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. A weekend of upsets helped rework the rankings as we near the midway point of the season.
Without further ado, here's every team in the conference ranked from first to worst:
1. Ohio State Buckeyes
WEEK 6 RESULT: Beat Iowa, 35-7
PREVIOUS RANK: 1
MOVEMENT: N/A
Iowa hung around in the first half, limiting the Buckeyes to seven points. Nonetheless, Ohio State scored the game's first 35 points and it was never really a matter of if, merely when. Ohio State will have its first test of the season next week, and what a test it'll be in the form of the No. 3 Oregon Ducks in Eugene.
2. Oregon Ducks
WEEK 6 RESULT: Beat Michigan State, 31-10
PREVIOUS RANK: 2
MOVEMENT: N/A
Oregon's win over Michigan State was even more dominant than the 21-point margin of victory suggests. The Ducks scored the first 31 points of the game and had complete control over the Spartans. Now, they'll host No. 2 Ohio State at Autzen Stadium in one of the biggest conference games of the entire year.
3. Penn State Nittany Lions
WEEK 5 RESULT: Beat UCLA, 27-11
PREVIOUS RANK: 3
MOVEMENT: N/A
The Nittany Lions remained unbeaten, dismantling a UCLA squad that looks extremely out-of-place in the Big Ten. Penn State now sits at No. 4 in the nation, but a perilous stretch awaits with USC, Wisconsin on the road and Ohio State all lined up consecutively.
4. Indiana Hoosiers
WEEK 6 RESULT: Beat Northwestern, 41-24
PREVIOUS RANK: 6
MOVEMENT: +2
Forget the Big Ten — Indiana is one of the wildest stories in the sport. The Hoosiers sit at 6-0 and have a legitimate path to hit 10 wins in the regular season. However, the schedule gets exponentially tougher in the second half, with games against Nebraska, Washington, Michigan and Ohio State all on tap. Of those contests, however, the only one Indiana will have to travel for is Ohio State; the rest of those games will be in Bloomington.
5. Nebraska Cornhuskers
WEEK 6 RESULT: Beat Rutgers, 14-7
PREVIOUS RANK: 9
MOVEMENT: +4
Nebraska now sits at 5-1 and is one win away from its first bowl-eligible season in eight years. The Huskers won this game with their dominant defense, as true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola had the worst performance of his career. Still, Nebraska beating a good team despite a stagnant offense illustrates just how far it's come under head coach Matt Rhule.
6. Michigan Wolverines
WEEK 6 RESULT: Lost to Washington, 27-17
PREVIOUS RANK: 4
MOVEMENT: -2
Jack Tuttle replaced the struggling Alex Orji at quarterback, and while he was slightly better, he still turned the ball over twice in the loss. Michigan's offense remains extremely anemic, while its defense didn't look all that intimidating against the Huskies. The Wolverines likely have the largest gap between their floor and ceiling in the entire conference.
7. Illinois Illini
WEEK 6 RESULT: BYE
PREVIOUS RANK: 8
MOVEMENT: +1
The Illini enjoyed a bye week after their first loss of the season. Next up, a get-right game at home against Purdue.
8. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
WEEK 6 RESULT: Lost to Nebraska, 14-7
PREVIOUS RANK: 7
MOVEMENT: -1
This game illustrated what happens when the Scarlet Knights play a defense that can stop the run. Nebraska's rushing defense currently checks in at No. 9 in the country, and the Huskers managed to limit the damage done by star tailback Kyle Monangai, leading to his worst performance of the season. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis struggled mightily through the air, completing just 40 percent of his passes and tossing two interceptions. Rutgers might know who it is better than anybody in the nation, but the flip side of that is that teams know exactly what they need to do to stop them.
9. USC Trojans
WEEK 6 RESULT: Lost to Minnesota, 24-17
PREVIOUS RANK: 5
MOVEMENT: -4
That might've been one of the worst losses of Lincoln Riley's coaching career. His seat is now heating up as USC nears a crossroads in its first season in the Big Ten. The Gophers played an inspired game at home, but given the sheer talent disparity between those two teams, there's few excuses for how this one played out.
10. Washington Huskies
WEEK 6 RESULT: Beat Michigan, 27-17
PREVIOUS RANK: 11
MOVEMENT: +1
This was a great win for the Huskies, especially given how well its offense played against a Wolverines' defense that's among the most talented in the nation. Still, is Michigan that good of a team? It was grossly overrated at No. 10 before Washington won at home. All in all, certainly a big win for first-year head coach Jedd Fisch, but this team still has plenty to prove.
11. Iowa Hawkeyes
WEEK 6 RESULT: Lost to Ohio State, 35-7
PREVIOUS RANK: 10
MOVEMENT: -1
Iowa was never really in this game, and ultimately got completely out-classed by the Buckeyes. The 3-2 Hawkeyes narrowly edge the 3-2 Badgers here, as their best win (Minnesota) tops Wisconsin's best win (Purdue? Western Michigan?)
12. Wisconsin Badgers
WEEK 6 RESULT: Beat Purdue, 52-6
PREVIOUS RANK: 12
MOVEMENT: N/A
An extremely cathartic victory for the Badgers. The biggest question following an absolute drubbing of Purdue: can Wisconsin's offense, more specifically quarterback Braedyn Locke, maintain the level of execution it had against the Boilermakers?
13. Minnesota Gophers
WEEK 6 RESULT: Beat USC, 24-17
PREVIOUS RANK: 15
MOVEMENT: +2
This was a truly shocking result. A 2-3 team just knocked off the No. 11 team in the nation. Minnesota did it with its ground game (173 yards, 6.2 yards-per-carry) and an efficient day from quarterback Max Brosmer. Meanwhile, the Gophers forced three turnovers, including two interceptions off Trojans' quarterback Miller Moss, who had an inexplicably awful day.
14. Michigan State Spartans
WEEK 6 RESULT: Lost to Oregon, 31-10
PREVIOUS RANK: 14
MOVEMENT: N/A
Ohio State and Oregon back-to-back is ridiculously brutal for the Spartans, but their schedule only gets moderately easier with Iowa, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois on tap next, the last three of which are ranked in the top 25. It's hard to see more than one or two more wins on Michigan State's remaining schedule.
15. Maryland Terrapins
WEEK 6 RESULT: BYE
PREVIOUS RANK: 13
MOVEMENT: -2
The Terps were idle in Week 6. Still without a conference win, Maryland will look to change that on Friday night against Northwestern.
16. Northwestern Wildcats
WEEK 6 RESULT: Lost to Indiana, 41-24
PREVIOUS RANK: 17
MOVEMENT: +1
Northwestern is 0-3 against power conference opponents. Heck, it only beat Miami (Ohio) by eight points. This is a bad team in year two under head coach David Braun, but several winnable games present themselves in the next few weeks (Maryland, Wisconsin, Purdue).
17. UCLA Bruins
WEEK 6 RESULT: Lost to Penn State, 27-11
PREVIOUS RANK: 16
MOVEMENT: -1
It's been a brutal year for the Bruins. Every loss has been by at least two touchdowns, and their only win was a three-point victory in the opener against Hawaii. UCLA will be underdogs in each of its remaining games, and while it's early yet, closing the season by losing the final 11 games seems like a morbid but terrifyingly real possibility in Westwood.
18. Purdue Boilermakers
WEEK 6 RESULT: Lost to Wisconsin, 52-6
PREVIOUS RANK: 18
MOVEMENT: N/A
It's getting ugly in West Lafayette. In the Boilermakers' past four games — all losses — they've gotten out-scored 184-44. It hasn't been competitive. The Ryan Walters era feels like it'll inevitably come to an end after this season. His team's performance might give athletic director Mike Bobinski no choice.
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