Quarterback conundrums shape Big Ten football power rankings after Week 7
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Quarterback narratives, questions and fears abound across the Big Ten this week. There are injuries to contend with in Columbus and Champaign, open questions in Ann Arbor and Iowa City, and fresh faces making some noise in Seattle and Los Angeles.
The Big Ten's College Football Playoff picture is beginning to take shape, with important games coming this weekend at Michigan, Wisconsin and elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the conference title race needs some clarity, with a host of teams vying to stay in contention for a place in Indianapolis (potentially thanks to some helpful tiebreakers) heading into November.
Let's look at this week's rankings:
1. Ohio State (6-1, 4-0)
Last week (1): 19-15 win at Indiana
This week: Bye
What to know: Big, big win in Bloomington. And now, a well-timed bye week, as all eyes turn toward Julian Sayin's health, and the potential readiness of backup Luke Fahey.
2. Indiana (6-1, 3-1)
Last week (2): 19-15 loss vs. Ohio State
This week: at Michigan, Oct. 24
What to know: Won't ding No. 2 very much for losing a coin-flip game to No. 1. How many teams left on Indiana's schedule are going to score more than two touchdowns against what now looks, again, like one of the most fearsome defenses in the country?
3. Iowa (5-1, 2-1)
Last week (3): Bye
This week: at Minnesota, Oct. 24
What to know: Speaking of eyes on the quarterback, who's behind center for the Hawkeyes this weekend in Minneapolis, Hank Brown or Jeremy Hecklinski?
4. UCLA (6-0, 4-0)
Last week (4): 17-7 win vs. Wisconsin
This week: Michigan State, Oct. 24
What to know: What's the most difficult game left on UCLA's schedule? At Minnesota? At Michigan? USC? Prepare yourselves to see the Bruins in the playoff, and maybe Indianapolis.
5. Northwestern (5-1, 2-1)
Last week (5): 24-21 win at Michigan State
This week: Rutgers, Oct. 24
What to know: The Wildcats survived East Lansing. They'll want to make easy work of Rutgers, because the three after that (at Oregon, Iowa, at Ohio State) will be brutal.
6. Oregon (4-2, 2-1)
Last week (8): 17-14 win vs. Nebraska
This week: at Illinois, Oct. 24
What to know: The quarterback position remains unsettled, but Oregon steadied itself with a badly needed win late Saturday night. Now, Dan Lanning's team can gather some momentum with a win in Champaign.
7. Southern Cal (6-1, 3-1)
Last week (6): Bye
This week: at Wisconsin, Oct. 24
What to know: If Lincoln Riley wants to win the kind of game that properly announces USC as a Big Ten contender, Saturday night in Madison would do just the trick.
8. Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1)
Last week (9): 17-7 loss at UCLA
This week: Southern Cal, Oct. 24
What to know: We're splitting hairs at 8-9 between Wisconsin and Nebraska. The Badgers have a chance to make the decision easy with a win this weekend.
9. Nebraska (5-2, 2-2)
Last week (7): 17-14 loss at Oregon
This week: Bye
What to know: A signature win was there for the taking last weekend in Eugene. The same could be said for the week before, in Lincoln. Matt Rhule needs to use the bye to rally his roster against this becoming a frustrating habit again.
10. Minnesota (4-2, 2-1)
Last week (11): Bye
This week: Iowa, Oct. 24
What to know: Where exactly does Minnesota belong in the conference this fall? With Iowa, at Indiana and UCLA up next, we're about to find out, for better or worse.
11. Washington (4-3, 1-3)
Last week (13): 38-26 win at Purdue
This week: Bye
What to know: Three picks at Purdue is a glaring number, but in the aggregate Jedd Fisch has good foundations to build on with Elijah Brown at quarterback, especially heading into a bye week.
12. Purdue (3-4, 2-2)
Last week (10): 38-26 loss to Purdue
This week: Bye
What to know: The wastefulness in the Washington loss will be tough to swallow. If Barry Odom's team wants a realistic shot at a bowl game in 2026, a win on Halloween at Penn State feels like a must.
13. Michigan (4-2, 1-2)
Last week (14): 21-18 win vs. Penn State
This week: Indiana, Oct. 24
What to know: We're going to spend the week talking about the quarterback position in Ann Arbor. Victory Saturday against Indiana, which hasn't won in Ann Arbor since 1967, would quiet that noise a fair bit.
14. Illinois (3-3, 1-2)
Last week (12): Bye
This week: Oregon, Oct. 24
What to know: We don't want to keep harping on the quarterback carousel in the league, but between injury and indecision, it's tough to escape. With Katin Houser injured, Illinois' bye came at a good time. How ready is freshman Michael Clayton II?
15. Penn State (3-4, 0-4)
Last week (15): 21-18 loss at Michigan
This week: Bye
What to know: It is getting properly ugly now for Matt Campbell. Fair or not, he was always going to be expected to deliver a relatively quick turnaround. What's happening in Westwood really doesn't help. The schedule is manageable other side of the bye though.
16. Rutgers (2-4, 1-2)
Last week (18): 37-30 win at Maryland
This week: at Northwestern, Oct. 24
What to know: Out of the basement! And into a difficult road trip at Northwestern. Credit the Scarlet Knights for their comeback in College Park. KJ Duff might be the best player no one outside Big Ten country is talking about.
17. Michigan State (2-5, 0-4)
Last week (16): 24-21 loss to Northwestern
This week: at UCLA, Oct. 24
What to know: Speaking of tough first seasons, Pat Fitzgerald can relate. Want a big call from the power rankings? Michigan State will give UCLA an unexpected test this weekend.
18. Maryland (2-5, 0-4)
Last week (17): 37-30 loss to Rutgers
This week: Bye
What to know: After blowing a two-score halftime lead against Rutgers, there's not much left to say here.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Quarterback conundrums shape Big Ten football power rankings after Week 7
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