A new leader and bottom feeder

A marquee weekend of Big Ten football delivered with last-second finishes, one-score wins and drama. The conference landscape has been shaken up as a result, with new teams taking over the top spot and bottom spot in the rankings.

1. Oregon (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten)

Previous: 2. Last Week: W 32-31 vs. Ohio State.

Dan Lanning, take a bow. The Oregon head coach’s tactical decision to commit a penalty with 10 seconds remaining was crucial in the Ducks’ ability to hang on late. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel played another standout game, and he has the Oregon offense rolling. Avoiding a letdown in a Friday night visit to Purdue is easier said than done.

2. Penn State (6-0, 3-0)

Previous: 3. LW: W 33-30 vs. USC.

Penn State doesn’t want quarterback Drew Allar to attempt 40-plus passes every week — but if he does, the Nittany Lions know they have a monster tight end ready to answer the call. Tyler Warren hauled in 17 catches, also recording a rushing attempt and 9-yard pass to lift the Nittany Lions to an overtime win.

3. Ohio State (5-1, 2-1)

Previous: 1. LW: L 32-31 vs. Oregon.

The Buckeyes were good, but not good enough to earn a win on the road at Oregon. In the 12-team playoff era, it doesn’t change much about Ohio State’s chances of reaching the postseason field — but it is a damaging loss for Ryan Day, who’s now 1-7 against Top 5 teams as Ohio State’s head coach.

4. Indiana (6-0, 3-0)

Coming off a bye week, the undefeated Hoosiers will welcome Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” program to campus for a matchup against Nebraska.

5. Illinois (5-1, 2-1)

Previous: 5. LW: W 50-49 vs. Purdue.

Illinois looked in control against an overmatched Purdue team playing with a backup quarterback when it went up 27-3. An epic Purdue comeback sent the game to overtime, and the Boilermakers very well should’ve come away with the win in a major wake-up call for the Illini. Michigan is up next.

6. Michigan (4-2, 2-1)

Another low-scoring, physical and run-heavy game is on the way for a Michigan team that ranks No. 102 nationally in scoring offense. The Wolverines are in for another test at Illinois.

7. Nebraska (5-1, 2-1)

Nebraska comes off a bye week knowing that it has an opportunity to earn a statement win over a ranked opponent in Indiana. Also of consequence is the fact that a Nebraska program that hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2016 can earn that magical sixth win this week.

8. Iowa (4-2, 2-1)

Previous: 10. LW: W 40-16 vs. Washington.

Running back Kaleb Johnson turned in a three-touchdown performance as Iowa dominated Washington in every facet of the game. The surging Hawkeyes will be favored on the road at Michigan State next.

9. USC (3-3, 1-3)

Previous: 9. LW: L 33-30 vs. Penn State.

USC played an excellent game but crumbled in overtime, missing a field goal which allowed Penn State to deal it a third loss in the last four weeks. A trip to a struggling Maryland team offers a big opportunity to get back on track.

10. Washington (4-3, 2-2)

Previous: 8. LW: L 40-16 vs. Iowa.

The up-and-down roller coaster of Washington’s 2024 season continued as the Huskies followed a big win over Michigan with a disappointing road loss to Iowa. An offense that eats up yardage but doesn’t score enough will need to take a long, hard look at itself over a bye week.

11. Minnesota (4-3, 2-2)

Previous: 11. LW: W 21-17 vs. UCLA.

For the second week in a row, quarterback Max Brosmer delivered a game-winning touchdown with less than a minute left to play. Minnesota now has a solid platform to build upon entering its first bye week.

12. Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1)

Previous: 13. LW: W 42-7 vs. Rutgers.

A big win over Rutgers will keep the heat off head coach Luke Fickell for the time being, with Wisconsin looking every bit the physical, dominant team it’d hoped to be last week. A trip to Northwestern will show whether that success is sustainable.

13. Rutgers (4-2, 1-2)

Previous: 12. LW: L 42-7 vs. Wisconsin.

A two-week stretch in which Rutgers has scored just 14 total points has brought the Scarlet Knights back to earth after a 4-0 start. Anything less than a win over UCLA this weekend would be disastrous.

14. Michigan State (3-3, 1-2)

Michigan State will look to snap a three-game losing streak when it hosts Iowa on Saturday night.

15. Northwestern (3-3, 1-2)

Previous: 16. LW: W 37-10 vs. Maryland.

A four-turnover day on defense helped a struggling Northwestern offense put up a season-high 37 points to earn the school’s first conference win. Wisconsin comes to town next.

16. Maryland (3-3, 0-3)

Previous: 14. LW: L 37-10 vs. Northwestern

Having squandered its best chances to earn conference wins, Maryland is now staring at a bleak six-game stretch where only one of its final opponents — USC — doesn’t currently have a winning record.

17. Purdue (1-5, 0-3)

Previous: 18. LW: L 50-49 vs. Illinois.

Purdue jumps out of the Big Ten cellar for the first time in several weeks as a result of its dramatic late comeback against Illinois. Playing for the injured Hudson Card, backup quarterback Ryan Browne brought an entirely new level to the Boilermaker offense.

18. UCLA (1-5, 0-4)

Previous: 17. LW: L 21-17 vs. Minnesota.

It’s rock bottom for a UCLA program which is now scoring the second-fewest points in the country, an average of 14.5 points per game. A trip east to face Rutgers is up next.