Detroit News Big Ten Power Rankings: Week of Feb. 10

1. Maryland (19-4, 9-3) – The Terrapins are starting to take control of the conference after another impressive week that included a win at home over Rutgers followed by knocking off Illinois on the road. The Terps haven’t lost since the middle of January and now get a tuneup at home this week against Nebraska before heading to East Lansing on Saturday for a matchup with Michigan State that could knock the Spartans from the race. Last week: 3.

2. Penn State (18-5, 8-4) – Remember that three-game skid that started back in early January? It’s OK if you don’t because the Nittany Lions have been rolling since. The past week began with a win at Michigan State, the second ever for Penn State, and was capped with a win at home over Minnesota. The Nittany Lions now have won six in a row as they keep the heat on the first-place Terps. Last week: 5.

3. Illinois (16-7, 8-4) – The Fighting Illini are facing their first bit of adversity in quite a while as a seven-game winning streak has been halted by two straight defeats. The latest was a crippling blow in the chase for the Big Ten title as the Illini lost at home to Maryland. Now Illinois gets set to host a desperate Michigan State team on Tuesday before heading to Rutgers over the weekend as they fight stay in the hunt. Last week: 1.

4. Iowa (17-7, 8-5) – The Hawkeyes got blitzed early in the week at Purdue and likely took that game film and chucked it in the garbage. Nothing went right that night, but the Hawkeyes responded by taking care of business against Nebraska. A tough week is in store, though, as the Hawkeyes hit the road to face Indiana and Minnesota in a pair of winnable games that could determines whether they’ll remain among the contenders. Last week: 4.

5. Michigan State (16-8, 8-5) – Things have started to slide off the rails a bit for the Spartans as they have now lost three in a row after getting beat at home by Penn State followed by a loss at Michigan. The offense continues to be mostly a one-man show led by Cassius Winston, and now the suddenly struggling defense will have to respond as MSU faces a critical week with a trip to Illinois on Tuesday followed by a home date with Maryland. Last week: 2.

6. Rutgers (17-7, 8-5) – The Scarlet Knights avoided disaster on Sunday night when they erased a double-digit, second-half deficit at home against Northwestern to pull out a win in overtime. A home loss is bad, but it would have been worse coming against one-win Northwestern, especially after the early-week loss at Maryland. Now Rutgers gets a chance to fully rebound at Ohio State and home against Illinois. Last week: 6.

7. Purdue (14-10, 7-6) – The Boilermakers continue to be all over the map this season and just capped a pretty impressive week. It began when they scored 104 points in a blowout win at home over Iowa and was finished off by spoiling Bobby Knight’s return to Indiana with a decisive road win. Penn State comes to town early in the week, followed by a trip to Ohio State as the Boilermakers try to shore up their NCAA resume. Last week: 11.

8. Michigan (14-9, 5-7) – The Wolverines got a much-needed win at home over Michigan State for their third win in the last four games, the only setback a loss at home to Ohio State, the third straight home loss at the time. The Wolverines will need to replicate the effort they got against MSU to strengthen the NCAA resume. Getting Isaiah Livers back helps, as a favorable week awaits with Northwestern and Indiana coming up. Last week: 8.

9. Wisconsin (14-10, 7-6) – Finding consistency has been difficult for the Badgers, but they’ve now won two of their last three after trouncing Ohio State at home to bounce back from an ugly loss at Minnesota. They haven’t won two in a row since mid-January, but they’ll have a good shot with only a trip to Nebraska coming up this week. Last week: 7.

10. Ohio State (15-8, 5-7) – The Buckeyes had found a bit of a resurgence, winning at Michigan early in the week for their third straight victory. However, they got blown out at Wisconsin on Sunday and now get set for a pair of home games with Rutgers and Purdue this week as they fight to remain in the NCAA Tournament conversation. Last week: 9.

11. Minnesota (12-11, 6-7) – The frustration continues for the Golden Gophers, a team that seems to be in every game it plays but just can’t seem to get on a run and put together a string of victories. They won impressively at home against Wisconsin before falling short at Penn State, missing out on a chance at a huge road win. They’ll the week off before hosting Iowa on Sunday as they look to bounce back. Last week: 12.

12. Indiana (15-8, 5-7) – Things were going well for most of January for the Hoosiers, but reality has started to set in as they’ve now lost four in a row, capped by getting wiped out at home by rival Purdue on the same day Bobby Knight made his return to Assembly Hall. It was a gut-punch of a loss on an otherwise festive day, and now the Hoosiers face a week that includes a visit from Iowa and a trip to Michigan. Last week: 10.

13. Northwestern (6-16, 1-11) – The Wildcats continue to come close, but they just can’t seem to get that second conference victory. They had Rutgers down 15 Sunday in Piscataway, but still managed to allow a huge late run by the Scarlet Knights and lose in overtime. It’s life with a young team, but the frustration must be mounting as Michigan and Penn State are up next. Last week: 14.