In Power Poll format, again:

1. Purdue - Had a dominant stretch, and should be undefeated all the way until the 1/5 trip to Columbus.

2. Indiana - I've been impressed, and IU has done everything to maintain a #1 spot, but PU has just had a series of notable victories.

3. Michigan State - The very impressive start has lost a lot of luster with the recent injuries and losses. If Hall comes back, they'll be good.

4. Illinois - Beat UCLA, lost to Virginia, and otherwise feasted upon the weak. They're a contender, definitely.

5. Ohio State - The Buckeyes do have two losses, but one was literally at Cameron and the other was to a good SDSU team. They're good.

6. Maryland - Definitely better than I expected. Their disassembling of Miami (FL) should have some shelf life.

7. Iowa - The tough thing about the 6-1 Hawkeyes is I can't really tell if they (or their opponents) are really any good yet. That changes very soon, as they play Duke.

8. Michigan - So, the Wolverines aren't as good as they've been for the last couple of years. But this is probably the nadir for this team. They'll be alright.

9. Rutgers - If they had just held off Miami down the stretch, I think they'd be on the fast-track back to the Big Dance. Now, not so sure.

10. Penn State - The loss at Clemson was admirable in the way they fought for 4OTs. It feels like I'm always writing this about the Lions

11. Wisconsin - was looking real good with wins over Stanford & USC, and the close loss to Kansas was impressive. The home loss to Wake Forest, not so much.

12. Nebraska - Hoiberg's crew wasn't looking great before absolutely destroying two ACC teams in a row. On the rise!

13. Northwestern - A narrow loss to Auburn was raising some hope before that ugly blowout loss to Pitt.

14. Minnesota - I mean, what's there to say? They've been pretty terrible. There's potential, though.