Week 7 in college football brought a lot of the same chaos, if not more than Week 6, especially with half of the Top 10 teams taking losses. At this point, it feels like no one wants to be No. 1, and the College Football Playoff feels like an open race.
The Big Ten saw some huge matchups, the biggest coming from Ohio State and Indiana, who did not disappoint. As we reach the midway point in the season, it is clear which teams still have a shot at the CFP and which teams should just go ahead and start planning for next season.
With a little less than half the season left to go, chaos is bound to break out again, but let's take a look at how the Big Ten shook out after Week 7.
Tier 5
18. Michigan State Spartans 2-5 (0-4) vs. Northwestern 24-21 L
17. Maryland Terrapins 2-5 (0-4) vs. Rutgers 37-30 L
Michigan State continues to struggle, landing them at the bottom of the Big Ten power rankings for the second week in a row. Maryland, however, drops to tier five after losing to Rutgers in a high-scoring affair. The Terrapins and Spartans have yet to find a win in Big Ten play, and it's definitely time to start thinking about 2027.
Tier 4
16. Penn State Nittany Lions 3-4 (0-4) vs. Michigan 21-18 L
15. Rutgers Scarlet Knights 2-4 (1-2) vs. Maryland 37-30 W
14. Illinois Fighting Illini 3-3 (1-2) BYE
13. Washington Huskies 4-3 (1-3) vs. Purdue 38-26 W
12. Purdue Boilermakers 3-4 (2-2) vs. Washington 38-26 L
11. Minnesota Golden Gophers 4-2 (2-1) BYE
Rutgers officially makes the jump from tier five for the first time this season, earning its first win in conference play against Maryland. Penn State dropped dangerously low, almost falling out of tier four after yet another winless weekend in conference play. The Nittany Lions are struggling to get anything going under Matt Campbell, and it's not a good look when your quarterback blames the poor play on simply being "unlucky."
Tier 3
10. Wisconsin Badgers 4-2 (2-1) vs. UCLA 17-7 L
9. Michigan Wolverines 4-2 (1-2) vs. Penn State 21-18 W
8. Nebraska Cornhuskers 5-2 (2-2) vs. Oregon 17-14 L
7. Northwestern Wildcats 5-1 (2-1) vs. Michigan State 24-21 W
6. Oregon Ducks 4-2 (2-1) vs. Nebraska 17-14 W
Lots of movement in tier six as Nebraska tumbles down after being ranked No. 5 in last week's power rankings. The Cornhuskers suffered their first loss two weeks ago against Indiana, but put ona. strong showing. That team appeared to have stayed home in Lincoln, though, struggling to compete against an Oregon team that could decide which quarterback to play.
The Ducks move up a bit after the win over Nebraska, but there is not a lot of faith in Dan Lanning and his team going forward. Michigan moves up a spot after a win over Penn State, the Wolverines' first win in conference play this season. Head coach Kyle Whittingham finally made the move to backup QB Tommy Carr, who led Michigan to three second-half touchdowns and a win.
Wisconsin falls as well after a loss to UCLA, which normally wouldn't be bad with the way the Bruins have looked this season, but it was a Nico Iamaleava-less Bruins team that only mustered 17 points. Northwestern makes a jump after the close call against Michigan State, but the Wildcats continue to surprise everyone this season.
Tier 2
5. USC Trojans 6-1 (3-1) BYE
4. Iowa Hawkeyes 5-1 (2-1) BYE
3. UCLA Bruins 6-0 (4-0) vs. Wisconsin 17-7 W
USC moved up a tier even though they didn't play, thanks to other teams falling. UCLA was able to get a win without Nico Iamaleava and stay undefeated in what has been an impressive season for the Bruins.
Tier 1
2. Indiana Hoosiers 6-1 (3-1) vs. Ohio State 19-15 L
1. Ohio State Buckeyes 6-1 (4-0) vs. Indiana 19-15 W
Indiana and Ohio State's matchup ended with the Buckeyes coming out on top, but it came at a cost. Ohio State will now be without starting quarterback Julian Sayin for several weeks, if not the rest of the season, after he injured his throwing shoulder against the Hoosiers.
It was a close game that literally came down to inches, meaning Nick Marsh was so close to being inbounds on what would have been the go-ahead touchdown for Indiana. Now it is time for both teams to regroup because it is not going to get easier from here.
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