Big Ten football power rankings

1. Ohio State (8-0, 4-0): With J.T. Barrett back as the starting qurarterback, the Buckeyes looked scary good once again last week.

2. Michigan State (8-0, 4-0): Taking advantage of quarterback Connor Cook's brilliance, Aaron Burbridge leads the Big Ten in receiving.

3. Iowa (7-0, 3-0): The Hawkeyes have two road victories against ranked teams (Wisconsin, Northwestern) for first time since 2010.

4. Michigan (5-2, 2-1): The Wolverines lead the nation in third-down defense; opponents converting only 19.6 percent of the time.

5. Wisconsin (6-2, 3-1): Dave Aranda's defense has allowed only seven touchdowns in the Badgers' past six games.

6. Northwestern (6-2, 2-2): Last week's victory at Nebraska made the Wildcats bowl-eligible for the first time since 2012.

7. Illinois (4-3, 1-2): This team looms as a sneaky tough opponent for the Gophers on Nov. 21 at TCF Bank Stadium.

9. Nebraska (3-5, 1-3): The Cornhuskers' five losses have come by a combined 13 points for snakebit first-year coach Mike Riley.

10. Gophers (4-3, 1-2): Minnesota's scoring offense ranks last in the Big Ten at 20.4 points per game.

11. Rutgers (3-4, 1-3): The Scarlet Knights need three more victories to get bowl-eligible, and the schedule is tough.

12. Indiana (4-4, 0-4): The Hoosiers were outscored 46-0 combined in the fourth quarter in losses to Rutgers and Michigan State.

13. Maryland (2-5, 0-3): The Terrapins rushed for 241 yards against Penn State, but they also had five turnovers in what turned out to be a 31-30 loss.