A little bit of movement this week. I'm not sure Iowa is the best team, but at this point their resume is probably the best. Ohio State has convinced me they've fixed some of their issues, so I moved them. And I don't know what to do about Penn State until we know when Clifford will be back.
- Iowa – The Hawkeyes secure the top spot this week after their comeback victory over Penn State. They now have the inside track on the Big Ten West division and will look to get to 7-0 this weekend when they host Purdue.
- Ohio State – The Buckeyes jump up this week after another dominating win – this time crushing Maryland 66-17. They seem to have found their mojo and now get the week off before traveling to Indiana next week.
- Michigan – Michigan had to fight for the win in Lincoln before pulling out vs a Nebraska team that pulled out all the stops. They sit at 6-0 heading into the bye week and then host Northwestern. While you can't overlook anybody, the game vs MSU on October 30th looms large.
- Michigan State – The Spartans had perhaps their most “impressive” win of the season, winning on the road at Rutgers. They are 6-0 but the schedule does start to get tougher now. They’ll start on the road though against an Indiana team that may be better than their record - all three losses are to Top 10 teams.
- Penn State – Truth be told, if Sean Clifford had stayed healthy on Saturday, the Nittany Lions might have finished off Iowa and would be firmly sitting atop these rankings. They’ll need him healthy to have a chance to win the East Division. Luckily they have a bye this week and then host Illinois at home so they'll have three weeks to get him healthy.
- Minnesota – The Gophers enjoyed a bye week and now host an improving Nebraska team that is desperate for a win but may be suffering a hangover from the Michigan loss. The Gophers need this game as well to stay on track for a bowl game.
- Wisconsin – While QB Graham Mertz still struggled, the Badgers got their rushing attack back on track with 391 yards on the ground en route to a 24-0 shutout of Illinois in Champaign. They’ll need some help, but they are still in the running for the Big Ten West. They take a break from Big Ten play and host Army this weekend.
- Purdue – The Boilermakers had the week off to regroup from their loss to Minnesota. Unfortunately for them they travel to play #2 ranked Iowa this weekend in a game that will likely drop them to 3-3.
- Nebraska – A valiant effort from Scott Frost’s squad came up short against Michigan to fall to 3-4. They Huskers are better than their record but with Wisconsin, Iowa, and OSU left on the schedule, this weekend at Minnesota is an absolute must win if they want to have a chance at a bowl. And even then they’ll need to upset one of those big three to do it.
- Rutgers – The Scarlet Knights end up here by default after a 31-13 home loss to Michigan State that could’ve been closer if they could figure out their red zone offense. They are 0-3 in conference play but all three losses are to Top 10 teams. There are enough wins left on the schedule to get them to a bowl game, but they have to win this weekend in Evanston against Northwestern and then two weeks later at Illinois.
- Maryland – After starting 4-0 the Terps have had back to back blowout losses to Iowa and Ohio State. They get the week off to regroup before a road game at Minnesota.
- Indiana – The Hoosiers sit at 2-3 coming off of the bye week and starting quarterback Michael Penix is injured. They host MSU this weekend and will be looking for the upset to get back to .500 and on track for a bowl game.
- Northwestern – Northwestern comes off the bye week in an interesting situation. They are 2-3 and were blown out in their last game vs Nebraska, but there could be 4 more wins on the schedule to get them bowl eligible. They’ll have to start with a victory over Rutgers this weekend at home.
- Illinois – A week after beating Charlotte, the Fighting Illini returned to form, getting shutout by Wisconsin at home. At 2-5 with road games at PSU and Iowa left, the Illini are just playing out the string. They are off this week before going to Happy Valley.
