\t3. Oregon (6-1, 3-1)<\/p>\n
\n\tWins: Montana State (59-13), Oklahoma State (69-3), at Northwestern (34-14), Oregon State (41-7), at Penn State (30-24), at Rutgers (56-10)
Losses: Indiana (20-30)
Last Week: 3\n<\/p>\n
\n\tOregon responded to its loss to Indiana with a vengeance, scoring 56 points (in just three quarters) on a whopping 750 yards of offense at Rutgers. The Ducks have beaten up on a lot of bad teams \u2013 Northwestern is the only FBS team they\u2019ve defeated that has a winning record this season \u2013 but they certainly pass the eye test as a playoff-caliber team with an offense and a defense that both rank in the top 10 nationally.\n<\/p>\n
\t4. Illinois (5-2, 2-2)<\/p>\n
\n\tWins: Western Illinois (52-3), at Duke (45-19), Western Michigan (38-0), USC (34-32), Purdue (43-27)
Losses: at Indiana (10-63), Ohio State (16-34)
Last Week: 6\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThanks to USC and Washington both losing in Week 8, Illinois climbed two spots in the Big Ten Power Rankings despite being the conference\u2019s only team on a bye this past weekend. Considering their two losses are to the top two teams in the country, the Fighting Illini could still have a shot at the College Football Playoff if they win the rest of their regular-season games \u2013 and the toughest remaining game on their schedule is their road trip to Washington this upcoming weekend.\n<\/p>\n
\t5. USC (5-2, 3-1)<\/p>\n
\n\tWins: Missouri State (73-13), Georgia Southern (59-20), at Purdue (33-17), Michigan State (45-31), Michigan (31-13)
Losses: at Illinois (32-34), at Notre Dame (24-34)
Last Week: 4\n<\/p>\n
\n\tUSC traveled to Notre Dame with a real chance to build momentum for itself as a CFP contender following its 18-point win over Michigan, but the Trojans turned the ball over on their final four possessions in South Bend to squander a second-half lead and suffer a 10-point loss. Dating back to last season, the Trojans are 2-6 in their first eight road games as a Big Ten member, and they\u2019re now one loss away from being knocked out of the playoff race.\n<\/p>\n
\t6. Michigan (5-2, 3-1)<\/p>\n
\n\tWins: New Mexico (34-17), Central Michigan (63-3), at Nebraska (30-27), Wisconsin (24-10), Washington (24-7)
Losses: at Oklahoma (13-24), at USC (13-31)
Last Week: 7\n<\/p>\n
\n\tMichigan responded to its loss to USC with its most impressive win of the season, shutting down what had been an explosive Washington offense to pull away in the second half for a 17-point win.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n\tLike USC, the Wolverines have lost their two biggest road games so far this season, and their loss to the Trojans keeps them outside of the top five. But their stout defensive performance against the Huskies showed Ohio State\u2019s rival is still a dangerous team.\n<\/p>\n
\t7. Iowa (5-2, 3-1)<\/p>\n
\n\tWins: Albany (34-7), UMass (47-7), at Rutgers (38-28), at Wisconsin (37-0), Penn State (25-24)
Losses: at Iowa State (14-17), Indiana (15-20)
Last Week: 9\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Hawkeyes have built their 5-2 record by beating up on bad teams \u2013 none of the five teams they\u2019ve beaten have defeated a Power 4 team yet this season \u2013 and they still have one of the nation\u2019s worst passing offenses. But they\u2019ve won the games they\u2019re supposed to win and played everyone tough, with their five-point loss to Indiana being the closest anyone\u2019s come to beating either of the Big Ten\u2019s top two teams.\n<\/p>\n
\t8. Minnesota (5-2, 3-1)<\/p>\n
\n\tWins: Buffalo (23-10), Northwestern State (66-0), Rutgers (31-28), Purdue (27-20), Nebraska (24-6)
Losses: at California (14-27), at Ohio State (3-42)
Last Week: 13\n<\/p>\n
\n\tMinnesota is the big riser in this week\u2019s Big Ten Power Rankings thanks to its dominant second half against Nebraska, in which the Golden Gophers outscored the Cornhuskers 17-0 to take down a team that was ranked 25th in the AP poll.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n\tDespite an underwhelming first half of the season that included an ugly loss to Cal and a blowout loss at Ohio State, it suddenly looks realistic for P.J. Fleck\u2019s squad to win eight-plus games for the fourth time in five years, with winnable games against Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern and Wisconsin still left on the schedule.\n<\/p>\n
\t9. Washington (5-2, 2-2)<\/p>\n
\n\tWins: Colorado State (38-21), UC Davis (70-10), at Washington State (59-24), at Maryland (24-20), Rutgers (38-19)
Losses: Ohio State (6-24), at Michigan (7-24)
Last Week: 5\n<\/p>\n
\n\tAs dynamic as Demond Williams Jr. and Washington\u2019s offense have looked against lesser opponents, they\u2019ve been shut down by both of the two contending teams they\u2019ve faced. None of the four FBS teams they\u2019ve beaten has a winning record this season, and their single-digit scorelines against Ohio State and Michigan don\u2019t inspire a ton of confidence in their ability to win their remaining big games against Illinois and Oregon.\n<\/p>\n
\t![\"Denzel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/USATSI_27359003.jpg\" "\\"Denzel")
<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWashington tumbles four spots in this week\u2019s Big Ten Power Rankings after a sluggish performance vs. Michigan. (Photo:\u00a0Junfu Han\/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)\n\t<\/p>\n
\t10. Nebraska (5-2, 2-2)<\/p>\n
\n\tWins: Cincinnati (20-17), Akron (68-0), Houston Christian (59-7), Michigan State (38-27), at Maryland (34-31)
Losses: Michigan (27-30), at Minnesota (6-24)
Last Week: 8\n<\/p>\n
\n\tAfter a week full of speculation that Matt Rhule could be Penn State\u2019s next coach, his stock as a job candidate took an immediate hit as his Cornhuskers laid an egg in a game they were favored to win. Losing winnable games has been a far too consistent occurrence for Nebraska for the past decade, and the Cornhuskers have now done it twice this season.\n<\/p>\n
\t11. Northwestern (5-2, 3-1)<\/p>\n
\n\tWins: Western Illinois (42-7), UCLA (17-14), UL Monroe (42-3), at Penn State (22-21), Purdue (19-0)
Losses: at Tulane (3-23), Oregon (14-34)
Last Week: 10\n<\/p>\n
\n\tNorthwestern still owns the third-longest winning streak in the Big Ten, earning its fourth straight win with a shutout of Purdue on Saturday. The schedule gets much tougher from here for the Wildcats, who have defeated just one team with a Power 4 win this season (UCLA), but they\u2019ve won the games they were supposed to win except for their season opener at Tulane, leaving them in need of just one upset against Nebraska, USC, Michigan, Minnesota or Illinois to earn bowl eligibility.\n<\/p>\n
\t12. UCLA (3-4, 3-1)<\/p>\n
\n\tWins: Penn State (42-37), at Michigan State (38-13), Maryland (20-17)
Losses: Utah (10-43), at UNLV (23-30), New Mexico (10-35), at Northwestern (14-17)
Last Week: 12\n<\/p>\n
\n\tUCLA scored 13 points in the final four minutes vs. Maryland to secure its third straight win, now the fourth-longest winning streak in the Big Ten. All of the Bruins\u2019 wins have come against bottom-six teams in the conference, and their five remaining games are all against tougher opponents, but their resurgence under interim head coach Tim Skipper and offensive coordinator Jerry Neuheisel has been impressive no matter what happens the rest of the season.\n<\/p>\n
\t13. Maryland (4-3, 1-3)<\/p>\n
\n\tWins: FAU (39-7), Northern Illinois (20-9), Towson (44-17), at Wisconsin (27-10)
Losses: Washington (20-24), Nebraska (31-34), at UCLA (17-20)
Last Week: 11\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThe September Terps didn\u2019t beat the allegations. After an encouraging 4-0 start to the year, Mike Locksley\u2019s squad played right into the stereotypical narrative by losing all three of their October games. It\u2019s become increasingly evident that their perfect September had more to do with their competition than anything else, as none of the four teams Maryland has beaten have a winning record this year.\n<\/p>\n
\t14. Penn State (3-4, 0-4)<\/p>\n
\n\tWins: Nevada (46-11), Florida International (34-0), Villanova (52-6)
Losses: Oregon (24-30), at UCLA (37-42), Northwestern (21-22), at Iowa (24-25)
Last Week: 18\n<\/p>\n
\n\tPenn State moves up from the very bottom of the Big Ten rankings not because it accomplished anything in Week 8, but because of how bad the other four winless teams in conference play performed.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Nittany Lions squandered their shot to beat Iowa by allowing a two-play touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, and they still haven\u2019t beaten a Power 4 opponent, making them \u2013 along with Clemson \u2013 one of college football\u2019s two most disappointing teams this season. But they were and have been at least competitive in defeat, which can\u2019t be said for the four teams ranked below them.\n<\/p>\n
\t15. Michigan State (3-4, 0-4)<\/p>\n
\n\tWins: Western Michigan (23-6), Boston College (42-40), Youngstown State (41-24)
Losses: at USC (31-45), at Nebraska (27-38), UCLA (13-38), at Indiana (13-38)
Last Week: 15\n<\/p>\n
\n\tMichigan State has now suffered back-to-back 25-point losses by the exact same scoreline and have lost all four of their Big Ten games by double digits. Their best win this season is a double-overtime victory over Boston College, which hasn\u2019t beaten an FBS team this year. Ranking among the Big Ten\u2019s worst teams on both sides of the ball, the Spartans appear destined for their fourth consecutive losing season.\n<\/p>\n
\t16. Purdue (2-5, 0-4)<\/p>\n
\n\tWins: Ball State (31-0), Southern Illinois (34-17)
Losses: at USC (17-33), at Notre Dame (30-56), Illinois (27-43), at Minnesota (20-27), at Northwestern (0-19)
Last Week: 16\n<\/p>\n
\n\tPurdue\u2019s offense kept the Boilermakers competitive in their first three Big Ten games, but they took a big step back against Northwestern, failing to score a single point. The Boilermakers have now lost 14 straight Big Ten games dating back to last season. This week\u2019s game against Rutgers is their last realistic shot at ending that drought before they close the season with Michigan, Ohio State, Washington and Indiana.\n<\/p>\n
\t17. Rutgers (3-4, 0-4)<\/p>\n
\n\tWins: Ohio (34-31), Miami-Ohio (45-17), Norfolk State (60-10)
Losses: Iowa (28-38), at Minnesota (28-31), at Washington (19-38), Oregon (10-56)
Last Week: 14\n<\/p>\n
\n\tGreg Schiano hasn\u2019t had a defense this disappointing since his final season as Ohio State\u2019s defensive coordinator in 2018. Rutgers\u2019 defense is by far the worst in the Big Ten and one of the worst in the entire country, and the Scarlet Knights\u2019 offense was just as hapless in their blowout home loss to Oregon. After back-to-back 7-6 seasons, Schiano\u2019s squad has taken a clear step back this year.\n<\/p>\n
\t18. Wisconsin (2-5, 0-4)<\/p>\n
\n\tWins: Miami-Ohio (17-0), Middle Tennessee State (42-10)
Losses: at Alabama (14-38), Maryland (10-27), at Michigan (10-24), Iowa (0-37), Ohio State (0-34)
Last Week: 17\n<\/p>\n
\n\tAfter seeing how bad Wisconsin was in person over the weekend, I had to move them to the bottom of the rankings. The Badgers have now gone two full games without scoring a single point, and their 34-0 loss to Ohio State felt even more lopsided than the final result. With the worst offense in the Power 4 and an unrelenting schedule that includes five more games against teams in the top nine of these rankings, a 2-10 season looks increasingly likely for the Badgers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Seven games into the season, the Big Ten has a clear Big Three and a Bottom Five, with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":243641,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[399,398,396,397,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-243640","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-ncaa","10":"tag-ncaa-football","11":"tag-ncaafootball","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243640\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}