1) Ohio State (8-0): The defending national champs and odds-on favorites to win the Big Ten East, Ohio State is riding high off of a 49-7 thrashing of lowly Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey. The Buckeyes recently have looked like we all thought they’d be at the start of the season.
2) Michigan State (8-0): If Ohio State is the favorite in the East, the Spartans have been a close second for pretty much all of this season. A 52-26 win at home over Indiana has set them up nicely as the Spartans enter their bye.
3) Iowa (7-0): The 7-0 Hawkeyes enjoyed their bye week and even got a nice little bump in the rankings because of it. Florida State’s last-second loss to Georgia Tech pushed the Seminoles out of the Top 10, allowing Iowa to slide in.
4) Michigan (5-2): The Wolverines had a week off to think about their heartbreaking loss to Michigan State, a loss Jim Harbaugh has insisted is behind them. And with a trip to struggling Minnesota on the horizon, the Wolverines will attempt to get back on track in a big way this weekend.
5) Wisconsin (6-2): A lot would have to go right at this point for Wisconsin to win the Big Ten West and have a shot in the title game. The Badgers have a relatively weak schedule coming up and could earn back some respect with a few blowout wins against Purdue and Rutgers.
6) Penn State (6-2): Penn State might be the worst six-win team I’ve ever watched. The Nittany Lions have a real shot at eight wins and could play spoiler when they host Michigan in a few weeks. It would be the team’s only impressive win this year after barely squeaking by Maryland, 31-30.
7) Northwestern (6-2): I guess a 30-28 win over Nebraska is impressive, right? It was in Lincoln after all. That matchup against Penn State next week is going to be ugly to watch.
8) Illinois (4-3): If you thought Wes Lunt was going to lead the Fighting Illinis to anything more than a mediocre season in an average conference, hi, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you.
9) Minnesota (4-3): Have to feel for Jerry Kill and the Gophers. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who isn’t a Kill fan.
10) Nebraska (3-5): The Cornhuskers are 3-5, but at least Youngstown State isn’t doing much better.
11) Rutgers (3-4): This season has gone from bad to worse in just about every way imaginable for Rutgers, which has continually looked overmatched and outplayed by even the most marginal of teams. But hey, at least the Big Ten Network finally has the New York/New Jersey market covered.
12) Maryland (2-5): Things haven’t exactly gone swimmingly for the Big Ten’s other sophomore squad, either. Head coach Randy Edsall was fired a few weeks back, and the Terrapins lost a shootout in Happy Valley by just a point. Great helmets, though.
13) Indiana (4-4): There’s a lot to be ashamed off if you’re an Indiana fan right now. Frat hazing, violence against police officers, Islamaphobic students, Brian Knorr’s defense, the list really goes on and on.
14) Purdue (1-6): Just … wow.