7. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-3)
Last week's ranking: No. 7
Last week's game: L, 18-16 vs No. 9 Oregon
Iowa was one missed field goal away from a monumental upset win over Oregon, but instead earned a crucial third loss of the season. Still, the CFP committee maintained respect for the Hawkeyes, as it kept them in the top-25 at the No. 21 spot in the rankings. Their next game against USC is a must-win, but it will be an uphill battle as their modest offense needs to keep up with the high-octane Trojans on the road.
8. Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-3)
Last week's ranking: No. 10 (+2)
Last week's game: W, 28-21 vs UCLA
A week after it seemed like the season died for Nebraska, a door suddenly opened for the Cornhuskers after Iowa and Washington losses. While the CFP is still likely out of the question, Nebraska still has a realistic shot at finishing the season 9-3 to end with a better position in the Big Ten standings.
9. Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-3)
Last week's ranking: No. 9
Last week's game: BYE
Minnesota stays put during a bye week, but now faces the biggest challenge of its remaining season -- a road contest versus No. 8 Oregon. After being blown out in Columbus by the Buckeyes earlier in the season, this is a shot at redemption for the Golden Gophers who probably just want to fight for a ranked spot at this point.
10. Washington Huskies (6-3)
Last week's ranking: No. 6 (-4)
Last week's game: L, 13-10 vs Wisconsin
Washington's loss to Wisconsin was one of the biggest resume hits for any college football team this season. Sure, it was only by three points, but it felt like watching a car crash in slow motion throughout the whole game. The Huskies lost a game in which their opponent's punter was their leading passer. Not good. As a result, Washington deservedly lost all hype in CFP talks as the page is in the process of turning to next season. An end-of-season matchup against Oregon now becomes the "Super Bowl" of the Huskies' 2025 season.
11. Northwestern Wildcats (5-4)
Last week's ranking: No. 11
Last week's game: L, 38-17 vs No. 19 USC
The drop off from the 10th to 11th spot in the conference is pretty significant, as Northwestern has been mediocre at best this season yet still remain the only team left with a winning record. However, that may not last long with Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois to close out the season. Still, give credit where it's due to the Wildcats, who have outperformed expectations this season with a few big wins.
12. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-5)
Last week's ranking: No. 16 (+4)
Last week's game: W, 35-20 vs Maryland
Rutgers shoots up the power rankings, getting back up to a .500 record even though it felt like they've been nowhere close to that throughout Big Ten play. The Scarlet Knights will enjoy a bye this week before taking on the burdening task of playing Ohio State on the road.
13. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-6)
Last week's ranking: No. 12 (-1)
Last week's game: L, 27-24 vs No. 2 Indiana
Penn State was oh so close to upsetting No. 2 Indiana for what would've been a massive morale boost to an otherwise treacherous season. Still winless in the Big Ten, the Lions at least have the benefit of a stronger roster than the rest of their bottom-tier conference counterparts -- which makes them a scarier team to face for their record. They'll have a good chance to finally get that first conference win this Saturday against Michigan State.
14. Maryland Terrapins (4-5)
Last week's ranking: No. 13 (-1)
Last week's game: L, 35-20 vs Rutgers
After losing three close games in a row, Maryland was blown out by Indiana and now lost pretty handedly to an underwhelming Rutgers team. For the season, the Terrapins are trending in the wrong direction, but still have a good outlook for upcoming years with their young roster and solid recruiting classes. The writing is on the wall that coach Mike Locksley doesn't last the end of this season, but Terps fans should feel excited about a potential fresh face to lead this budding program.
15. UCLA Bruins (3-6)
Last week's ranking: No. 14 (-1)
Last week's game: L, 28-21 vs Nebraska
As expected, UCLA's three-game win streak that turned around its season didn't last long after a highly-difficult part of the schedule arrived. With a road battle against No. 1 Ohio State this week, then Washington and USC after that, Bruins fans should thank their lucky stars that this season didn't end 0-12.
16. Michigan State Spartans (3-6)
Last week’s ranking: No. 15 (-1)
Last week’s game: BYE
Michigan State falls even during its bye week, as there's just nothing really positive to say about the team's outlook. Now one of just three remaining teams that have yet to win a conference game, the Spartans aren't even favored to beat the fellow winless Nittany Lions at home this Saturday. Recently hit with a probation for NCAA violations, things could get even uglier for Michigan State quickly.
17. Wisconsin Badgers (3-6)
Last week's ranking: No. 18 (+1)
Last week's game: W, 13-10 vs No. 23 Washington
Wisconsin miraculously won a game, against ranked Washington at that, and deserve a lot of credit for scraping together enough points to do so with an offense that still looks pitiful. With absolutely no passing game, the win was pretty much gift-wrapped to them by the Huskies' awful play rather than anything extraordinary done by the Badgers. To be fair, Wisconsin's defense was formidable and definitely has the capabilities to give Fernando Mendoza and No. 2 Indiana trouble this weekend.
18. Purdue Boilermakers (2-8)
Last week's ranking: No. 17 (-1)
Last week's game: L, 34-10 vs No. 1 Ohio State
Purdue continues to give it everything it's got, losing by just 24 points to No. 1 Ohio State despite the lopsidedness between the two programs -- the Boilermakers even led 3-0 after the first quarter. The final scores of Purdue's losses aren't anything to be ashamed of at all, it just hasn't been enough to earn wins this season. Perhaps that could change this week taking on the Huskies coming off a humiliating loss to Wisconsin.