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. Michigan (1) — The in-state slugfest with Michigan State wasn’t the marquee matchup it had been in the past, but the Wolverines’ 32-23 victory was their closest scoring margin since Week Five. Jabrill Peppers continues to be the world’s most athletic Swiss Army knife, scoring Michigan’s first touchdown for the Wildcats and piling up seven tackles and a sack.

2. Ohio State (2)— The hierarchy of the Big Ten is clear, and the Buckeyes remain at the top of it with Michigan. Ohio State’s point differential is nowhere near Michigan’s though, and another nail-biting win over Northwestern brings the Buckeyes closer to the season-ending matchup with Jim Harbaugh’s squad.

3. Wisconsin (4) — The Badgers leapfrogged Nebraska in our rankings with a narrow home win over the Cornhuskers. The teams were gridlocked after four quarters, and a Dare Ogunbowale touchdown run in overtime propelled Wisconsin to victory.

4. Nebraska (3) — Although they lost, the Cornhuskers proved that Wisconsin wasn’t a lock for a victory and solidified themselves as an upper echelon team in the nation. The bad Tommy Armstrong showed up on Saturday, though — the senior tossed two picks and failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time all season.

5. Northwestern (7) — The team up north has climbed two spots in these rankings in each of the past two weeks and continues to put together impressive performances. Its latest was a 24-20 loss on the road against No. 6 Ohio State that came down to the fourth quarter. This is a team far removed from its 0-2 start against FCS schools.

6. Penn State (5) — The Nittany Lions have won four-straight games and enjoyed an offensive explosion in the second half against Purdue. Their 45 second-half points were more than any other Big Ten team scored in total this week. Four more wins to finish the season could be a possibility, as well as an East division title in Happy Valley.

7. Minnesota (9) — The Gophers’ defensive line had their way with Illinois’ front five, making it a rough go for the Illini’s third string quarterback playing in his first Homecoming game. Mitch Leidner only needed to complete 10 passes for a comfortable 40-17 win on the road. Purdue is another winnable contest next week for an already bowl-eligible Minnesota squad.

8. Iowa (6) — The Hawkeyes had a Week Nine bye to figure out how to turn around their anemic offense. Penn State, Michigan and Nebraska are all tough matches looming on the Iowa schedule.

9. Indiana (10) — Three different Indiana runners cracked 100 yards in the Hoosiers’ 42-36 victory over Maryland, which was sorely needed for IU’s bowl chances. Indiana needs to win two of its next four matchups against Rutgers, Penn State, Michigan and Purdue in order to grab its second-consecutive bowl game for the first time since the early 90s.

10. Maryland (8) — After a 4-0 start, the Terps have lost the next three of four and are still looking for that elusive sixth win. With Michigan, Ohio State and Nebraska appearing in their three games, it could very well come down to the Week 13 bout against Rutgers for Maryland to sneak into a bowl game.

11. Michigan State (13) — Illinois’ next opponent kept it relatively close against Michigan but has lost six in a row in a season that has seen the Spartans free fall into obscurity. Running back LJ Scott’s 139 yards against a stingy Michigan defense does not bode well for an Illinois defense that has allowed 100 yards to six different rushers this season.

12. Purdue (11) — Darrell Hazell is out and interim head coach Gerard Parker is in for the Boilermakers. Parker’s first half as a head coach went well before Penn State broke out to outscore Purdue 45-7 in the final 30 minutes. 

13. Illinois (13) — With a 40-17 loss to Minnesota, the Illini have allowed 40 points in consecutive games for the first time since 2013. That’s not exactly what the program had in mind when bringing in the defensive-minded Lovie Smith, but the defense has seen major turnover with a lot of young faces. Michigan State could be the last beatable team on Illinois’ schedule this season.

14. Rutgers (14) — Chris Ash’s squad spent its bye week thinking of what could have been after a narrow loss to Minnesota last week. The Scarlet Knights are still searching for their first Big Ten win with four games remaining.

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