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 put together their best game of the season in their 38-10 win over Penn State. J.T. Barrett once again finished drives, running in two touchdowns in the first half and
taking over for Cardale Jones in the third quarter — Barrett also had two touchdown passes.

2. Michigan State (3) — Spartans fans might still not believe the end of Michigan State’s 27-23 win over Michigan. Jalen Watts-Jackson picked up the mishandled punt and ran it back 38 yards for a touchdown in the closing seconds of the game.

3. Michigan (2) — All Michigan punter Blake O’Neill had to do was punt the ball away and the Wolverines would’ve likely won the game. The senior mishandled the snap and the rest was history in Michigan’s 27-23
loss to the Spartans.

4. Iowa (4) — Iowa’s back-up running back Akrum Wadley made history in the Hawkeyes’ 40-10 win over Northwestern. Wadley ran for a school-record four touchdowns and 204 yards after starter Jordan Canzeri left the game with a sprain.

5. Wisconsin (6) — The Badgers played a complete game to hold off Purdue 24-7. Wisconsin’s defense allowed the Boilermakers to record a season-low 191 yards and Joel Stave threw for 322 yards while Alec Ingold ran in two touchdowns.

6. Penn State (7) — The Nittany Lions’ offensive line had another hard time protecting quarterback Christian Hackenberg against Ohio State’s defense. The junior was sacked five times and threw for 120 yards and a touchdown in the 38-10 loss.

7. Illinois (8) — The bye week was a perfect time for many Illini players to heal after the first six games of the season. Quarterback Wes Lunt is fifth in the Big Ten in passing yards per game (237.7) while wide
receiver Geronimo Allison leads the conference in receptions per game (6.7) and receiving yards per game (100.2).

8. Northwestern (5) — The Wildcats’ offense struggled to gain any momentum in their 40-10 loss to Iowa. Clayton Thorson threw for 125 yards, one touchdown and one interception while Justin Jackson ran for
30 yards on 10 carries.

9. Nebraska (11) — Tommy Armstrong Jr. helped Nebraska right the ship after an 0-2 start to conference play. The quarterback threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns as the Cornhusker won the Broken Chair Trophy against Minnesota 48-25.

10. Minnesota (9) — The Golden Gophers’ offense tried to keep their game against Nebraska competitive but Minnesota’s FBS-worst pass defense created to big of a deficit. Mitch Leidner threw a career-high 26 passes and for a career-high 301 yards in Minnesota’s 48-25 loss.

11. Rutgers (12) — The Scarlet Knights escaped the Big Ten dungeon this week with a comeback win in Bloomington, Indiana. Rutgers scored 22 points in the fourth quarter while Chris Laviano threw for 386 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in Rutgers’ 55-52 win over Indiana.

12. Indiana (10) — Hoosier players said they thought they had their game against Rutgers all wrapped up. Then Rutgers turned three fourth-quarter turnovers into touchdowns in Indiana’s 55-52 loss to Rutgers.

13. Maryland (13) — Nothing has changed for the Terrapins during their bye week. Maryland is 2-4, 0-2 in the Big Ten and its total offense ranks 12th in the conference and its total defense ranks 13th.

14. Purdue (14) — Another game, another loss for the Boilermakers. David Blough threw for 136 yards and scored Purdue’s only touchdown on a run in the second quarter as the Boilermakers lost their fifth-straight game, this time 24-7 against Wisconsin.

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