Big Ten Football Power Rankings (Week 7): Hoosiers Soar and Upsets Galore

Indiana is 6-0 and the first bowl eligible team in major college football. How high did the Hoosiers climb? Plus, how did upsets shake up the power rankings?

Indiana Hoosiers running back Ty Son Lawton (17) runs against the Northwestern Wildcats / David Banks-Imagn Images

Are you still celebrating, Minnesota and Washington? If not, you should be. Are you still drinking champagne (or sparkling cider) to celebrate bowl eligibility, Indiana? If not, you should be.

Minnesota took down USC and Washington upended Michigan, adding to the chaotic college football weekend. As if that wasn't enough, Indiana became the first team in FBS to secure bowl eligibility, improving to 6-0 with a win over Northwestern.

Now, we've reached the halfway point of the season, where the real fun begins. Where do teams in the Big Ten stand after another exciting week of college football? A look at the latest power rankings:

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

• Record: 5-0 overall, 2-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 1 (no change)
• Last week: Ohio State 35, Iowa 7
• This week: Ohio State at Oregon
• Location: Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.
• Time & TV: 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: NBC)
• The skinny: Ohio State had some struggles against Iowa in the first half of Saturday's game, taking a 7-0 lead at halftime. But the Buckeyes blew it wide open with an impressive third quarter, outscoring the Hawkeyes 21-0 and cruising to a 35-7 win. Receiver Emeka Egbuka lit up Iowa's defense for 71 yards and three touchdowns on nine receptions. The Buckeyes defense also had a tremendous outing, holding another opponent to seven points or less. Now, Ryan Day prepares for the toughest test yet, traveling to Oregon to play the Ducks.

2. Penn State Nittany Lions

• Record: 5-0 overall, 2-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 2 (no change)
• Last week: Penn State 27, UCLA 11
• This week: Penn State at USC
• Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Time & TV: 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: CBS)
• The skinny: Not having running back Nick Singleton in the lineup seemed to give Penn State's offense a little bit of trouble, racking up just 85 yards on the ground on 30 carries. Quarterback Drew Allar picked up the slack, completing 17-of-24 passes for 237 yards with a touchdown. Defensively, Penn State played a sound game. The Nittany Lions got the win, but they'll want to play much better in a week when they head to USC.

3. Oregon Ducks

• Record: 5-0 overall, 2-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 3 (no change)
• Last week: Oregon 31, Michigan State 10
• This week: Ohio State at Oregon
• Location: Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.
• Time & TV: 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: NBC)
• The skinny: It's really beginning to look like Oregon's offensive line has figured things out. After struggling in the first two games against Idaho and Boise State, the Ducks have won each of their last three games by at least three touchdowns. The competition hasn't been the best, but the Dillon Gabriel-Tez Johnson combination in the passing game is working well and running back Jordan James has piled up over 550 yards on the ground. How good is Dan Lanning's team? We'll find out this weekend when the Buckeyes come to town.

4. Indiana Hoosiers

• Record: 6-0 overall, 3-0 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 6 (up 2 spots)
• Last week: Indiana 41, Northwestern 24
• This week: OFF
• The skinny: Curt Cignetti has Indiana rolling right now, especially on the offensive side of the football. The Hoosiers have scored at least 41 points in each of their last five games and have proven to be one of the most effective offensive teams in the Big Ten thus far. IU is the first bowl eligible team, but this team has hopes of taking down some of the top teams in the conference. Indiana gets a week off to enjoy a 6-0 start before a much tougher portion of the schedule begins. Right now, though, the Hoosiers look like a top-four team in the Big Ten.

5. Illinois Fighting Illini

• Record: 4-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 7 (up 2 spots)
• Last week: OFF
• This week: Purdue at Illinois
• Location: Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill.
• Time & TV: 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1)
• The skinny: After the loss to Penn State, Illinois got a week off to rest and recover. The Fighting Illini had two weeks to prepare for a rivalry game with Purdue this weekend at home. How will Bret Bielema's team perform with some additional rest?

6. Nebraska Cornhuskers

• Record: 5-1 overall, 2-1 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 8 (up 2 spots)
• Last week: Nebraska 14, Rutgers 7
• This week: OFF
• The skinny: The Blackshirt defense came up big for Nebraska in Saturday's win over Rutgers, holding running back Kyle Monangai to just 78 yards on 19 carries. The defensive line combination of James Williams, Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher accounted for four sacks and five tackles for loss in the win. Putting the lllinois game aside, Nebraska's defense has been dominant all season long. The offense, though, has struggled quite a bit in the second half of games. Matt Rhule and his staff get an extra week to address those concerns.

7. Michigan Wolverines

• Record: 4-2 overall, 2-1 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 4 (down 3 spots)
• Last week: Washington 27, Michigan 17
• This week: OFF
• The skinny: Once again, Michigan's inability to throw the football proved costly in a game against a team with a stout defensive presence. This is still a good defensive team and one that has an effective ground game with running backs Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings. But without a passing attack, the Wolverines are going to find themselves in trouble on the offensive side quite a bit.

8. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

• Record: 4-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 10 (up 2 spots)
• Last week: Nebraska 14, Rutgers 7
• This week: Wisconsin at Rutgers
• Location: SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J.
• Time & TV: Noon ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
• The skinny: Rutgers' defense played well enough to win, but the offense just couldn't get anything going. Strong winds and an even stronger Nebraska defense made it tough on quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who completed just 15-of-37 passes for 186 yards. The Scarlet Knights have flirted with disaster a few times this season and it finally bit them. This is still a solid football team, but we'll see how Greg Schiano's squad responds this week against Wisconsin.

9. USC Trojans

• Record: 3-2 overall, 1-2 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 5 (down 4 spots)
• Last week: Minnesota 24, USC 17
• This week: Penn State at USC
• Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Time & TV: 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: CBS)
• The skinny: Maybe USC isn't quite ready to compete at the top of the Big Ten, after all. The Trojans had three turnovers in Minneapolis on Saturday, ultimately proving to be the difference in the game. The defense played well most of the day, but couldn't make enough plays in the fourth quarter. Life doesn't get any easier in the Big Ten for Lincoln Riley, with Penn State coming to Memorial Coliseum this weekend.

10. Iowa Hawkeyes

• Record: 3-2 overall, 1-1 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 10 (down 1 spot)
• Last week: Ohio State 35, Iowa 7
• This week: Washington at Iowa
• Location: Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa
• Time & TV: Noon ET (TV: FOX)
• The skinny: Not many expected Iowa to give Ohio State a challenge, but the Hawkeyes' defense actually kept the Buckeyes in check for two quarters. Then the floodgates opened. Quarterback Cade McNamara was responsible for all three of Iowa's turnovers and running back Kaleb Johnson was limited to just 86 yards on 15 carries.

11. Washington Huskies

• Record: 4-2 overall, 2-1 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 12 (up 1 spot)
• Last week: Washington 27, Michigan 17
• This week: Washington at Iowa
• Location: Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa
• Time & TV: Noon ET (TV: FOX)
• The skinny: Jedd Fisch has notched his first major win at Washington. The Huskies didn't do anything flashy, but it shut down any hopes of Michigan moving the ball through the air, holding the Wolverines to just 115 passing yards. Washington continues to field a sneaky-good defense and Will Rogers threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns in the win. The Huskies appear to be building momentum as the season continues.

12. Minnesota Golden Gophers

• Record: 3-3 overall, 1-2 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 15 (up 3 spots)
• Last week: Minnesota 24, USC 17
• This week: Minnesota at UCLA
• Location: The Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Time & TV: 9 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
• The skinny: Have a night, Max Brosmer. The Minnesota quarterback threw for 169 yards and rushed for three touchdowns, leading the Gophers to a massive upset win over USC. Coach P.J. Fleck has had some big wins in his time in the Twin Cities, but beating the Trojans has to rank near the top. Can the Gophers build on Saturday's big win? They'll go for the Los Angeles sweep this weekend when they play UCLA in the Rose Bowl.

13. Wisconsin Badgers

• Record: 3-2 overall, 1-1 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 13 (no change)
• Last week: Wisconsin 52, Purdue 6
• This week: Wisconsin at Rutgers
• Location: SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J.
• Time & TV: Noon ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
• The skinny: Talk about a "get right" game. Wisconsin thoroughly demolished Purdue, a great medicine after suffering back-to-back losses to Alabama and USC. Receiver Trech Kekahuna had an outstanding day, hauling in six receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns. This Badgers team is still a bit of a mystery, but Saturday's win should serve as a confidence-builder as we hit the midway point of the season.

14. Michigan State Spartans

• Record: 3-3 overall, 1-2 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 11 (down 3 spots)
• Last week: Oregon 31, Michigan State 10
• This week: OFF
• The skinny: The Spartans on now on a three-game skid after starting the year 3-0. There's just very little consistency on both sides of the football right now. The competition doesn't get any easier, with games against Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Rutgers still on the schedule. Fortunately for Jonathan Smith, the team gets a week off before entering the second half of the year.

15. Maryland Terrapins

• Record: 3-2 overall, 0-2 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 14 (down 1 spot)
• Last week: OFF
• This week: Northwestern at Maryland (Friday, Oct. 11)
• Location: SECU Stadium in College Park, Md.
• Time & TV: 8 p.m. ET (TV: FOX)
• The skinny: What will see from Maryland after an added week to prepare for Northwestern's defense? The Terrapins still have a dangerous offense but there are a lot of questions about the defense.

16. Northwestern Wildcats

• Record: 2-3 overall, 0-2 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 16 (no change)
• Last week: Indiana 41, Northwestern 24
• This week: Northwestern at Maryland
• Location: SECU Stadium in College Park, Md.
• Time & TV: 8 p.m. ET (TV: FOX)
• The skinny: Northwestern gave Indiana a good run for its money, but it just didn't have the offensive firepower to knock off the Hoosiers. Quarterback Jack Lausch deserves some credit, throwing for 243 yards with two touchdowns in the game.

17. UCLA Bruins

• Record: 1-4 overall, 0-3 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 17 (no change)
• Last week: Penn State 27, UCLA 11
• This week: Minnesota at UCLA
• Location: The Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Time & TV: 9 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
• The skinny: UCLA may be 1-4 on the season, but they've shown at least some level of competitive fight in losses to LSU, Oregon and Penn State. Right now, the Bruins just don't have the talent to match a lot of teams in the Big Ten.

18. Purdue Boilermakers

• Record: 1-4 overall, 0-2 Big Ten
• Previous rank: No. 18 (no change)
• Last week: Wisconsin 52, Purdue 6
• This week: Purdue at Illinois
• Location: Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill.
• Time & TV: 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: Fox Sports 1)
• The skinny: Unfortunately, there really aren't any positives in West Lafayette right now. Tackling, turnovers, penalties and offense are all issues for Purdue. There's a lot Ryan Walters needs to address.