7. Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-1)
Last week's ranking: No. 8 (+1)
Last week's game: BYE
Nebraska had somewhat of an oddly-placed bye week -- after a home game, and before another home game against a Michigan State team it shouldn't be too fearful of. Regardless, the Cornhuskers will need to bounce back after their loss to Michigan to assert themselves as one of the true dark horses in all of college football. They have the window to do so -- a favorable conference schedule means they can easily be 9-1 going into their road matchup with Penn State.
8. USC Trojans (4-1)
Last week's ranking: No. 5 (-3)
Last week's game: L, 34-32 vs No. 23 Illinois
The Trojans underperformed for three quarters against Illinois, and finally when they put it all together in the fourth to take a lead, they still managed to choke the win away at the end. For a team that seemed to be on a playoff trajectory, it was one of those losses that serve as a reality check. USC will have a bye week before a daunting stretch of games against Michigan, Notre Dame, and Nebraska.
9. Washington Huskies (3-1)
Last week's ranking: No. 6 (-3)
Last week's game: L, 24-6 vs No. 1 Ohio State
Similarly to USC, Washington lost to No. 1 Ohio State in a way that felt like it's time to pump the brakes a little when it comes to expectations. The Huskies didn't look awful and certainly can improve from the loss going forward, but their struggles were glaring and simply won't cut it against top-level competition. A road test against an undefeated Maryland team is the perfect type of game to right some of those wrongs and feel good about in the event of a win.
10. Maryland Terrapins (4-0)
Last week's ranking: No. 10
Last week's game: BYE
The Terrapins are 4-0 for the third time in the past five seasons, a great start for a team picked 16th in the preseason power rankings. However, Washington will be the toughest team they've faced yet by far, and they're even 6.5-point underdogs despite being at home with a better record. This will be a true test to see if Maryland is for real or not, with all the pressure on freshman quarterback Malik Washington's arms and legs. He's had an amazing season so far.
11. Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-1)
Last week's ranking: No. 11
Last week's game: W, 31-28 vs Rutgers
Minnesota continues to be about where you'd expect as Big Ten play kicks off. The Golden Gophers bested a capable Rutgers team, but not by much. This is a team that should win every game against the teams below them on this list, but would likely lose to every team above them, except for maybe Maryland. An upcoming matchup against No. 1 Ohio State will be the clearest example of that being the case.
12. Michigan State Spartans (3-1)
Last week's ranking: No. 13 (+1)
Last week's game: BYE
Michigan State is pretty much in the same boat as Minnesota -- the rest of its remaining scheudle has about four wins and four losses. That would make the Spartans bowl-eligible and be a much-needed improvement from last year, but they're still far away from the cream of the crop like they once were. If you're a Michigan State fan, if the Spartans can pick up an upset some time this season, especially if it's against Michigan, then that's probably a successful season for you.