Saturday was a great day for the Big Ten West Division, which won four games against the Big Ten East.
Unfortunately, it was the game the East won that made the greatest impact. Now, heading into the most crucial stretch of the season for the West contenders, only one team has fewer than two losses.
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The season is halfway over, and here's how the Big Ten teams stand:
1. Michigan
Last week: 1
Week 6 result: Bye week
I thought Ohio State would reclaim the top spot with a win over Wisconsin, but the Badgers actually tore apart some of the perceived indestructibility of the Buckeyes' defense. Corey Clement ran for 164 yards on 25 carries and the Badgers ran for 236 yards as a team. Meanwhile, Michigan took a bye week and watched many of the other playoff hopefuls around the country lose. The Wolverines didn't play, but they still moved up to No. 3 in the AP Poll. Right now, the margin between Michigan and Ohio State is razor-thin, but I still think the Wolverines have been slightly more impressive overall.
2. Ohio State
Last week: 2
Week 6 result: Ohio State 30, Wisconsin 23 (OT)
Ohio State picked up its biggest win of the season Saturday, escaping from Madison with a 30-23 overtime win. J.T. Barrett was excellent, throwing for 226 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 92 yards and two touchdowns. The rest of the team wasn't great -- especially the defensive line and the running backs -- but Barrett solidified himself as a true Heisman Trophy candidate by carrying the Buckeyes to victory. He was impossible to sack and made play after play when it looked as if Ohio State would have to punt and settle for field goals. Ohio State has a chance in every game because of its quarterback.
3. Nebraska
Last week: 4 (Up 1)
Week 6 result: Nebraska 27, Indiana 22
Nebraska picked up a sneaky good win this weekend in Bloomington, knocking off the Hoosiers. Tommy Armstrong Jr. wasn't at his best, completing just 10 of 26 passes for 208 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, but the offense found a way to scratch out 27 points. Defensively, the Cornhuskers held Indiana to 333 yards and forced two turnovers, which was just enough to escape with a win. As the only undefeated team left in the Big Ten West, Nebraska needs to find a way to beat either Wisconsin or Iowa to likely punch its ticket to Indianapolis.
4. Wisconsin
Last week: 3 (Down 1)
Week 6 result: Wisconsin 23, Ohio State 30 (OT)
Wisconsin came seconds away from winning another Top-10 game, but again, the Badgers fell just short. Unfortunately, both of those losses came in conference play. Wisconsin is still deservingly ranked No. 10 in the country, but with two losses in conference play, the Badgers no longer control their own destiny in the division. When Wisconsin goes into Iowa this weekend, it has to rebound from tough back-to-back losses to keep its slim Big Ten title hopes alive.
5. Iowa
Last week: 6 (Up 1)
Week 6 result: Iowa 49, Purdue 35
Iowa has kept the ship from sinking after two straight road wins over Minnesota and Purdue. The Hawkeyes have no chance to contend for a playoff spot again this season, but they do have games against Wisconsin and Nebraska at home, so the Big Ten West runs through Iowa City.
6. Penn State
Last week: 5 (Down 1)
Week 6 result: Bye week
After winning two straight solid home games, Penn State didn't want to take a week off. But coming out of the bye week, the Nittany Lions have a huge challenge at home against Ohio State. If they can compete in that game, it will show how far they've come since getting crushed in Ann Arbor three weeks ago. Penn State might be better than Iowa, but unlike the Hawkeyes, the Nittany Lions have no chance to win their division.
7. Northwestern
Last week: 11 (Up 4)
Week 6 result: Northwestern 54, Michigan State 40
Don't look now, but Northwestern has a winning record in Big Ten play. The Wildcats have taken down Iowa and Michigan State in their last two games and are facing another toss-up home game against a solid Indiana team. If Northwestern can hold serve at home, it could be a major spoiler in the race down the stretch.
8. Minnesota
Last week: 10 (Up 2)
Week 6 result: Minnesota 31, Maryland 10
Without its offensive leader, Mitch Leidner, the Golden Gophers beat Maryland in the battle of backup quarterbacks to end a disappointing losing streak. Minnesota missed two huge opportunities in close losses to Penn State and Iowa, but a road win at Maryland helped right the ship before a very winnable three-game stretch against the worst teams in the Big Ten.
9. Indiana
Last week: 8 (Down 1)
Week 6 result: Indiana 22, Nebraska 27
Bloomington is proving to be a tough place for Big Ten teams to play, but that doesn't help the fact that Indiana missed a golden opportunity for a Top-10 win this weekend. Armstrong has been the heart and soul of Nebraska football this season, and the Hoosiers were fortunate enough to catch him on an off day. But Indiana came out sluggish, falling behind 17-0 in the first quarter, and couldn't climb out of the hole. Now that a gauntlet stretch of Michigan State, Ohio State and Nebraska is over, the Hoosiers need to pick up some wins over the next four weeks.
10. Maryland
Last week: 7 (Down 3)
Week 6 result: Maryland 10, Minnesota 31
Last season, Maryland was brought down by its abysmal quarterback play. This season, the loss of quarterback Perry Hills has dropped the Terps from 4-0 to 4-2 and they just got beaten down by three touchdowns against Minnesota at home. It looked as if D.J. Durkin would cruise to a bowl game in his first season at Maryland, but now, a home game vs. Michigan State might be close to a must-win.
11. Michigan State
Last week: 9 (Down 2)
Week 6 result: Michigan State 40, Northwestern 54
When Michigan State lost to Wisconsin by 24 points, it was surprising. When the Spartans lost three straight games to Wisconsin, Indiana and BYU, it was shocking. But when Michigan State gave up 54 points in a loss to Northwestern in East Lansing, I almost couldn't believe my eyes. The season has continued to go from bad to worse and the toughest games are still to come.
12. Illinois
Last week: 13 (Up 1)
Week 6 result: Illinois 24, Rutgers 7
Last week, only Rutgers held Illinois from being ranked the worst team in the Big Ten. After a 24-7 drubbing of the Scarlett Knights in Piscataway, Rutgers is still the only team keeping Illinois from being the worst in the Big Ten.
13. Purdue
Last week: 12 (Down 1)
Week 6 result: Purdue 35, Iowa 49
Purdue fell to 3-3 with a loss to Iowa. Darrell Hazell was fired after winning just nine of 42 games. Now the Boilermakers are feeling even more pressure to make the right hire.
14. Rutgers
Last week: 14
Week 6 result: Rutgers 7, Illinois 24
Hey, at least Rutgers scored!