A top-10 showdown between No. 3 Oregon and No. 7 Indiana highlighted what was an eventful week in Big Ten conference play, with several favored teams going down. As a result, much has changed in the conference landscape, so let's take a look where things currently stand.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0)
Last week's ranking: No. 1
Last week's game: W, 34-16 vs No. 17 Illinois
Ohio State continues to take care of business, this time going on the road to take down Illinois in the same 18-point fashion like it did to Washington. The Buckeyes defense has cemented itself as the best in the country, which is saying a lot considering the offense was supposed to be the strength coming into the season. To be fair, the offense has been just as good, as Julian Sayin leads the nation in completion percentage.
2. Indiana Hoosiers (6-0)
Last week's ranking: No. 3 (+1)
Last week's game: W, 30-20 vs No. 3 Oregon
The Hoosiers continue to be the talk of college football, as they took down the Oregon Ducks in Autzen Stadium to secure a No. 3 ranking in the AP top-25 poll. Indiana deserves it too -- this is a team that is well-coached by Curt Cignetti and has a fantastic run-pass balance on offense and an aggressive defense. Linebacker Aiden Fisher was particularly impressive with his big-play ability.
3. Oregon Ducks (5-1)
Last week's ranking: No. 2 (-1)
Last week's game: L, 30-20 vs No. 7 Indiana
Oregon lost a game that it had plenty of opportunities to win, but quarterback Dante Moore couldn't quite take advantage. Coach Dan Lanning continues to struggle more than he would like in big games, which is scary for the Ducks moving forward. Additionally, their overtime win at Penn State a few weeks ago is starting to hold less and less value on their resume. Oregon is certainly still a great team and can easily win out, but the brakes have officially been pumped on No. 1-team-in-the-nation talks.
4. USC Trojans (5-1)
Last week's ranking: No. 8 (+4)
Last week's game: W, 31-13 vs No. 15 Michigan
USC is this week's biggest risers, as the Trojans handedly took down a top-15 Michigan squad. Jayden Maiava is one of the top Heisman candidates, and the defense is showing some growth after starting out a little shaky. Now ranked No. 20, watch out for this USC team to sneak its way into a Big Ten title game.
5. Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-1)
Last week's ranking: No. 6 (+1)
Last week's game: W, 34-31 vs Maryland
Nebraska pulled off a gutsy win against Maryland, as it looked like it was going to be a loss until the very end. Matt Rhule continues to prove why this is a rising program, but Cornhuskers fans now have to worry if he now has his sights set on the vacant Penn State job.
6. Michigan Wolverines (4-2)
Last week's ranking: No. 4 (-2)
Last week's game: L, 31-13 vs USC
Michigan got beat pretty badly by a powerful USC team, and once again the offense struggled to get going. These random disappearances by Bryce Underwood and his surrounding weapons doesn't bode well for the Wolverines moving forward, but they still have the upside in talent to take down any Big Ten team. Still favored in an upcoming matchup against Washington, the Wolverines continue to hold the upper hand in the top-6 until the results from that game are in.