Back when the Big Ten was divided into the East and West Divisions (RIP Legends and Leaders), there was a serious power imbalance, with the East winning every single Big Ten title game over the 10 years those divisions existed.
Ohio State and Michigan won eight of those, and when the divisions were finally dissolved, it seemed to open opportunities for other teams from the old East to break through without facing the conference's best every year.
However, in 2026, it's the old West Division that has produced the surprise threats as the season's midway point approaches.
Nebraska is 5-0 (and still unranked) as it gets set to host No. 7 Indiana, hoping to snap a 31-game losing streak to ranked opponents. Iowa finally got knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten in a 31-14 loss to Ohio State last week, but it looks like a classic Kirk Ferentz Iowa squad no one wants to deal with.
Wisconsin is 4-1, with its lone loss in the opener to a top-five Notre Dame team, and a defense that's suffocating opponents. Minnesota is likewise 4-1 with back-to-back wins over Washington on the road and then Michigan at home, which the Gophers hadn't beaten in Minneapolis since 1977.
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Then there's 3-1 Northwestern, which pushed Indiana to the brink in its lone loss of the season before bludgeoning Penn State to open new Ryan Field in style and send the Nittany Lions into an existential crisis Friday night.
While the Big Ten's elites still reside in Columbus, Bloomington and Eugene, the old Big Ten West is making up much of the Big Ten's depth. The result is a lot of games that once seemed simple for the conference's best -- like Indiana's visit to Lincoln this week -- suddenly produce more anxiety for fans of those top teams and intrigue for those without a specific rooting interest.
Where will all of those teams find themselves in this week's Big Ten Power Rankings? Let's find out ...
1. Indiana
Last week: 1
The Hoosiers did what they needed to in beating up on Rutgers, and now they get set for a road trip to face undefeated Nebraska. Indiana hasn't been quite as sharp as we grew to expect from last year's squad, but the talent up and down the roster is still tremendous, and they can overwhelm most opponents with it. This week's trip to Lincoln will be a good test for Curt Cignetti's group to see whether they can raise their level and deliver a clinical performance in a hostile environment. A year ago, they were better than anyone at taking a crowd out of it quickly, and we'll see if they still have that killer instinct and ability early against the Huskers.
2. Ohio State
Last week: 2
Jeremiah Smith is the most dominant player in the country and is rocketing up the list of the greatest receivers this century with every monster performance. Iowa was supposed to be the game where Smith's torrid early-season pace slowed down, but instead, he upped his effort with 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Smith might be masking some potential issues for the Buckeyes elsewhere on offense, but he's so good that it might not matter that they've built everything around his dynamic abilities. The Buckeyes get Maryland this week as a tune-up for their biggest stretch of the season with a trip to Indiana, a bye week and then USC and Oregon back-to-back.
3. Oregon
Last week: 3
Oregon was able to get right against USC, and a run to the College Football Playoff and a national title are still possible. They were able to reset with a bye week and shift focus to a very good UCLA team, but the Ducks have one major question lingering with the uncertain status of quarterback Dante Moore as he recovers from a concussion. If Moore can't go, Dylan Raiola will get his first start with the Ducks after a great performance stepping in against USC, but there's a different pressure coming into a game as the starter. A win, particularly a convincing one, over UCLA on Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m. ET on CBS, Paramount+Premium) would assert Oregon as a playoff frontrunner again. Anything else will cause some stress in Eugene.
4. UCLA
Last week: 4
The Bruins also had a bye week to get ready for Oregon in a game that will tell us just how real UCLA's swift turnaround under Bob Chesney is. The Bruins have been running the dang ball so far, as only the service academies and RichRod's West Virginia are averaging more yards on the ground than UCLA this season. If they can consistently move it on the ground against this Ducks' defense (which hasn't been as stout as expected), they'll be live for an upset that would move them from the list of intriguing teams to being an outright playoff contender.
5. Northwestern
Last week: 9
I'm officially a Northwestern believer. They've now beaten the brakes off of Colorado and Penn State, and while those may not be good teams, smashing bad teams is the hallmark of a good team. Chip Kelly is running some wild stuff on offense, but it's not just gimmicky for the sake of it. There's method to the madness, and he's got opposing defenses playing a step slow and questioning their reads. Aidan Chiles is running the offense well, making plays when called upon and limiting the miscues. The defense looks salty, and all of a sudden, Northwestern being on your schedule no longer looks like a good thing. Ball State this week before Michigan State and Rutgers, and we could be talking about the 'Cats being bowl eligible before November.
6. Nebraska
Last week: 7
The Huskers looked like they were sleepwalking through the first half against Maryland, but did wake up in the fourth quarter to pull away for another comfortable win. I'll forgive them for being in lookahead mode with Indiana coming to town this week, and the fact that they could lock in and take care of business late is the sign of a good team. The Huskers haven't won a game against a ranked opponent in a decade, and we'll find out quickly how real Nebraska is when they host the reigning national champs.
7. Wisconsin
Last week: 8
It would've been really easy for Wisconsin to have a letdown after the emotional comeback win at Penn State. Instead, they stomped out Michigan State in their most impressive performance to date, and you can see the belief building in Madison. The Badgers suddenly feel like they have a real shot to make some noise in the Big Ten, and get a bye week this week to prepare for a massive stretch on their schedule with road trips to UCLA and Iowa sandwiched around a visit to Madison from USC.
8. Iowa
Last week: 5
The Ohio State game was a sobering reminder of the gap between the Big Ten's elite and the tier below. Still, a 31-14 loss to the Buckeyes isn't a catastrophe, and Iowa still has it all in front of them as they won't face Oregon or Indiana this year. That said, the next few weeks no longer look as easy as they once did for the Hawkeyes. A road trip to Seattle is always tricky, and then they face Minnesota, Wisconsin and Northwestern all in a row that will help sort out some of the mess in the middle of the Big Ten.
9. USC
Last week: 6
A win is a win, but watching USC try to grind out a win over Washington was like pulling teeth. This defense is still brutal to watch, and the offense isn't as dynamic as they need to be to make up for it. The Trojans have some awesome young skill position players like King Miller and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. Jayden Maiava has flashes where you see first-round talent, but the consistency hasn't quite been there, and with the defense as leaky as it's been, they haven't been pulling away from anyone in Big Ten play (including Rutgers). They may be 2-1 in conference, but this feels like a team that's pretty far away from the upper echelon. Perhaps Penn State provides a get-right spot, but a night game in Happy Valley won't be easy to deal with, even with the Nittany Lions coming off back-to-back rough losses.
10. Minnesota
Last week: 10
Minnesota beating Michigan is a huge win and worthy of the big celebration that followed as they got their hands back on the Little Brown Jug. It was also a scratchy offensive performance, and their two wins in the last two weeks have not been quite as impressive as some of the teams above them. The Gophers get Purdue this week before a key stretch of the season with games against Iowa, Indiana and UCLA that will tell us exactly how serious a threat they are to the Big Ten's upper class.
11. Purdue
Last week: 16
Purdue picked up its first Big Ten win since 2023 on Saturday over Illinois, and that's cause for some celebration in West Lafayette. Aside from getting blown out by Notre Dame, this is a team that's been competitive all year and Barry Odom has the Boilermakers playing hard and believing. Whether they have the talent to bridge the gap with the rest of the Big Ten remains to be seen, but they're at least trending in a positive direction and finally have a result on the field to prove it.
12. Washington
Last week: 13
It's more a testament of how bad the rest of the bottom half of the Big Ten performed last week that the Huskies climb after a loss to USC, but Washington at least looked competent in a road defeat, which is more than most of the teams below them can say. Still, Jedd Fisch has to be feeling some heat in Seattle, and a Friday night visit from Iowa is not what the doctor ordered for an offense that's spent most of this season floundering. On the positive side, a win can turn the vibe around in a hurry, but the Hawkeyes will poke at their flaws and demand a more complete performance than we've seen this season from the Huskies.
13. Michigan
Last week: 12
Kyle Whittingham always felt like a stop-gap hire after entering the coaching carousel late, but he was supposed to at least keep the train on the tracks and help raise the floor in Ann Arbor. Instead, the Wolverines look sloppy and undisciplined through five weeks, and if things don't turn around in a hurry, we could be headed for an all-time rough debut season at Michigan for Whittingham.
14. Penn State
Last week: 11
It took five weeks for Penn State fans to fully turn on the Matt Campbell hire, which is what happens when you blow a lead at home to Wisconsin and then get absolutely worked on a Friday night at Northwestern. Rocco Becht has struggled in the transition to Big Ten play (which has been complicated by the absence of his top receiver, Koby Howard), and the Nittany Lions have to find something soon on offense or face a lost season in Campbell's first on campus. They welcome USC to Happy Valley for this week's Anxiety Bowl in the Big Ten, where at minimum they need to keep things competitive with a Trojans squad that's been scuffling.
15. Michigan State
Last week: 15
The Michigan State offense is a tough watch right now. The Spartans have now scored 26 points combined in the last three weeks after a 31-3 loss at Wisconsin, and the path to bowl eligibility is now officially an uphill climb for Pat Fitzgerald's bunch. If there is any good news, it's that they get an Illinois team that's made most offenses look good this season next. If they can't figure something out against the Illini, focus will quickly shift to Tom Izzo's boys in East Lansing.
16. Illinois
Last week: 14
It's bleak for the Illini right now. They are now 0-3 against Power Four opponents after a dreadful loss to Purdue on Saturday. The defense has been terrible all year, but against the Boilermakers, it was the offense that couldn't get out of first gear, adding a new set of problems for Bret Bielema to figure out before what feels like a must-win game in East Lansing on Saturday.
17. Maryland
Last week: 17
The Terps were frisky for 45 minutes on the road at Nebraska, and it looked for a moment like the boys from Maryland might pull off an inspired upset win for embattled coach Mike Locksley. Unfortunately, it takes 60 minutes to get to the final whistle, and Maryland lost the fourth quarter 20-0 to find themselves on the wrong end of another lopsided defeat.
18. Rutgers
Last week: 18
It was never going to go well for Rutgers against Indiana, and now they get to lick their wounds on a bye week before their most winnable game left on the schedule -- a road trip to Maryland.
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