The world of college football went into full chaos mode on Saturday, with five of the top seven teams in the AP Top 25 all losing on the same day for the first time in college football history.
Somehow, most of that carnage took place outside of the Big Ten Confernece, but we still saw some wild finishes and entertaining outcomes in Week 7 that will impact our weekly power rankings. The most notable final score came late night in Eugene, with Dylan Raiola and the Oregon Ducks putting together a comeback win to send the Nebraska Cornhuskers back home with a loss, giving Raiola a sweet victory over his former team.
However, it didn't do much to move them in the power rankings, seeing as Oregon was frustratingly bad throughout much of the game.
At
this point, the top of the Big Ten is starting to separate, but chaos flourishes underneath. A few teams are trending up quickly, while others are starting to slide as conference play ramps up.
Here are our Big Ten power rankings after Week 7:
18 - Maryland Terrapins
Previous Ranking: 16
Week 7 Result: 37-30 Loss to Rutgers
Record: 2-5
Analysis: Maryland did play a turnover-free game, but the Terrapins allowed Rutgers to convert nine times on 14 third-down attempts and could not slow down KJ Duff. The losing streak is now four as they finally hit the bye week. If there were a time for any midseason changes, this would be it. Whether that change comes to the coaching staff, quarterback, or at all remains to be seen.
17 - Michigan State Spartans
Previous Ranking: 17
Week 7 Result: 24-21 Loss to Northwestern
Record: 2-5
Analysis: The good: Jaziun Patterson is rising in the backfield for the Spartans as a bell cow option. The bad: 3-for-12 on third downs just won't cut it, and Alessio Miivojevic missed some critical throws in the fourth quarter. His feet can get a little happy, and it can lead to errant throws downfield that could've won the game. We know what we're getting with Michigan State at this point, and while they have some interesting runners, the team as a whole is disjointed and not very talented.
16 - Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Previous Ranking: 18
Week 7 Result: 37-30 Win over Maryland
Record: 2-5
Analysis: Rutgers has quietly been introducing a split backfield the past few weeks, and Clay Tevenin finally broke through with 109 yards and a score, working in tandem with Antwan Raymond. Still, the Scarlet Knights aired it out with Dylan Lonergan, who tossed three touchdowns, two of which went to KJ Duff as he added to his highlight reel. If nothing else, Rutgers is becoming an enjoyable offense to watch, and earned its first conference victory in nearly a full year. The offense is clicking and could have some success against Northwestern on the road next week, but they will need to find a way to get off the field defensively.
15 - Minnesota Golden Gophers
Previous Ranking: 15
Week 7 Result: BYE
Record: 4-2
Analysis: The Golden Gophers were riding high earlier this year with a 4-1 record through the first five games, but after a brutal loss to Purdue last week, mixed with the stretch of games they have coming up — vs. Iowa, at Indiana, and vs. UCLA — it could get pretty tough quickly for PJ Fleck and Co.
14 - Illinois Fighting Illini
Previous Ranking: 14
Week 7 Result: BYE
Record: 3-3
Analysis: The Fighting Illini were able to rest up this week and prepare for an incoming game against the Oregon Ducks, all without their starting quarterback. So far, the season has been a bit of a disappointment for Illinois, but they have a chance to turn things around with some manageable games on the schedule going forward.
13 - Purdue Boilermakers
Previous Ranking: 11
Week 7 Result: 38-26 Loss to Washington
Record:3-4
Analysis: Purdue's defense couldn't get off the field all night, but when it did, it did so by forcing turnovers. However, the Boilermakers only managed six points off five turnovers, so there was no complementary football going on in West Lafayette. This was a major step back for an offense that has found different ways to score this season, but Ryan Browne looked confused all night, and Purdue had no push in the trenches.
12 - Penn State Nittany Lions
Previous Ranking: 10
Week 7 Result: 21-18 Loss to Michigan
Record: 3-4
Analysis: Despite all the time he and Matt Campbell have spent together, Rocco Becht just looks lost in this offense. After beginning the game with a long, 16-play drive that only ended in a field goal, Penn State's next five drives were seven plays or less and resulted in no points and two turnovers. The Nittany Lions couldn't run the ball on the road and sunk their chances by gifting Michigan's inept offense short fields with a backup quarterback. Penn State could have relaxed and tried to grind the clock out once Underwood was pulled, but instead, they panicked and tried to get it all in the air at once. A poorly coached team finds ways to lose in advantageous situations.
11 - Washington Huskies
Previous Ranking: 12
Week 7 Result: 38-26 Win vs. Purdue
Record: 4-3
Analysis: No, Washington did not play a clean game, but the Huskies didn't let Purdue take advantage of those mistakes, and it was the difference in the game. Elijah Brown was reckless, but the Huskies stuck with him and let him win the game with his arm. Washington's ceiling is still low without Demond Williams, but the Huskies have something to feel good about heading into the bye week.
10 - Michigan Wolverines
Previous Ranking: 13
Week 7 Result: 21-18 Win over Penn State
Record: 4-2
Analysis: Michigan still didn't have much of a passing game to speak of after Bryce Underwood was benched at halftime, but Tommy Carr did come in and settle things down, protected the ball, and took advantage of Penn State's mistakes to quickly take a second-half lead. The Wolverines did run for 211 yards and three scores on the ground, exposing Penn State's glaring weakness in the front seven, but Michigan still doesn't inspire a ton of confidence on offense to do much damage when Indiana comes to town next week.
9 - Wisconsin Badgers
Previous Ranking: 9
Week 7 Result: 17-7 Loss to UCLA
Record: 4-2
Analysis: The Badgers put up a good fight in this one, and I think they have still shown quite a bit of improvement year over year, but ultimately, this loss to UCLA — and a backup quarterback — shows how far they still have to go before they can be considered among the top teams in the conference.
8 - Nebraska Cornhuskers
Previous Ranking: 8
Week 7 Result: 17-14 Loss to Oregon
Record: 5-2
Analysis: This was the second week in a row where Nebraska suffered a gut punch, and likely feels like they should have walked out with a resume-defining win. Last week, they blew a fourth-quarter lead to the Indiana Hoosiers, and this week, they let their former quarterback, Dylan Raiola, now on the Oregon Ducks, lead his team to a comeback victory over them. That hurts. Despite the result, the Cornhuskers looked solid in this game, and they have cemented themselves as one of the upper-middle teams in the conference this year.
7 - Oregon Ducks
Previous Ranking: 7
Week 7 Result: 17-14 Win over Nebraska
Record: 4-2
Analysis: It certainly wasn't pretty, but the Oregon Ducks got the job done on Saturday night and technically kept their season alive for one more week. The offense under Brock Thomas was completely unable to move the ball for the first three quarters, and it wasn't until backup Dylan Raiola was put into the game that Oregon was able to move the ball and get some points on the board. Ultimately, the Ducks were able to score the go-ahead touchdown with 28 seconds left on the clock, and Raiola was able to cap a comeback against his former team. As far as covering up the warts in Eugene, though, this win did very little.
6 - Northwestern Wildcats
Previous Ranking: 6
Week 7 Result: 24-21 Win vs. Michigan State
Record: 5-1
Analysis: Aidan Chiles was forced to prove, against his former team, that he could win a game with his arm. Northwestern had trouble running the ball throughout, but Chiles delivered a clutch final drive in the fourth quarter, spanning eight plays and 64 yards in just 58 seconds, to score the game-winning field goal. Northwestern hasn't run the ball well away from home this season, so it could be up to Chiles to deliver again with road games at Oregon and Ohio State still to come, but the Wildcats continue their unlikely climb in the Big Ten.
5 - Iowa Hawkeyes
Previous Ranking: 5
Week 7 Result: BYE
Record: 5-1
Analysis: Iowa got to sit back and watch as one of their biggest rivals, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, blew a fourth-quarter lead on the road against the Ducks, all while they rested at home and got healthy. Coming up, the Hawkeyes have a seemingly reasonable schedule, with Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Purdue, Illinois, and Nebraska over the next month and change to finish the year. Don't look now, but Iowa could be near the top of these rankings when all is said and done.
4 - USC Trojans
Previous Ranking: 4
Week 7 Result: BYE
Record: 6-1
Analysis: USC was able to enjoy a much-needed bye week and watch as chaos took place around them. Coming up, the Trojans are going to have one of their toughest games of the season, though with the Ohio State Buckeyes coming to town. However, Ohio State QB Julian Sayin suffered an injury that will likely hold him out of that game, so they could be able to steal a massive win at home.
3 - UCLA Bruins
Previous Ranking: 3
Week 7 Result: 17-7 Win over Wisconsin
Record: 6-0
Analysis: Despite starting their backup quarterback with Nico Iamaleava Jr. out for the foreseeable future, the UCLA Bruins were able to keep their undefeated streak alive behind Ty Dieffenbach, and they now stand as the only undefeated team remaining in the Big Ten. However, they didn't quite look strong enough to justify a jump up in the power rankings on Saturday.
2 - Indiana Hoosiers
Previous Ranking: 2
Week 7 Result: 19-15 Loss to Ohio State
Record: 6-1
Analysis: Indiana had the game script it wanted. The Hoosiers slowed down Jeremiah Smith enough to make it a defensive fight, but two missed kicks, one from chip-shot range, and a fumble deep in their own end swung the game nine points against them. Nick Marsh lost all awareness of where he was on Indiana's final play that might have won them the game, with Ohio State needing to drive the field with a backup freshman quarterback in one minute. It's impossible not to feel like this was a missed opportunity for the Hoosiers. Indiana is still in fine shape heading into the Big House next week, but the chance to claim superiority over the conference again this season landed just one foot out of bounds, literally.
1 - Ohio State Buckeyes
Previous Ranking: 1
Week 7 Result: 19-15 Win vs. Indiana
Record: 6-1
Analysis: Ohio State won the game on the road, so all credit is due, but there are significant questions moving forward if Julian Sayin misses extended time. The Buckeyes ran the ball well in the first half with Bo Jackson to eventually slow down the Indiana front, but the Hoosiers did find a way to slow down Jeremiah Smith as well, often stacking and pressing him. That won't work for every defense, but if the Buckeyes need to turn to Luke Fahey moving forward, spreading the ball around will be of utmost importance. The defense delivered once again, and Matt Patricia was relentless with his blitzes down the stretch, but you could defintely say Ohio State got lucky on the final play. Still, a win is a win, and Ohio State gets a week off to assess Sayin's injury before heading to USC.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Big Ten power rankings after Week 7: New team takes over bottom spot
