1. Ohio State (Previous rank: 1)

The Buckeyes have yet to face a challenge. Not even the No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners caused the Buckeyes to break a sweat. J.T. Barrett is one of the most electrifying players in the country, and he made that known with his four passing touchdowns Saturday.

2. Michigan (2)

The Wolverines’ nonconference schedule was nothing to write home about, but at the same time, they gave people no reason to doubt them. They have handled every opponent comfortably, and their last win against Colorado continued that trend.

3. Michigan State (5)

Notre Dame might have lost its first game of the season to unranked Texas, but the Irish are still not pushovers. Michigan State’s win at Notre Dame was huge to cap off its non-conference schedule.

4. Wisconsin (4)

The Badgers survived a little bit of a scare against Georgia State, which would have derailed an otherwise great non-conference schedule for the Badgers. Wisconsin and Michigan State are pretty interchangeable, but the Spartans had the better win last weekend. However, the Badgers had a great non-conference schedule.

5. Nebraska (6)

The unranked Cornhuskers picked up a huge win over Oregon last weekend. The Cornhuskers were having a solid season, and they should never be taken lightly, but the win this past Saturday really put them on the map.

6. Iowa (3)

The Hawkeyes showed cracks in their system after their loss to FCS North Dakota State. The Bison have been a dynasty in the FCS recently, but that is no excuse for a Big Ten title contender. After that game, it seems like it is Wisconsin’s Big Ten West now.

7. Indiana (7)

The Hoosiers did not move a spot from last week’s rankings. They are a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team and have been playing solid. They had a bye last week, so there was no reason to move them.

8. Minnesota (8)

Same case as Indiana here, which is in the same place as last week and also had a bye last week. The team is playing good football and is going to be a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team.

9. Maryland (9)

The team is 3-0 but haven’t played any top competition. The team started with a pretty easy Big Ten non-conference schedule with FIU and UCF, but we will see how the Terps play against Big Ten competition.

10. Penn State (10)

After losing the in-state rivalry game against Pittsburgh, Penn State bounced back with a win against Temple. It was not enough to help them climb the ladder but enough to keep them at No. 10.

11. Rutgers (12)

The Scarlet Knights moved up a spot mainly because Illinois lost. But they beat New Mexico, and every win matters for Rutgers. It looked scary for a bit because Rutgers gave up 21 points in the first quarter, but they bounced back and only gave up three points the rest of the game.

12. Illinois (11)

Illinois lost a big game to Western Michigan, and it wasn’t close. The loss showed that Illinois has a lot more problems than previously thought. The bye week is coming at a perfect time for Illinois.

13. Purdue (13)

Purdue had their bye week last week, but they are still sitting at No. 13. They are 1-1 now, but Purdue will have its real opportunity to show its team when Big Ten play starts.

14. Northwestern (14)

Northwestern finally won! After losing to two FCS schools, the Wildcats beat Duke. If this was basketball, that would be impressive, but sadly, this is football. The win did not prove anything for Pat Fitzgerald’s team.

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