Big Ten power rankings after week 7: A new No. 1 is crowned

October 12 was expected to be the weekend of the year in college football. Fortunately, it lived up to the hype with a number of high-profile games going down to the wire.

Of course, the Big Ten was in the middle of the intrigue. USC's overtime loss to No. 4 Penn State and Oregon's narrow home win over No. 2 Ohio State are two of the games that people around the nation have been talking about since Saturday.

There were other interesting games in the conference this past weekend as well. So let's take a look at how our power rankings have changed following a fun weekend of action.

Week 7: 50-49 OT road loss to No. 23 Illinois

Purdue missed out on a golden opportunity to pick up its first Big Ten win when it let No. 23 off the hook in week seven. Had the Boilermakers closed out that win they likely would have moved out of the bottom spot in our new power rankings. Now, with four ranked teams still left on the schedule, it is easy to envision Purdue losing out.

Week 7: 21-17 home loss to Minnesota

UCLA couldn't defend its home turf against a mediocre Minnesota team that had to cross a couple of time zones for the game. The Bruins couldn't protect a fourth-quarter lead on Saturday as the defense let Minnesota drive 61 yards for the game-winning score. The Bruins have now lost five in a row and if they don't beat Rutgers on the road this weekend, they might go winless in Big Ten play.

Week 7: 37-10 home loss to Northwestern

Maryland's free fall continued in week seven. After losing two in a row, they are now just 1-3 in games against power conference teams this season. Now, the Terrapins host USC in a game they practically must win if they hope to have any shot at reaching bowl eligibility.

Week 7: 37-10 road win over Maryland

Northwestern dominated Maryland in week seven to get to .500 on the season. However, if they want to get to six wins this year, the Wildcats will likely have to win their next three games (home vs. Wisconsin, and at Iowa and Purdue) because after that they end the season with Ohio State, Michigan, and Illinois, each of which is currently ranked.

Week 7: Off

Michigan State had an open week to regroup after being dominated by Oregon. Now, they Iowa before games against Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. Having already lost three games in a row, if the Spartans can't beat the Hawkeyes, the MSU losing streak could become ugly.

Week 7: 42-7 home loss to Wisconsin

The shine has come off of Rutgers. After being media darlings to start the season, they've dropped two Big Ten games in a row after being dominated by Wisconsin at home in week seven. This week, a cross-country visit from UCLA could get them back on track but they'll have to play much better if they want to avoid being upset by a Bruin team that has played more respectable football in recent weeks.

Week 7: 40-16 road loss to Iowa

After beating Michigan in week six, Washington had a massive letdown at Iowa in week seven. In the middle of that game, the Huskies had two traditional turnovers and three more turnovers on downs. They will need their upcoming open week to prepare for a tough road trip to Indiana in week nine.

Week 7: 33-30 home loss to Penn State

USC continues to find ways to lose one-score Big Ten games. While there is no shame in losing to the No. 4 team in the nation in overtime, USC has to be sick at that outcome given all of the mistakes the Trojans made in blowing a 20-6 halftime lead. Now, they have a tricky cross-country trip to Maryland that has all the makings of a classic trap game.

Week 7: 42-7 road win over Rutgers

In the past two weeks, Wisconsin's offense has come to life averaging 47 points per game. That's what was envisioned when head coach Luke Fickell took over the program last season. It will be interesting to see if that uprising can continue at Northwestern this week. If so, the Badgers will be just one win away from bowl eligibility.

Week 7: 21-17 road win over UCLA

Beating UCLA is nothing to write home about but Minnesota will take the win. Now having beaten the two Los Angeles teams this year, the Golden Gophers are trending in the right direction. They now have a week off to prepare for a home tilt with a Maryland team that is taking on water.

Week 7: Off

Michigan had plenty to fix during its week seven open date. The biggest issue that needed to be addressed was solidifying the QB position after the Wolverines turned to their third-string QB against Washington (with all three QB changes coming not because of injury but because of performance. Now, they must find a way to win at No. 22 Illinois this weekend if they want to hold onto their tenuous spot in the top 25.

Week 7: 40-16 home win over Washington

It is always shocking to see Iowa put up a ton of points, especially against a Big Ten opponent. But in three of their last four games, the Hawkeyes have put up 31 points or more. How long will the offensive improvement stick around? Given that Iowa doesn't face a team currently in the top 25 for the remainder of the regular season, the Hawkeyes' offense could continue to soar.

Week 7: Off

Nebraska was off in week seven. Here's hoping they got plenty of work done because they now have to face No. 16 Indiana and No. 3 Ohio State in back-to-back road games. The next two weeks will tell us quite a bit about how the Huskers' rebuild is going in year two under Matt Rhule.

Week 7: 50-49 OT home win over Purdue

Sometimes a win feels like a loss. That could be the case for Illinois which had to go to overtime to beat Purdue in Champagne. Still, a close win over the worst team in the conference is better than a loss. Now, back-to-back games against Michigan and at Oregon will reveal whether or not the Illini are truly deserving of their national ranking.

Week 7: Off

Given how well Indiana has played thus far, the Hoosiers likely wanted to keep playing this past weekend. Now, the schedule gets much tougher with Nebraska and Washington up next and Michigan and Ohio State lurking down the road.

Week 7: 32-31 road loss to No. 3 Oregon

Ohio State was finally tested in week seven and the Buckeyes came up just short at Oregon. A one-point road loss to the Ducks doesn't do much to hurt the perception of Ohio State as a national contender, though. Now they get a week off to prepare for a home tilt with Nebraska. However, most eyes in Columbus are likely on the November 2 road trip to Penn State.

Week 7: 33-30 overtime road win over USC

Penn State did what most teams have not this year, travel across the country and pick up a win over a solid team. Certainly, the Nittany Lions caught some breaks (especially from the officials) late in the game but they played a fantastic second half in L.A. as they outscored the Trojans 23-10 after halftime. Now, they enjoy an open week to prepare for Wisconsin and likely do a bit of work on Ohio State as well.

Week 7: 32-31 home win over No. 2 Ohio State

Oregon proved that it is a National Championship contender in week seven. In its wild victory over Ohio State, the Ducks went toe to toe with one of the sports' big boys and lived to tell the tale. That win did wonders for the national perception of the Ducks as they proved they can match Ohio State's physicality and firepower. Now, they must avoid the trap at Purdue before turning their attention to Illinois and Michigan.