Big Ten power rankings: Indiana and Oregon survive

1. Ohio State (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten): QB Julian Sayin (303 passing yards) and WR Jeremiah Smith (10 catches, 137 yards) led Buckeyes to a 34-10 rout of Purdue. Over the past three games, Sayin has completed 83 of 99 passes (83.8%) for 1,012 yards and nine TDs with one interception.

2. Indiana (10-0, 7-0): Omar Cooper Jr.’s fancy footwork on winning TD catch in final minute gives Hoosiers a 27-24 triumph at Penn State. That kept alive a potential matchup against No. 1 Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game.

3. Oregon (8-1, 5-1): Ducks take Iowa’s best punch, emerge from Kinnick Stadium with 18-16 victory. After playing Gophers on Friday, Oregon finishes at home vs. Southern California and at Washington.

4. USC (7-2, 5-1): With 38-17 home win over Northwestern, the Trojans tuned up for an important two-week stretch for their College Football Playoff hopes: at home Saturday vs. Iowa and at Oregon on Nov. 22.

5. Michigan (7-2, 5-1): Wolverines were idle Saturday. They face Northwestern at Chicago’s Wrigley Field this week.

6. Iowa (6-3, 4-2): The Hawkeyes pushed Oregon to the limit, but that first-half safety given up ended up haunting them in the end in an 18-16 loss. Iowa must recover quickly because they travel to USC for Saturday’s matchup.

7. Illinois (6-3, 3-3): Fighting Illini had a week off. Their finishing stretch is home vs. Maryland, at Wisconsin and home vs. Northwestern.

9. Nebraska (7-3, 4-3): Huskers RB Emmett Johnson, the former Holy Angels star, rushed 28 times for 129 yards and a TD and caught three passes for 103 yards and two TDs in 28-21 win at UCLA.

10. Washington (6-3, 3-3): The Huskies’ Big Ten road woes continued in 13-10 loss at Wisconsin. Since joining the Big Ten, Washington is 1-7 in conference play away from Husky Stadium.

11. Northwestern (5-4, 3-3): Wildcats fall 28-17 at USC, dropping to 0-6 all-time vs. Trojans.

12. Rutgers (5-5, 2-5): With their 35-20 win over Maryland, Scarlet Knights need one more win to reach bowl eligibility. They’ll have to do it against either Ohio State or Penn State.

13. UCLA (3-6, 3-3): Second-half rally falls short for Bruins in 28-21 loss to Nebraska. The schedule stiffens with visit to No. 1 Ohio State this week, followed by games against Washington and USC.

15. Penn State (3-6, 0-6): The Nittany Lions nearly pulled off the upset of the season in a 27-24 loss to No. 2 Indiana. Instead, they dropped their sixth in a row. A trip to Michigan State might give Penn State a chance to end that skid.

16. Wisconsin (3-6, 1-5): Badgers end 11-game skid vs. Power Four opponents by beating Washington 13-10 in Madison. The Wisconsin defense limited Huskies to 251 yards and pitched a second-half shutout.

17. Michigan State (3-6, 0-6): Spartans were idle Saturday. They carry a six-game losing streak into this week’s home game against Penn State.