1) Ohio State
If only J.T. wasn’t facing a stiff punishment for drunk driving. Oh, what’s that? He’s not? Oh, then I guess the Buckeyes are pretty good.

2) Iowa
It won’t matter by how much the Hawkeyes beat Purdue in the eyes of the College Football Playoff committee, the Boilermakers are just that bad.

3) Michigan State
We’re finally at that part of the schedule in which the Big Ten East will take shape. It should be a hell of a few weeks of football.

4) Michigan
Jake Rudock didn’t throw for 6 touchdowns and 440 yards against Indiana. That was Jim Harbaugh in a Rudock mask.

5) Wisconsin
The Badgers need Iowa to lose its final two games in order to stay alive in the Big Ten. Purdue is determined to make sure that doesn’t happen.

6) Northwestern
Beating Purdue 21-14 is about as cool as claiming to be “Chicago’s Big Ten team.” Nice try, Wildcats, but you’re not fooling anyone.

7) Penn State
By losing to every ranked team they have faced this year and beating all the unranked teams, the Nittany Lions are the most predictable team in the conference. They play Michigan this week, so put your money down.

8) Nebraska
It lost to Purdue, then beat Michigan State. So your guess is as good as mine.

9) Indiana
Give the Hoosiers some credit for holding Jake “Michael Vick” Rudock to 64 yards rushing. The most Indiana football thing ever is to have one of its best teams of recent memory and start of 0-6 in the conference.

10) Illinois
It rushed for a net of 20 yards against the Buckeyes and allowed a net of 283. I’m no expert, but that looks like a below-average margin.

11) Minnesota
Mitch Leidner is playing much better in the second half of 2015, but the three-game gauntlet of Michigan-Ohio State-Iowa proved too much for the Gophers to handle.

12) Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights did beat Indiana, but they have lost by an average of 32.5 points in four games since.

13) Maryland
Team motto: “Hey, at least we’re not Purdue.”

14) Purdue
I’m sure there’s something nice I can say about the Boilermakers. Oh yeah, Darrell Hazell is 2-19 in the Big Ten and is coming back for his fourth season as head coach. Now, that is a true American underdog story.

Offensive impact: LeShun Daniels Jr., Iowa
Position: Running back
Year: Junior
After rushing for 195 yards against Minnesota, imagine what he can do against the Big Ten’s worst rushing defense.

Defensive impact: Malik McDowell, Michigan State
Positon: Defensive line
Year: Sophomore
McDowell had 4.5 tackles for loss for the Spartans against Maryland. Michigan’s State’s defensive front will need to have a big game to knock off No. 3 Ohio State.

Game to watch: No. 9 Michigan State @ No. 3 Ohio State
2:30 p.m. on ABC