One of the biggest games of the entire season went down on Saturday night as Oregon traveled to Happy Valley to take on Penn State. The Ducks picked up a massive victory, and they are now in the driver's seat in the Big Ten. Oregon has a clear path to the Big Ten title game, but there are a lot of other tough competitors in the conference. Let's take a look at our Week 6 Big Ten Football Power Rankings following a pivotal weekend of football.
1. Oregon (-)
The Ducks solidified their spot atop our Big Ten power rankings with a huge win on the road against Penn State. Oregon's toughest remaining game might be Week 7 vs. Indiana.
2. Ohio State (-)
Ohio State got a good fight from Washington, but the Buckeyes earned an impressive road win behind outstanding red zone defense.
3. Penn State (-)
Another big loss for James Franklin. It's a tale as old as time, but everything is still in front of the Nittany Lions. Unfortunately, they still have a couple more big ones on the schedule, and no one has faith in Franklin beating Ohio State on the road.
4. Indiana (-)
After destroying Illinois, Indiana almost went down at Iowa. It was tight until the end, but the Hoosiers found a way to get the win.
5. Michigan (-)
Michigan will return to action this weekend at home against Wisconsin following a bye week.
6. Washington (+1)
Washington lost to Ohio State, but the Huskies showed a lot of promise. Had they finished the job in the red zone, that could've been a much more interesting game.
7. Illinois (+2)
When you lose in embarrassing fashion, it can be hard to bounce back. Illinois had ranked USC at home after getting smoked by Indiana, and the Fighting Illini got the win. They needed it, and they got it.
8. Nebraska (-)
Nebraska was on a bye after losing to Michigan the week prior. The Cornhuskers hope to bounce back this weekend against Michigan State.
9. USC (-3)
USC has a good offense, but the defensive struggles were apparent in a tough loss to Illinois. The Trojans have an opportunity to get back on track against Michigan after this week's bye.
10. Iowa (-)
Iowa nearly pulled off a huge upset against Indiana that could've changed the trajectory of the season. The Hawkeyes couldn't get it done.
11. Michigan State (-)
Michigan State was on a bye last week and hopes to earn a massive win on the road against Nebraska on Saturday.
12. Maryland (-)
Coming in at No. 12 in our Big Ten power rankings, we have Maryland. The Terrapins will look to stay undefeated this weekend against Washington. We will learn a lot about the Terrapins in that one.
13. Minnesota (-)
We had Minnesota just above Rutgers last week, and the Golden Gophers narrowly took down the Scarlet Knights this past weekend. Both teams stay where they are.
14. Rutgers (-)
Rutgers could easily be undefeated, but narrow losses against Iowa and Minnesota have the Scarlet Knights at 3-2.
15. Purdue (-)
Purdue is off to a better start than people expected, and a big opportunity is in front of the Boilermakers this weekend against Illinois.
16. Northwestern (-)
Northwestern took down UCLA last weekend. It was the easiest matchup the Wildcats will see in conference play, and they took advantage.
17. Wisconsin (-)
The Badgers are off to a dreadful start to the season, but an upset win in Ann Arbor this weekend would make the fan base feel better. It won't be easy.
18. UCLA (-)
UCLA remains in the basement of our Week 6 Big Ten Football Power Rankings. The Bruins are a disaster, respectfully.
