa? A loss to Mississippi State but a win over Washington? This team is weird.
11. Penn State
Ok, after Minnesota, the Big Ten crashes hard this season. The rest of the conference is pretty terrible. If Penn State is taking the No. 11 spot, you know there are some problems. They have four losses in the Big Ten.
12. Washington Huskies
The Huskies feel a bit like the Ducks but have never capitalized. A team that has a ton of talent on paper, a well-respected coaching staff, and yet four conference losses, and the latest loss to Penn State, was hard to watch.
13. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Matt Rhule is on the hot seat as Nebraska fans are growing more and more frustrated. The Cornhuskers have lost four in a row and have to close the season with Rutgers, Ohio State, and Iowa. They may only win one more game.
14. Michigan State Spartans
A big win over their rival, Michigan, propels them up this list, even if they only have one win in the Big Ten. If they can go back-to-back and beat Washington this week, that would go a long way for next year's hopes.
15. Michigan Wolverines
When was the last time we had a coach be considered a home run hire to be fired later that season? It hasn't happened yet to Kyle Whittingham, but it feels like it's trending that way. The Wolverines are closing the season with Oregon, UCLA, and Ohio State. Will they even win another game?
16. Maryland Terrapins
Maryland quietly beat Purdue this weekend and almost beat Illinois last weekend. There's a bit of momentum happening after Mike Locksley was fired.
17. Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue has done more in the Big Ten this year than it has in a long time, but two conference wins are still a bad program. Losing to Maryland is ugly.
18. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Greg Schiano may only have a job because Rutgers doesn't have high expectations. They beat Maryland weeks ago, and that gave them the high they needed. However, there are three winnable games in front of them: Nebraska, Penn State, and Michigan State.
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