Big Ten Power Rankings (Week 7): Iowa Wins Epic Showdown, But Here Comes Ohio State

Iowa erased a two-touchdown deficit to beat Penn State last Saturday in a rare battle of top-five teams, and Ohio State continues to impress week after week. Here are our Week 7 Big Ten power rankings.

The Iowa Hawkeyes keep finding a way to win the tough games on their schedule, and they did it again last Saturday, coming back from a two-touchdown deficit to beat Penn State 23-20 in a huge showdown at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.

The Penn State fans will tell you they were the better team, and would have won if quarterback Sean Clifford hadn't gotten hurt. It was 17-3 Penn State early before Clifford was knocked out of the game with an apparent rib injury. 

But total props to the Hawkeyes for slamming the door shut from there and making all of the big plays in the second half. With that win, they remain a firm No. 1 in our power rankings, and with six games left against all of their Big Ten West colleagues, they should cruise to a division title and a spot in the league title game in Indianapolis. No other team in their division is ranked nationally, or even receiving any votes.

Ohio State, which continues to crush people, move up to No. 2. And you want an interesting tidbit? If the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes played today on a neutral field, one Las Vegas oddsmaker tells me that Ohio State would be a touchdown-plus favorite. 

Something to ponder as we move forward.

We've got five teams on a bye this week, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Maryland and Illinois, and the last nonconference games of the year.

Here are the Big Ten power rankings as we head into Week 7 action, with last week's result, records, game time and TV information, point spreads, ranking and nuggets to know about each team:

1. Iowa Hawkeyes *** Last Week: 1

• Last game: Iowa 23, Penn State 20 on Oct. 9 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
• Records: 6-0 overall, 3-0 in Big Ten
• Next game: Purdue (3-2, 1-1 in Big Ten) at No. 2 Iowa, 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
• TV: ABC
• SISportsbook.com point spread: Iowa is an 11.5-point favorite as of Friday on the SISportsbook.com website. The over/under is 43. CLICK HERE
• National rankings: No. 2 in both the AP and Coaches polls, up one spot after previous No. 1 Alabama lost to Texas A&M. Iowa got one first-place in the Coaches poll. No. 5 in Sagarin ratings
• Preseason B1G power ranking: 5
• Highest/lowest ranking: 1/5
• The skinny: The Hawkeyes continue to live off of creating turnovers, and they did the same thing in the huge win against Penn State. They deserve a ton of credit for staying the course after falling behind early by two touchdowns. That defense is for real, and the Iowa offense continues to find a way to make just enough big plays to win. It'll be interesting to see if they can keep their streak going and not suffer any letdowns, starting this week with Purdue.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes *** Last Week: 3

• Last game: Ohio State 66, Maryland 17 on Oct. 9 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
• Records: 5-1 overall, 3-0 in Big Ten
• This week: Bye week
• Next game: Ohio State at Indiana, 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 23 at Memoria Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.
• TV: ABC
• SISportsbook.com point spread: TBA
• National rankings: No. 6 in both the AP and Coaches polls, No. 3 in Sagarin ratings.
• Preseason B1G power ranking: 1
• Highest/lowest ranking: 1/3
• The skinny: Ohio State moves back to No. 2 after crushing Maryland last week. The Buckeyes offense is humming along right now, and quarterback C.J. Stroud keeps getting better every week. He sure benefits from the nation's best receiving corps, and they seem like they're always open. A bye week, then a big road game at Indiana. The Hoosiers played them tough a year ago, losing 42-35.

3. Penn State Nittany Lions *** Last Week: 2

• Last game: Iowa 23, Penn State 20 on Oct. 9 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
• Records: 5-1 overall, 2-1 in Big Ten
• This week: Bye week
• Next game: Illinois (2-5, 1-3 in Big Ten) at No. 7 Penn State, Noon ET on Saturday, Oct. 23 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa.
• TV: ABC
• SISportsbook.com point spread: TBA
• National rankings: No. 7 in the AP poll and No. 8 in the Coaches poll, No. 7 in Sagarin ratings
• Preseason B1G power ranking: 4
• Highest/lowest ranking: 1/4
• The skinny: I have to drop the Nittany Lions a notch because of the loss, but i tell you what, I was really impressed with them as long as Sean Clifford was still on the field. And what a massive drop-off after Ta'Quan Roberson had to come in at quarterback. He was overwhelmed by the environment. The three straight false start penalties were hard to deal with, but his play on third down was atrocious. Penn State was 5-for-5 on third down to start the game, then went 0-for-10. The bye week and then a game with Illinois might buy some time to get Clifford back, because it's clear that Penn State can't run the table without him.

4. Michigan Wolverines *** Last Week: 4

• Last game: Michigan 32, Nebraska 29 on Oct. 9 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb.
• Records: 6-0 overall, 3-0 in Big Ten
• This week: Bye week
• Next game: Northwestern at Michigan, time TBA on Saturday, Oct. 23 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. 
• TV: FOX
• SISportsbook.com point spread: TBA
• National rankings: No. 8 in the AP poll and No. 7 in the Coaches poll. No. 6 in Sagarin ratings
• Preseason B1G power ranking: 7
• Highest/lowest ranking: 4/7
• The skinny: Michigan went down to the wire to beat Nebraska on the road, getting two field goals from Jake Moody in the final three minutes to pull out a 32-29 win. Maybe that's not the most impressive way to win a game, but that's a game that the Wolverines have historically lost during the Jim Harbaugh era. I'm still not completely sold on them, but they do keep winning and I'll give them props for that. We'll see what happens with their hugely back-loaded schedule.

5. Michigan State Spartans *** Last Week: 5

• Last game: Michigan State 31, Rutgers 13 on Oct. 9 at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J.
• Records: 6-0 overall, 3-0 in Big Ten
• Next game: Michigan State at Indiana (3-2, 0-2 in Big Ten), Noon ET on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.
• TV: FOX Sports 1
• SISportsbook.com point spread: Michigan State is a 4-point favorite as of Friday on the SISportsbook.com website. The over/under is 48. CLICK HERE
• National rankings: No. 10 in the AP poll and No. 9 in the Coaches poll, No. 26 in Sagarin ratings
• Preseason B1G power ranking: 13
• Highest/lowest ranking: 5/13
• The skinny: Michigan State is 6-0 now and running back Kenneth Walker III has entered the Heisman Trophy conversation after having a 232-yard game against Rutgers. He leads the nation in rushing with 913 yards, but he'll get an interesting test from Indiana this weekend. Sparty got shut out by Indiana 24-0 a year ago. This is a huge trap game.

6. Nebraska Cornhuskers *** Last Week: 8

• Last game: Michigan 32, Nebraska 29 on Oct. 9 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb.
• Records: 3-4 overall, 1-3 in Big Ten
• Next game: Nebraska at Minnesota (3-2, 1-1 in Big Ten), Noon ET on Saturday, Oct. 16 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.
• TV: ESPN2
• SISportsbook.com point spread: Nebraska is a 4-point favorite as of Friday on the SISportsbook.com website. The over/under is 48.5. CLICK HERE
• National rankings: No. 36 in Sagarin ratings.
• Preseason B1G power ranking: 9
• Highest/lowest ranking: 6/14
• The skinny: Nebraska keeps playing well enough to win but not getting it done down the stretch. Does it seem strange that I moved them up two spots even after losing? That has more to do with this group from 6-to-12. No one is stepping up right now, but the Huskers seem like a prime candidate to do that. They absolutely need to win their next two games against Minnesota and Purdue.

7. Indiana Hoosiers *** Last Week: 7

• Last game: Penn State 24, Indiana 0 on Oct. 2 at Beaver Stadium, State College, Pa.
• Records: 2-3 overall, 0-2 in Big Ten
• Last week: Bye week
• Next game: Michigan State (6-0, 3-0 in Big Ten) at Indiana, Noon ET on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.
• TV: Fox Sports 1
• SISportsbook.com point spread: Michigan State is a 4-point favorite as of Friday on the SISportsbook.com website. The over/under is 48. CLICK HERE
• National rankings: No. 47 in Sagarin ratings
• Preseason B1G power ranking: 2
• Highest/lowest ranking: 2/8
• The skinny: Indiana is coming off a bye and seems refreshed coming into their fourth top-10 game in six weeks. It seems like all signs point to Jack Tuttle getting the start at quarterback with Michael Penix Jr. nursing a shoulder injury, but the locker room — and coaching staff — has plenty of confidence in him, if it comes to that. The Hoosiers have been pretty good against the run this year, and they need to keep him in check, and then force some turnovers. This is a good time for Indiana to turn its season around. 

8. Wisconsin Badgers *** Last Week: 9

• Last game: Wisconsin 24, Illinois 0 on Oct. 9 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill.
• Records: 2-3 overall, 1-2 in Big Ten
• Next game: Army at Wisconsin, 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis.
• TV: Big Ten Network
• SISportsbook.com point spread: Wisconsin is a 14-point favorite as of Friday on the SISportsbook.com website. The over/under is 39. CLICK HERE
• National rankings: No. 24 in Sagarin ratings
• Preseason B1G power ranking: 3
• Highest/lowest ranking: 3/9
• The skinny: The Badgers can't really prove a lot in beating Illinois, but holding them to just 93 total yards is really impressive. That's hard to do against most anyone. The Badgers need to win against Army and Purdue the next two weeks, and be healthy heading into that huge game with Iowa at the end of the month.

9. Maryland Terrapins *** Last Week: 6

• Last game: Ohio State 66, Maryland 17 on Oct. 9 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
• Records: 4-2 overall, 1-2 in Big Ten
• This week: Bye week
• Next game: Maryland at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 23 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.
• TV: ESPN2
• SISportsbook.com point spread: TBA
• National rankings: No. 67 in Sagarin ratings
• Preseason B1G power ranking: 11
• Highest/lowest ranking: 6/11
• The skinny: Maryland proved in the past two weeks that they can't hang at all with the top teams in the Big Ten, allowing 117 points against Iowa and Ohio State. After the bye week, they get Minnesota and Indiana before seeing three more ranked opponents, so getting wins now will be important. Turnovers continue to be a huge problem. Can they get bowl eligible? I'm thinking no. 

10. Minnesota Golden Gophers *** Last Week: 12

• Last game: Minnesota 20, Purdue 13 on Oct. 2 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.
• Records: 3-2 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
• Last week: Bye week
• Next game: Nebraska (3-4, 1-3 in Big Ten) at Minnesota, Noon ET on Saturday, Oct. 16 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.
• TV: ESPN2
• SISportsbook.com point spread: Nebraska is a 4-point favorite as of Friday on the SISportsbook.com website. The over/under is 48.5. CLICK HERE
• National rankings: No. 49 in Sagarin ratings
• Preseason B1G power ranking: 8
• Highest/lowest ranking: 8/12
• The skinny: Minnesota has been hard to figure out this season, and this game with Nebraska is well worth watching because they're so similar. Both teams really need a win, and neither has proven much so far. Playing an early game at home might help. 

11. Purdue Boilermakers *** Last Week: 10

• Last game: Minnesota 20, Purdue 13 on Oct. 2 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.
• Records: 3-2 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten
• Last week: Bye week
• Next game: Purdue at Iowa, 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
• TV: ABC
• SISportsbook.com point spread: Iowa is an 11.5-point favorite as of Friday on the SISportsbook.com website. The over/under is 43. CLICK HERE
• National rankings: No. 66 in Sagarin ratings
• Preseason B1G power ranking: 10
• Highest/lowest ranking: 7/11
• The skinny: The bye week comes at a good time for the Boilers, but what a tough test after the break, traveling to No. 2 Iowa. Purdue's offense hasn't been very good, so it will be interesting if they can have any success at all against Iowa's vaunted defense.

12. Rutgers Scarlet Knights *** Last Week: 11

• Last game: Michigan State 31, Rutgers 13 on Oct. 9 at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J.
• Records: 3-3 overall, 0-3 in Big Ten
• Next game: Rutgers at Northwestern, Noon ET on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill.
• TV: Big Ten Network
• SISportsbook.com point spread: Rutgers is a 2-point favorite as of Friday on the SISportsbook.com website. The over/under is 45. CLICK HERE
• National rankings: No. 58 in Sagarin ratings
• Preseason B1G power ranking: 12
• Highest/lowest ranking: 10/12
• The skinny: Rutgers lost to a ranked team for the third straight week, ending the momentum from their 3-0 start. Now here comes a road game at Northwestern, a clearly winnable game. The Scarlet Knights really need this one to keep progressing toward bowl eligibility. 

13. Northwestern Wildcats *** Last Week: 13

• Next game: Nebraska 56, Northwestern 7 on Oct. 2 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb.
• Records: 2-3 overall, 0-2 in Big Ten
• Last week: Bye week
• Next game: Rutgers (3-3, 0-3 in Big Ten) at Northwestern, on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Ryan Field, Evanston, Ill.
• TV: Big Ten Network
• SISportsbook.com point spread: Rutgers is a 2-point favorite as of Friday on the SISportsbook.com website. The over/under is 45. CLICK HERE
• National rankings: No. 87 in Sagarin ratings
• Preseason B1G power ranking: 6
• Highest/lowest ranking: 6/13
• The skinny: No one needed a bye week more than Northwestern after that 56-7 shellacking at Nebraska. The Wildcats are so young and inexperienced on defense that it's really showing up in a bad way. It will be interesting to see what they got fixed during the break, and whether they can get past a struggling Rutgers team that has issues of its own.

14. Illinois Fighting Illini *** Last Week: 14

• Last game: Wisconsin 24, Illinois 0 on Oct. 9 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill.
• Records: 2-5 overall, 1-3 in Big Ten
• This week: Bye week
• Next game: Illinois at No. 7 Penn State (5-1, 2-1 in Big Ten), Noon ET on Saturday, Oct. 23 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa.
• TV: ABC
• SISportsbook.com point spread: TBA
• National rankings: No. 103 in Sagarin ratings.
• Preseason B1G power ranking: 14
• Highest/lowest ranking: 10/14
• The skinny: Illinois only gained 93 yards of total offense against Wisconsin, which is really hard to do. I'm sure Bret Bielema was embarrased by that performance against his former team. 

Previous Big Ten Power Rankings

• POWER RANKINGS, WEEK 6: Ever since Ohio State, the four-time defending Big Ten champions, lost to Oregon in Week 2, it's been Penn State and Iowa taking turns at No. 1 in the league. There's been another change on the eve of their epic showdown in Iowa City on Saturday. CLICK HERE
• POWER RANKINGS, WEEK 5: With Iowa's offense sputtering and everything seemingly in place at Penn State, there's a new team at the top of our Big Ten Power Rankings. CLICK HERE
• POWER RANKINGS, WEEK 4: Iowa and Penn State both have a pair of impressive victories thus far, and they're the clear class of the Big Ten through three weeks, which might perturb fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes, the four-time defending conference champions who have yet to impress. CLICK HERE
• POWER RANKINGS, WEEK 3: Iowa is the only school in the country to play two ranked teams to open the season, and after wins over Indiana and Iowa State — and a loss by former No. 1 Ohio State — the Hawkeyes are now No. 1 in our Big Ten Power Rankings. CLICK HERE
• POWER RANKINGS, WEEK 2: Beating ranked teams on the road has been difficult during James Franklin's tenure at Penn State, but going into Madison to win on Saturday was a huge deal. The Nittany Lions move up to No. 2 in our rankings, now the big question is, can they stay there? CLICK HERE
• POWER RANKINGS, WEEK 1: With five Big Ten matchups in Week 1, there's no easing into the college football season this year. And we already learned from Saturday's Week 0 game with Illinois and Nebraska that no favorite is safe this season. CLICK HERE
• POWER RANKINGS, PRESEASON: Ohio State has won four straight Big Ten football titles, and the Buckeyes are heavy favorites to win again. But in our preseason power rankings, the pecking order behind them has a few surprises. CLICK HERE