Week 7 of the college football season brought plenty of chaos around the country. Five of the to-seven teams suffered losses, with several coming in gut-wrenching fashion.
The Indiana Hoosiers suffered their first loss of the season with a 19-15 defeat at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes. With that defeat, Indiana's 22-game winning streak and 19-game home winning streak were both snapped. The Hoosiers also fell from the top spot in the Big Ten.
Heading into Week 8, let's check in to see where each Big Ten team stands among the chaos.
Week 8 Big Ten Football Power Rankings
18. Maryland Terrapins (2-5, 0-4)
Last week: 17
After losing to Rutgers this past weekend, Mike Locksley's seat is only getting hotter and hotter. After giving up 37 points to the Scarlet Knights, Locksley fired defensive coordinator Ted Monachino. With the loss, the Terps officially move to the bottom of this week's Big Ten power rankings.
17. Michigan State Spartans (2-5, 0-4)
Last week: 16
Pat Fizgerald is still looking for his first Big Ten win at Michigan State. He almost got it this past weekend against his former team, but Northwestern was able to prevailed 24-21. The Spartans are close, having lost their last two games against Illinois and Northwestern by a combined four points. But for now, Michigan State remains near the bottom of the Big Ten.
16. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-4, 1-2)
Last week: 18
For the first time this season, Rutgers gets out of the bottom spot of the Big Ten power rankings. The Scarlet Knights went on the road and took down Maryland, giving Greg Schiano a much-needed win. There's still plenty of work to do, but at least the Scarlet Knights found some sort of positivity.
15. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-4, 0-4)
Last week: 15
The Matt Campbell era is not going well in Happy Valley. Penn State lost 21-18 to Michigan in Week 7, and has now lost four games in a row. Still looking for their first Big Ten win of the season, the Nittany Lions head to their bye week with a lot of soul-searching to do.
14. Illinois Fighting Illini (3-3, 1-2)
Last week: 14
Illinois holds steady at 14 after a bye week. The fighting Illini are set to host Oregon on Saturday without starting QB Katin Houser, who is out 4-6 weeks with a fracture on his throwing hand.
13. Purdue Boilermakers (3-4, 2-2)
Last week: 12
After picking up back-to-back wins over Illinois and Minnesota, Purdue came back down to earth with a 38-26 loss to Washington on Friday night. Despite the tough loss, the Boilers are still making some strong strides in Year 2 under Barry Odom.
12. Washington Huskies (4-3, 1-3)
Last week: 13
Washington's road win over Purdue gave the Huskies their first conference win of the season. The offense finally broke through for a big performance, but if the Huskies want to move up in the conference standings, more consistency is needed.
11. Wisconsin Badgers (4-2, 2-1)
Last week: 9
Wisconsin was starting to find some momentum, but then fell flat with an ugly 17-7 loss to UCLA this past weekend. The Bruins were without Nico Iamaleava, but the Badgers couldn't take advantage as they managed just 214 total yards of offense.
10. Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-2, 2-1)
Last week: 10
Minnesota was on a bye in Week 7. The Golden Gophers have a huge rivalry matchup against Iowa looming for Week 8. The result of that game will have an impact on where both teams stand in the Big Ten's season outlook.
9. Michigan Wolverines (4-2, 1-2)
Last week: 11
Could Michigan have found its offensive spark with Tommy Carr leading the way? The Wolverine offense looked much better with Carr leading the way after Bryce Underwood was benched, and it will be interesting to see how Kyle Whittingham handles the QB situation heading into Saturday's matchup against Indiana.
8. Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-2, 2-2)
Last week: 8
Nebraska has put up some solid fights over the last two weeks, but just hasn't been able to seal the deal. The Cornhuskers gave both Indiana and Oregon all they could handle, and are now 2-2 in Big Ten play. They stay at No. 8.
7. Oregon Ducks (4-2, 2-1)
Last week: 7
Oregon was able to squeak past Nebraska in Week 7. The Ducks' offense is severely limited without Dante Moore in the mix, and will likely have to lean on the defense if they want to get back into College Football Playoff contention.
6. Northwestern Wildcats (5-1, 2-1)
Last week: 6
Northwestern continues to be a surprising team in the Big Ten this season. The Wildcats escaped East Lansing with a win, and their Week 4 loss to Northwestern remains their only defeat on the season. This is a dangerous team.
5. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-1)
Last week: 5
Coming off a bye, the Iowa Hawkeyes are set to travel to Minnesota for a Saturday afternoon rivalry matchup. Kirk Ferentz's team has a very manageable schedule down the stretch, and should be able to compete for a CFP spot if all goes according to plan.
4. USC Trojans (6-1, 3-1)
Last week: 4
USC stays at No. 4 after enjoying a bye week. The Trojans have had their ups-and-downs this season, but the fact of the matter is they are 6-1 and in prime position to make some noise in the second half of the season.
3. UCLA Bruins (6-0, 4-0)
Last week: 3
The UCLA Bruins continue to impress. Even without Nico Iamaleava, UCLA beat Wisconsin 17-7 this past weekend. The defense has been elite over the last two weeks, and that may need to continue being the story for this team with Iamaleava officially out for the season.
2. Indiana Hoosiers (6-1, 3-1)
Last week: 1
Indiana's deflating 19-15 loss to Ohio State de-thrones the Hoosiers from the top spot in the Big Ten. It was a tough defeat at home, but it's clear that the Cream and Crimson can once again compete with any team in the country. All of the Hoosiers' goals are still in front of them heading into Week 8.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0)
Last week: 2
Ohio State takes over as the No. 1 team in the Big Ten. However, the injury to QB Julian Sayin is concerning. Sayin is out several weeks with a shoulder injury, meaning the keys of the Buckeye offense have now been handed to backup Luke Fahey. His performance will shape OSU's second half of the season, which is a journey that begins next weekend with a road matchup at USC.
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