7. Washington Huskies (5-1)
Last week's ranking: No. 7
Last week's game: W, 38-19 vs Rutgers
The Huskies hold their spot at No. 7 in the power rankings after a good, but not great, win against a less-skilled Rutgers team. Quarterback Demond Williams Jr. made a statement with a historical performance, but the team got off to an ugly start to the game. Washington's ceiling is absolutely up there with the top dogs in the conference, but playing down to their opponent and inconsistency has plagued the Huskies a bit this season.
8. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-2)
Last week's ranking: No. 5 (-3)
Last week's game: L, 34-16 vs No. 1 Ohio State
Illinois did just about as good as Washington did against No. 1 Ohio State, so its now-second loss puts the Illini below the Huskies in the Big Ten. After being ranked as high as No. 9 on the AP poll, it's clear this Illinois team has a limited ceiling -- even if it has the continuity and experience to win big games. Having a high floor but a low ceiling isn't necessarily a bad thing though, Illinois is definitely still solid enough to finish around 9-3 and play a decent bowl game.
9. Iowa Hawkeyes (4-2)
Last week's ranking: No. 11 (+2)
Last week's game: 37-0 vs Wisconsin
Believe it or not, this game was a huge test for Iowa even though it was playing the lowly Badgers. The Hawkeyes either could've proved they were on the same tier as the Big Ten bottom feeder, or do what they actually did and win in dominant fashion. 37 points from an Iowa offense is nice no matter who the opponent is.
10. Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-2)
Last week's ranking: No. 13 (+3)
Last week's game: W, 27-20 vs Purdue
Minnesota takes advantage of multiple losses from the middle of the Big Ten pack to move up three spots, but its seven-point win over Purdue wasn't exactly convincing. A home game Friday against No. 25 Nebraska will be the true test to see if Minnesota deserves top-10 conference status.
11. Maryland Terrapins (4-2)
Last week's ranking: No. 10 (-1)
Last week's game: L, 34-31 vs Nebraska
Maryland has now lost back-to-back games in devastating fashion. The Terrapins could easily be 6-0, but instead sadly have to drop a spot due to the inability to close out games. Still, the efforts from Maryland so far this season is a massively-positive sign for a program with young talent that appears to be on the rise.
12. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-3)
Last week's ranking: No. 9 (-3)
Last week's game: L, 22-21 vs Northwestern
No one would've expected that Penn State would be the 12th-best team in the Big Ten seven weeks into the season. A home loss to a not-so-great Northwestern team proves that there is no "gimme" games in the conference. The Nittany Lions, who entered the season as the No. 2 team in the whole country, have now lost back-to-back games to teams that were previously ranked 17th and 18th in the conference. With coach James Franklin fired, quarterback Drew Allar out for the season, and an 0-3 Big Ten record, the wheels have officially fallen off for Penn State.