Each week during the regular season, BadgerBlitz.com will compile a power rankings article that ranks each program in the conference from best to worst. While there wasn't much movement at the top or bottom of the rankings, the teams jockeying for position in the middle of the conference saw some shuffling this week.
Without further ado, here's every team in the conference ranked from first to worst:
1. Oregon Ducks
WEEK 9 RESULT: Beat Illinois, 38-9
PREVIOUS RANK: 1
MOVEMENT: N/A
Oregon proved it was the better football team a few minutes into this one at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks rolled over the Illini, flexing their might before an intriguing matchup with Michigan on Saturday.
2. Penn State Nittany Lions
WEEK 9 RESULT: Beat Wisconsin, 28-13
PREVIOUS RANK: 2
MOVEMENT: N/A
Penn State dominated in the second half in Madison, once again authoring a road "comeback" — although they were only ever down three points. Can James Franklin and company slay the dragon that is Ohio State this week?
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
WEEK 8 RESULT: Beat Nebraska, 21-17
PREVIOUS RANK: 3
MOVEMENT: N/A
There's a rather indescribable lackadaisical feeling around this Ohio State team. They looked almost disinterested until Nebraska took the lead with 10 minutes left. Were they looking ahead to their road trip to No. 3 Penn State this week?
4. Indiana Hoosiers
WEEK 8 RESULT: Beat Washington, 31-17
PREVIOUS RANK: 4
MOVEMENT: N/A
Indiana is a perfect 8-0 and has won every game by multiple scores. The Hoosiers just beat Washington in the same fashion with their backup quarterback. What sorcery is this in Bloomington? Head coach Curt Cignetti is clearly the real deal, and Indiana is looking at a very realistic 11-1 finish with potentially their only loss coming to Ohio State. And even then, who knows with these upstart Hoosiers?
5. Illinois Illini
WEEK 9 RESULT: Lost to Oregon, 38-9
PREVIOUS RANK: 5
MOVEMENT: N/A
The top five remain the same this week, as even though Illinois lost handily to Oregon, it remains 6-2 overall with two losses to the teams currently ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in the AP Top 25. Quarterback Luke Altmyer will need to flush his rough performance (161 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions) quickly, however.
6. Michigan Wolverines
WEEK 9 RESULT: Beat Michigan State, 24-17
PREVIOUS RANK: 8
MOVEMENT: +2
This is where these rankings become increasingly subjective. The Wolverines' resume remains unimpressive, but Michigan still has the talent — particularly on defense — to keep it competitive against most teams in the nation. Still, the fact that Michigan drew up a passing play for tailback Donovan Edwards (and he actually threw a touchdown) tells you everything you need to know about where this offense is at in Ann Arbor.
7. Iowa Hawkeyes
WEEK 9 RESULT: Beat Northwestern, 40-14
PREVIOUS RANK: 10
MOVEMENT: +3
Despite the dominant victory over the Wildcats, Iowa has elected to make a quarterback change: the Hawkeyes will roll with Brendan Sullivan against Wisconsin. McNamara had another abysmal performance, tossing for 73 yards and a pick before getting benched. With how heavily Iowa leans on its rushing attack and star tailback Kaleb Johnson, this ultimately isn't an earth-shattering move in Iowa City.
8. Nebraska Cornhuskers
WEEK 9 RESULT: Lost to Ohio State, 21-17
PREVIOUS RANK: 7
MOVEMENT: -1
Nebraska came extremely close to pulling off the upset. The Huskers took the lead in the fourth quarter and led until just over six minutes to play. And although true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola threw the game-sealing interception, he flashed some special ability in Columbus. He's going to be a problem for this league as he continues to develop.
9. Wisconsin Badgers
WEEK 9 RESULT: Lost to Penn State, 28-13
PREVIOUS RANK: 6
MOVEMENT: -3
Wisconsin once again crumbled with a chance to pull off a major upset. Badger fans are still yearning for that first big win under head coach Luke Fickell, but there's no time to dwell on what could've been as Wisconsin must travel to the hostile Kinnick Stadium this weekend to attempt to reclaim the Heartland Trophy.
10. Minnesota Gophers
WEEK 9 RESULT: Beat Maryland, 48-23
PREVIOUS RANK: 12
MOVEMENT: +2
Minnesota has quietly won three in a row, and it just dismantled a Maryland team coming off a big upset over USC. How about true freshman safety Koi Perich, whom the Badgers also recruited heavily. He's already logged five interceptions this fall, and the Gophers are beginning to utilize him on offense.
11. Michigan State Spartans
WEEK 9 RESULT: Lost to Michigan, 24-17
PREVIOUS RANK: 9
MOVEMENT: -2
The brawl that ensued following this one dominated the headlines, but I ultimately thought the Spartans would keep this one closer. At 4-4, Michigan State has a tough climb to bowl eligibility, as its next two foes are No .13 Indiana and No. 24 Illinois.
12. Washington Huskies
WEEK 9 RESULT: Lost to Indiana, 31-17
PREVIOUS RANK: 11
MOVEMENT: -1
They're getting weary of quarterback Will Rogers in Seattle, and rightfully so — he threw two interceptions in Bloomington and was largely ineffective. Washington is now a middling 4-4 after its national championship runner-up season.
13. USC Trojans
WEEK 9 RESULT: Beat Rutgers, 42-20
PREVIOUS RANK: 15
MOVEMENT: +2
A cathartic win for USC, but ultimately, one that won't do much to satiate the understandably fed-up Trojans' fan base. Rutgers is a doormat right now. That season-opening win against LSU feels like a different lifetime.
14. Maryland Terrapins
WEEK 9 RESULT: Lost to Minnesota, 48-23
PREVIOUS RANK: 10
MOVEMENT: -4
Maryland has all kinds of problems, but the Terps are averaging about 39 points surrendered on defense through the past four games. It'll get worse before it gets better in College Park, as head coach Mike Locksley's squad still has games against No. 1 Oregon and No. 3 Penn State on the docket.
15. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
WEEK 9 RESULT: Lost to USC, 42-20
PREVIOUS RANK: 14
MOVEMENT: -1
What's happening to Rutgers? The Scarlet Knights have put on a clinic in how to completely collapse mid-season. After a 4-0 start, Rutgers has dropped four straight and is in danger of missing the postseason, thereby effectively shattering any momentum from the program's first winning season in nine years last fall.
16. UCLA Bruins
WEEK 9 RESULT: BYE
PREVIOUS RANK: 16
MOVEMENT: N/A
UCLA's bye week came at a time where maybe it actually could've used another game to try to build momentum coming off the program's first Big Ten win. The big storyline for the Bruins after the break — Can quarterback Ethan Garbers stay hot after his 383-yard, four-touchdown performance?
17. Northwestern Wildcats
WEEK 9 RESULT: Lost to Iowa, 40-14
PREVIOUS RANK: 17
MOVEMENT: N/A
Northwestern is just a hapless team right now. The supposed vaunted run defense was exposed by Wisconsin and Iowa consecutively. Meanwhile, quarterback Jack Lausch was benched for Ryan Hilinski amidst his 10-of-19, 62 yards and two interception performance against Iowa. What a mess in Evanston.
18. Purdue Boilermakers
WEEK 9 RESULT: BYE
PREVIOUS RANK: 18
MOVEMENT: N/A
Mercifully, Purdue had a bye to recuperate in Week 9. There's plenty of stats that tell a morbid tale in West Lafayette, but how about this one: in four conference games, the Boilermakers are getting outscored by an average of 41-16. Woof.
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