In the new Big Ten Power Poll, the Gophers are tied with Michigan State for fifth. Undefeated Ohio State remains at No. 1 but our voters think they'll fall soon.

Votes based on results through Tuesday.

You can see each individual ballot here.

Voter bios and links are listed here.

1. Ohio State – Lindsay Guentzel says, "The Buckeyes, like every team in the Big Ten, have had some close games that I'm sure made the team a little nervous as the clock ticked down. But they have a way of playing with a sense of urgency throughout the whole game, a consistency that teams like the Gophers and Michigan State lack." Damian Johnson says, "Obvious choice here, the best team in the nation but they are very beatable." My 2 Cents: We all know it's coming. That first loss of the season. Just not sure when. Is the Buckeyes' ability to pull off wins in tight games a sign of their talent or a gradual unveiling of their weaknesses? 2. Illinois – Lindsay Guentzel says, "The Fighting Illini used what might be the biggest addition to any team in the Big Ten in their 71-62 victory over Michigan State on Tuesday night: home-court advantage. While it helped them pick up a win over the failing Spartans, it was a thorn in their side when they traveled to Penn State and Wisconsin, picking up their first two conference losses." My 2 Cents: The biggest threat to Ohio State's bid for a Big Ten title. They're long and athletic. Can't wait to see Saturday's matchup. 3. Wisconsin – Dan Owen says, "To me, Wisconsin has been the second most impressive team in the Big Ten simply because they've consistently looked good, have been in every game they played, and have only lost two road games to tough competition in the Big Ten." My 2 Cents: The Badgers beat a good Illinois team. They're going to be in the mix at the end of the season, especially with Michigan State facing an identity crisis. 4. Purdue – Joshua Powers says, "Is this a beginning of a Purdue slide? Sure they were 15-1 before last week but had yet to play a ranked team. Losses to the Gophers and West Virginia only confirmed that in order for this team to win both JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore have to be playing well. And starting this Saturday, Purdue will play nine of its final 13 games against ranked opponents. Yikes." My 2 Cents: The Boilermakers faced their first test of the year, a road matchup at Minnesota, and failed. They also lost to West Virginia in their next game. We all wondered if this team was legit after a relatively easy nonconference slate. We're still wondering. 5. Michigan State – Ryan Weinzierl says, "Generally speaking, teams that have an RPI better than 50 get into the tournament. Michigan State is at #22 right now. But if they only go 11-7 in the conference (which I can see happening), they'll only be 19-11 overall making them a bubble team. It's great to play a tough schedule, but they still only have one non-conference quality win (Washington)." My 2 Cents: What happened? This is not the team that played in the Final Four in March. We always assume Tom Izzo's team will regroup. But so far, they continue to struggle in big games. 6. Minnesota – Nadine Babu says, "I think I'm actually tougher on Minnesota since they are my team. They are #15 in the nation, but it just doesn't seem right to put them ahead of teams that beat us." Mike Milinovich says, "With Joseph gone they don't have anyone that can create offense, so they'll need to do it with defense. What happened to the press?" My 2 Cents: After a turbulent week, the Gophers achieved one of their best wins under Tubby Smith by beating Purdue at home. That victory was an announcement to the rest of the league that this .500 team is still in business. 7. Penn State – Eric Johnston says, "IMO, the most dangerous team in conference that isn't Ohio State." My 2 Cents: I'm impressed by Talor Battle's boys. But a few upsets over Michigan State and Illinois won't move them up this chart. They'll have to sustain this success over the course of the season. 8. Northwestern – Nathan Wickman says, "Missed out on a huge opportunity to get the marquee win they lack when they lost to Michigan State in overtime, and now they have 3 Big Ten wins against bottom tier teams and are 0-4 against contenders. They still have some very tough games coming up, as does everybody in this conference, but they also have a really easy stretch in February where they could easily go 5-0. If they can beat some of the upper division squads, and soon, they could still end up on the NCAA Tournament bubble, but they need to start getting wins." My 2 Cents: The Wildcats haven't beaten a ranked team yet. Call me when/if they do. 9. Michigan – Dan Owen says, "After looking great a week ago against Kansas, they lost their last two games big to teams that shouldn't be blowing them out. Maybe this team is just that Jekyll and Hyde when they switch from home to away." My 2 Cents: They were horrible against Northwestern in their last game. But this young team is still dangerous at home … memo to Minnesota. 10. Indiana – Christopher Cramer says, "Hoosiers got their first conference win of the season, but lost Maurice Creek once again. Creek has yet to return to the form he showed as a freshman when he dropped 30 on an eventual #1-seed in Kentucky, and having another kneecap fracture (although this one is "just" a stress fracture) is no way to get off on the right foot for the 2011-12 season. If Creek is unable to be 100% next season (which might be more likely than you think because kneecap fractures seem to be notoriously difficult to recover from for basketball players)." My 2 Cents: Losing Maurice Creek again hurts this squad's outlook again. How long can this program build for the future? 11. Iowa – Nathan Wickman says, "It seems like there are some nice pieces in place for the future, especially Melsahn Basabe who could become Iowa's version of Trevor Mbakwe in a couple of years, but they certainly aren't there yet. They've scared Ohio State and Minnesota and will probably score an upset somewhere along the line but any more than 3 Big Ten wins would be a shocker." My 2 Cents: Fran McCaffery has the system and a couple of youngsters who will help him build this program.