Big Ten Power Rankings: Week 7

As we approach the mid-point of the Big Ten season, tiers have begun to form. Ohio State and Michigan State sit up top with Michigan and Iowa just behind. Then, after a significant drop off, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Penn State, Northwestern and Illinois appear in the middle of the conference rankings. Rutgers, Indiana and Minnesota are just above bottom-dwellers Maryland and Purdue.

Here are our staff's rankings of the Big Ten teams after seven weeks:

1 Ohio State Buckeyes RECORD: 7-0 (3-0)  ||  LAST WEEK: 1 With J.T. Barrett's legs playing more of a role, Ohio State's offense is finding its stride. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Ian McCafferty Sam Brief Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1.14

2 Michigan State Spartans RECORD: 7-0 (3-0) ||  LAST WEEK: T-2 Elation. Pure elation for the Spartans after a shocking win at Michigan. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Ian McCafferty Sam Brief Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1.86

3 Michigan Wolverines RECORD: 5-2 (2-1) ||  LAST WEEK: T-2 Michigan has a bye week to recover from a gut-wrenching loss. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Ian McCafferty Sam Brief Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

4 Iowa Hawkeyes RECORD: 7-0 (3-0) ||  LAST WEEK: 4 Iowa, most likely, will be favored in the rest of its regular season games. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Ian McCafferty Sam Brief Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

5 Wisconsin Badgers RECORD: 5-2 (2-1)  ||  LAST WEEK: 6 Wisconsin's still improving, but isn't clicking just yet. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Ian McCafferty Sam Brief Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

6 Nebraska Cornhuskers RECORD: 3-4 (1-2)  ||  LAST WEEK: 9 Nebraska earned its first Big Ten win last week and its four losses on the year have been by a combined 11 points. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Ian McCafferty Sam Brief Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 6 9 6 6 6 6 6 6.43

7 Penn State Nittany Lions RECORD: 5-2 (2-1)  ||  LAST WEEK: 7 Even with a setback at Ohio State, Penn State has still looked improved. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Ian McCafferty Sam Brief Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 7 6 8 8 8 7 7 7.29

8 Northwestern Wildcats RECORD: 5-2 (1-2)  ||  LAST WEEK: 5 What a rapid decline for Northwestern in just two weeks. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Ian McCafferty Sam Brief Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 8 7 7 7 7 8 8 7.43

9 Illinois Fighting Illini RECORD: 4-2 (1-1) ||  LAST WEEK: 8 This team is dangerous. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Ian McCafferty Sam Brief Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 9 8 9 9 9 9 9 8.86

10 Rutgers Scarlet Knight RECORD: 3-3 (1-2)  ||  LAST WEEK: 12 After playing well for two-straight weeks, Rutgers can't be overlooked in the Big Ten. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Ian McCafferty Sam Brief Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 11 11 10 10 10 11 10 10.43

11 Indiana Hoosiers RECORD: 4-3 (0-3)  ||  LAST WEEK: 11 Three Big Ten losses in a row, and it doesn't get any easier. Indiana plays Michigan State, Iowa and Michigan in the coming weeks. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Ian McCafferty Sam Brief Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 10 12 12 11 11 10 11 11

12 Minnesota Golden Gophers RECORD: 4-3  (1-2)  ||  LAST WEEK: 10 After playing well in a win at Purdue, Minnesota appeared to have regained its confidence. But it laid an egg at home against Nebraska last week. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Ian McCafferty Sam Brief Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 12 10 11 12 12 12 12 11.57

13 Maryland Terrapins RECORD: 2-4 (0-2) ||  LAST WEEK: 14 Interim head coach Mike Locksley will coach his first game this week against Penn State. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Ian McCafferty Sam Brief Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 14 14 13 13 13 13 13 13.29

14 Purdue Boilermakers RECORD: 1-6 (0-3)  ||  LAST WEEK: 14 Bold prediction: Purdue will not lose next week. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Ian McCafferty Sam Brief Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 13 13 14 14 14 14 14 13.71