Week 10 of the Big Ten featured many surprises. Some teams near the top of the standings took a big fall. The Ohio State Buckeyes have endured a huge dropoff in results since the Julian Sayin injury, and their recovery may not come until next season. That, however, puts the USC Trojans in a good position for the Big Ten title game if they can win out.
Here are my Big Ten football rankings after Week 10:
1. UCLA Bruins (9-0)
The UCLA Bruins are showing no sign of slowing down and are only getting better on the offensive end. This team should be the Big Ten's best representation this season.
2. Indiana Hoosiers (8-1)
The Indiana Hoosiers got a much-needed week off, and if Grant Wilson is the starter for them moving forward, this team can get back to being a legitimate threat in the Big Ten as
opposed to being a team waiting for a disastrous upset.
3. USC Trojans (7-2)
When the USC Trojans are healthy, I think they can beat every team that is ranked above them. This team has a chance to control its own destiny in the next few weeks, and hopefully their win against the Ohio State Buckeyes was the win that changed everything.
4. Oregon Ducks (6-3)
The Oregon Ducks now look like the team we expected them to be. They are as talented as any team in the country. Things are starting to pan out for them even without Dante Moore starting at quarterback. Even with 3 losses, they have a shot at getting into the College Football Playoff, with some great wins under their belt.
5. Iowa Hawkeyes (7-2)
The Iowa Hawkeyes' run game and defense took great advantage of a banged-up Northwestern Wildcats team. They like USC control their own destiny, and a 10-2 season feels likely.
6. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-3)
The Ohio State Buckeyes are a completely different team without Luke Fahey. Jeremiah Smith's Heisman campaign has now come to a halt, as he can not even save this team offensively. The biggest issues for Ohio State may be on the other side of the ball, however. This is a team closer to the middle of the pack than being a top contender.
7. Northwestern Wildcats (6-3)
No Aidan Chiles for the Northwestern Wildcats, and this team does not have the same spark offensively. If they can get him back, there is still a shot at having this season continue to be a great one.
8. Wisconsin Badgers (6-3)
The Wisconsin Badgers got back on the right track as they delivered a complete performance in their win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Although they got humbled by Iowa, this is still a high-quality Big Ten team.
9. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-4)
Rocco Becht played a clean game, and the run game dominated for the Penn State Nittany Lions. That is when this team is at its best, and they were able to get a victory over a hot Washington Huskies team.
10. Illinois Fighting Illini (6-3)
Colin Dixon's fantastic season continued this weekend as he led the Illinois Fighting Illini to victory. This game showed that Illinois can still get it done and look like a formidable Big Ten team.
11. Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-4)
The Minnesota Gophers hung in the ruins with the UCLA Bruins for a good portion of the game. The Gophers are not a team to take lightly, and they still have one game left to make this year a success.
12. Washington Huskies (5-4)
Demond Williams and the Washington Huskies came out of the gate slowly in their loss to Penn State and did not give themselves enough time to pull off a win at home. The momentum they built up over the past few weeks died down with this week's loss. The Huskies have fallen far short of expectations.
13. Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-4)
4 straight losses for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and what started off as a hopeful season has taken a turn for the worse. Anthony Colandrea is a good option at quarterback for another season, but how high does he raise the ceiling for this team, really?
14. Michigan Wolverines (5-4)
Losing to the Michigan State Spartans and only managing to score 6 points in the game is as bad as it gets for the Michigan Wolverines. Things are going to get worse before they get better for this team.
15. Michigan State Spartans (3-6)
With Alessio Milivojevic returning for the Michigan State Spartans, Michigan State pulled off an upset win over their rival. This is a win that can propel the Spartans to success next season.
16. Maryland Terrapins (3-6)
The biggest reason to be hopeful for the Maryland Terrapins moving forward is Malik Washington, and he further displayed that in the win over the Purdue Boilermakers. He was great, and this was a game that should give Maryland more motivation to not let him slip out of their fingers in the offseason.
17. Purdue Boilermakers (3-6)
The Purdue Boilermakers are a sneaky football team, but still a team with not even the talent to win games they should. It is a toss-up each week as to what the end result will be. It will be interesting if this offseason is any different with the talent question.
18. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-7)
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights may have some NFL talent on their roster, but that has not stopped them from getting dominated in games. They are on their way to finishing at the bottom of the Big Ten this year.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Big Ten football power rankings after Ohio State loses to Oregon
