Watch out for Wisconsin in West
1. Ohio State (7-1): The Buckeyes proved against Penn State they can play poorly and still win, which is really bad news for Nebraska, which can play well and still lose.
2. Michigan State (8-0): As Heisman hype heightens for Kenneth Walker III, the pressure mounts to keep the spectacular tailback humming along. Purdue’s defense won’t be able to change that tune.
3. Michigan (7-1): Nothing like hosting Indiana, the worst team in the conference, to make you feel better about yourself after a tough week of hearing about losing to Michigan State.
4. Wisconsin (5-3): Pay no attention to those three losses, because the Badgers are best in the West. Rutgers will be lucky to score 10 points against the Dub.
5. Penn State (5-3): Things are fragile in State College, but chin up. Quarterback Sean Clifford is healthy and — prediction! — the Nittany Lions will win out.
6. Minnesota (6-2): When your linebacker scores a 24-yard rushing TD — as Derik Lecaptain did last week against Northwestern — it’s a strong signal your offensive line is really good.
7. Iowa (6-2): The sky may not be falling in Iowa City, but the Hawkeyes are dropping fast, having lost back-to-back games after reaching No. 2 in the nation.
8. Purdue (5-3): The Boilermakers are one win from becoming bowl eligible for only the third time since 2012, and can improve the quality of their bowl trip by upsetting Michigan State.
9. Maryland (5-3): Taulia Tagovailoa’s hot hand — his 419 passing yards were the program’s most since 1993 — needs to be even more on fire if the Terps hope to defeat Penn State.
10. Rutgers (4-4): Greg Schiano is still trying to convince his defense that stopping the run is not simply a suggestion. The coach’s frustrations boil over against Wisconsin.
11. Illinois (3-6): The Illini are that single dude who cleans up well at times, but mostly looks like he just walked in off the street.
12. Nebraska (3-6): Scott Frost said he thought “it would pop” this season for his team. But the Cornhuskers remain the kernel at the bottom of the microwave bag.
13. Northwestern (3-5): The Wildcats are experimenting with quarterbacks, which is a nice way of saying things have not gone exactly as planned on offense.
14. Indiana (2-6): What happens when a team that reflects the rah-rah emotion of its coach suddenly feels down in the dumps? The Hoosiers happen, that’s what.