Big Ten Power Rankings: Week 10

Week 10 was a crazy week in college football. You had some crazy games around the country, including in the Big Ten. Northwestern snuck out a two-point come-from-behind-after-being-up-20-7 win. Nebraska upset undefeated Michigan State. Indiana gave Iowa a game. Maryland played Wisconsin tough and Minnesota did the same to Ohio State.

Here's how our staff values those Big Ten teams, and more, in our Big Ten Power Rankings through 10 weeks of college football:

1 Ohio State Buckeyes RECORD: 9-0 (5-0)  ||  LAST WEEK: 1 A 14-point win over Minnesota wasn't perfect, but Ohio State's record still is. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Martin Oppegaard Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 Iowa Hawkeyes RECORD: 9-0 (5-0) ||  LAST WEEK: 4 The Hawkeyes overcame a tough matchup in Bloomington to remain undefeated. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Martin Oppegaard Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 3 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 3 2 2.3

3 Michigan State Spartans RECORD: 8-1 (4-1) ||  LAST WEEK: 2 A one-point loss at Nebraska that nobody foresaw... except for our Henry Bushnell. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Martin Oppegaard Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 4 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 2 3 2.9

4 Michigan Wolverines RECORD: 7-2 (5-1) ||  LAST WEEK: 3 By no fault of their own, the Wolverines dropped a spot in our power rankings despite a 49-16 win over Rutgers. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Martin Oppegaard Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

5 Wisconsin Badgers RECORD: 8-2 (5-1)  ||  LAST WEEK: 5 A seven-point win in College Park may have been a little close for comfort, but the Badgers got the win, maintaining their spot in the upper half of the Big Ten. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Martin Oppegaard Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 5 5 5 6 5 6 5 5 5 5 5.2

6 Northwestern Wildcats RECORD: 7-2 (3-2)  ||  LAST WEEK: T-6 An important win by Northwestern over Penn State did a lot for the Wildcats' bowl prospects. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Martin Oppegaard Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 6 6 6 5 6 5 6 6 6 6 5.8

7 Penn State Nittany Lions RECORD: 7-3 (4-2)  ||  LAST WEEK: T-6 Christian Hackenberg was almost invisible in Penn State's two-point loss at Northwestern. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Martin Oppegaard Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 7 7 7 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7.1

8 Nebraska Cornhuskers RECORD: 4-6 (2-4)  ||  LAST WEEK: 10 Finally, the 'Huskers break through. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Martin Oppegaard Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 8 10 9 7 8 10 8 8 8 8 8.4

9 Illinois Fighting Illini RECORD: 5-4 (2-3) ||  LAST WEEK: 8 While Illinois' athletic administration crumbles, its football team is quietly playing decently well. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Martin Oppegaard Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 9 8 8 9 9 8 9 9 9 11 8.9

10 Minnesota Golden Gophers RECORD: 4-5 (1-4)  ||  LAST WEEK: 9 For the second week in a row, Minnesota played hard and kept the score relatively close against superior opponents, only to fall short. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Martin Oppegaard Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 11 9 10 10 10 9 10 10 10 9 9.8

11 Indiana Hoosiers RECORD: 4-5 (0-5)  ||  LAST WEEK: 11 The Hoosiers haven't won a game since Sept. 26. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Martin Oppegaard Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 10 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 10 10.8

12 Purdue Boilermakers RECORD: 2-7 (1-4)  ||  LAST WEEK: 12 Reports are that head coach Darrell Hazell will be back at Purdue next season. Cool. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Martin Oppegaard Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 12 13 12 14 13 12 12 12 12 12 12.4

13 Rutgers Scarlet Knights RECORD: 3-6 (1-5) ||  LAST WEEK: 13 QB Chris Laviano had an impressive 9.3 QBR against Michigan, up from the 2.7 he posted the previous week against Wisconsin. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Martin Oppegaard Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 14 12 13 12 14 14 13 13 14 13 13.2

14 Maryland Terrapins  RECORD: 2-7 (0-5)  ||  LAST WEEK: 14 The Terps actually weren't horrible against Wisconsin. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Martin Oppegaard Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Sam Brief Zach Wingrove Tristan Jung AVERAGE 13 14 14 13 12 13 14 14 13 14 13.4