B1G sits tight, benefits in chaotic Week 7. Also: New power poll No. 1

By Steve Greenberg

Ohhh yeah, the Buckeyes are No. 1 this week. (Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

Four AP top-10 teams went down in Week 7. Five teams were beaten for the first time. And you’ve got to love this: Seven ranked teams lost to -unranked teams.

Thank you, college-football gods.

Chaos equals fun in the college game. If only No. 1 Alabama had played along, some of us would be dancing in the streets.

Question of the week

Seriously, what just happened?

Well, a few things. The ACC took a hit with No. 2 Clemson losing, but if the Tigers win that league with only one loss, you can bet the playoff committee will give them a chance to defend their title. The Pac-12, on the other hand, was dealt a staggering one-two punch with Washington’s and Washington State’s first defeats. USC might have the Pac-12’s only conceivable path to the playoff.

And then there’s the Big Ten — hey, nothing bad happened at all. The league hasn’t done much of anything to distinguish itself yet, but it’s all set up to have one game of high consequence after another down the stretch. That probably can’t hurt the cause.

Say what?

“Nobody gave us a chance to come out here and win a football game.”

That was Rutgers coach Chris Ash after his team’s 35-24 victory at Illinois, which begs the question: Was there even a single person who thought the Scarlet Knights had no chance to beat the Illini?

Big Ten power rankings

1. Ohio State (6-1, 4-0): There’s something about a team that wins its first four league games by a combined 174 points that screams for a bump-up from No. 3 to the top spot. So sue me.

2. Penn State (6-0, 3-0): Next up for the Nittany Lions — who were off in Week 7 — is Michigan, which beat them by a mere 39 points last year.

3. Wisconsin (6-0, 3-0): Winning unimpressively over Purdue at home keeps the playoff dream alive, but are the Badgers a loss waiting to happen? The schedule remains friendly.

4. Michigan State (5-1, 3-0): With LJ Scott coming off a 194-yard, two-touchdown rushing game at Minnesota, one has to wonder how close the Spartans are to shaking up this league as they’ve done before under Mark Dantonio.

5. Michigan (5-1, 2-1): Where would the Wolverines be if not for Karan Higdon, who rushed for 200 yards and three TDs in an overtime win at Indiana?

6. Iowa (4-2, 1-2): The Hawkeyes will be rested and ready to go at Northwestern out of a bye week. The offensive line play needs to be better.

7. Purdue (3-3, 1-2): So many signs of improvement on display — such as holding Wisconsin to three points after the first quarter Saturday.

8. Indiana (3-3, 0-3): First and goal at the 1 in overtime, yet the Hoosiers couldn’t punch it in. That’ll leave a sour taste.

9. Northwestern (3-3, 1-2): The Wildcats piled up a hard-to-believe 30 first downs at Maryland. You better not lose when you do that.

10. Maryland (3-3, 1-2): The Jekyll-and-Hyde routine might be over. The Terps — not helped by all the quarterback injuries — just plain aren’t a good team.

11. Minnesota (3-3, 0-3): It has been a rough go for the Gophs, but outscoring Michigan State 21-7 in the fourth quarter Saturday is something to build on.

12. Nebraska (3-4, 2-2): Really, Huskers? A 42-point loss at home? This is what it’s come to?

13. Rutgers (2-4, 1-2): The passing game is nonexistent, but so what? When you play Illinois, you don’t have to pass.

14. Illinois (2-4, 0-3): We’d say look out below, but there is no below.

Follow me on Twitter @SLGreenberg.

Email: sgreenberg@suntimes.com