Editor’s note: Every week, The Daily Illini football staff ranks the football teams in the Big Ten 1-14 and compiles the lists into its own Big Ten power rankings.

1. Ohio State (Last week: 1)

The Buckeyes survived another threat to their perfect season, this time in Bloomington, Indiana. Ezekiel Elliot scored on touchdown runs of 55, 65 and 75 yards in the second half and Ohio State beat Indiana 34-27.

2. Michigan State (2)

Purdue almost pulled off the unthinkable in East Lansing on Saturday. Connor Cook threw for 139 yards and one touchdown and LJ Scott ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns as the Spartans held off the Boilermakers 24-21.

3. Northwestern (4)

The Wildcats want to show the rest of the Big Ten that they are the real deal. Clayton Thorson threw for 128 yards and rushed for 24 yards and two touchdowns as Northwestern’s defense put on another dominant performance in the team’s 27-0 win over Minnesota.

4. Iowa (5)

Desmond King had a pair of interceptions and the Hawkeyes defense forced two more turnovers in Iowa’s 10-6 win over Wisconsin in Madison. Iowa beat a ranked opponent for the first time in 10 games and it was the first time since 2007 that Iowa won without scoring in the second half.

5. Michigan (6)

Desmond Morgan had an interception and nine tackles against Maryland and the Wolverines defense forced three interceptions in its 28-0 win. Jake Rudock threw for 180 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and Michigan rushed for 198 yards in the win.

6. Wisconsin (3)

Joel Stave had a game to forget. The Wisconsin quarterback threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles, including one midway through the fourth quarter on Iowa’s one-yard line, in the Badgers’ 10-6 loss to the Hawkeyes.

7. Illinois (10)

Fourth time was the charm for quarterback Wes Lunt and wide receiver Geronimo Allison. After running three unsuccessful passes inside the five-yard-line, Lunt threw a one-yard touchdown to Allison with 10 seconds left to give the Illini a 14-13 win over the Cornhuskers.

8. Penn State (9)

Christian Hackenberg passed for 82 of his 156 yards on a three-play drive in the third quarter when he scored his lone touchdown in Penn State’s 20-14 win over Army. The Nittany Lions’ defense forced seven fumbles and recovered three.

9. Indiana (11)

The Hoosiers were close to pulling off the upset against the Buckeyes. Indiana’s defense forced four fumbles and intercepted Cardale Jones inside the Hoosiers’ 15-yard line. Quarterback Nate Sudfeld and running back Jordan Howard both left the game with ankle injuries.

10. Minnesota (7)

The Golden Gophers failed to gain any type of offensive momentum against the Wildcats. Minnesota only had 173 total offensive yards and its defense had a hard time shutting down Northwestern’s offense in the 27-0 loss.

11. Nebraska (8)

It seemed like the Cornhuskers would escape Champaign with a win. But Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw an incomplete pass on fourth down and gave Illinois the opportunity to win the game in the last minute — the third time this season Nebraska has lost on its opponents’ last drive.

12. Purdue (14)

The Boilermakers had a chance to pull off an upset against Michigan State in the last minute. But a pass on fourth down fell incomplete and Purdue lost 24-21. David Blough threw for 136 yards and Markell Jones ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns.

13. Maryland (12)

Caleb Rowe threw three interceptions in Maryland’s 28-0 loss to Michigan and was replaced by Oklahoma State transfer Daxx Garman. The Terrapins rushed for 29 yards in the blowout.

14. Rutgers (13)

The Scarlet Knights had a bye week but fell in the rankings because of Purdue’s near upset of Michigan State. Rutgers ranks 10th in the Big Ten in total defense and fourth in the league in total offense but has a 2-2 overall record and sits at 0-1 in the conference.

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