BTPowerhouse's Week 4 Big Ten Power Rankings - Michigan Wolverines Drop After Loss To NJIT

The Big Ten is coming off one of its most inconsistent weeks in recent history.  Early in the week, the Big Ten secured an 8-6 win over the ACC in the Big Ten - ACC Challenge, but the weekend was filled with a flurry of upsets and as such, things continue to move back and forth in the conference as teams fight to move up in the rankings.  Now, with big matchups against teams like Arizona, Cincinnati, and Louisville coming, it could be another wild week of Big Ten play.  As of Monday morning, the Big Ten had an overall record of 89-26.

The BTPowerhouse Week 4 Big Ten Power Rankings consisted of 20 voters.  A total of 12 voters came from the BTPowerhouse staff.  The remaining 8 votes came from SBNation's Big Ten team sites.  These sites included: Bucky's 5th Quarter, The Champaign Room, Crimson Quarry, Hammer & Rails, Land Grant Holy Land, Maize & Brew, On The Banks, and Testudo Times.  With that, here are the BTPowerhouse Week 4 Big Ten Power Rankings:

Big Ten Week 4 Power Rankings

#1 - Wisconsin (Average 1.0)

The Badgers suffered their first loss of the season last week at home against the Duke Blue Devils.  Still, considering the talent on Duke's roster and the fact that Wisconsin rebounded with a win on the road against Marquette, this certainly was not that bad of a week and apparently was enough to keep Wisconsin as the unanimous #1 selection.

#2 - Ohio State (Average 2.2)

The Buckeyes remain at #2 this week despite suffering their first loss of the season on the road against Louisville.  Ohio State has faced two real challenges this season with Louisville and Marquette and went 1-1 in those games.  The next big challenge for the Buckeyes will be against North Carolina in late December.

#3 - Iowa (Average 4.2)

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The Hawkeyes made a huge jump forward this week with their very impressive road win over North Carolina in the Big Ten - ACC Challenge.  In fact, it was the conference's second best win so far this season according to KenPom.  Iowa will put its 5 game winning streak on the line against Alcorn State and then face rival Iowa State on Friday.

#4 - Maryland (Average 4.4)

The Terps continue to move up these rankings despite falling to Virginia at home last week.  However, the team did secure an easy win over Winthrop last weekend to move to 8-1 overall.  The Terps get two manageable games at home before facing Oklahoma State on the road.

#5 - Michigan State (Average 4.8)

The Spartans drop to #5 this week after losing on the road against Notre Dame.  With that loss, Michigan State will likely be without a marquee win in non-conference play.  The Spartans have looked great and underwhelming at times and everything in between.  They get Oakland this week.

#6 - Illinois (Average 5.7)

The Illini actually dropped a spot this week after falling to Miami on the road.  Illinois did secure a decent win over the weekend against American, but they get two huge challenges in Villanova and Oregon this week.  If they can come out at 1-1 or better, people will likely start paying attention to Illinois.

#7 - Michigan (Average 7.2)

The Wolverines suffered arguably the biggest upset of the college basketball season over the weekend after losing to NJIT at home.  For Michigan, it's a game they would like to forget.  Still, the Wolverines did secure a solid win over Syracuse early in the week, which is probably why they remained so high.  This is a young and inconsistent team that will look to rebound against Eastern Michigan and with an incredibly tough road game against Arizona this weekend.

#8 - Minnesota (Average 7.5)

The Gophers continue to slip under the radar, but are beginning to put together a decent resume themselves.  Minnesota currently has a 3 game winning streak including a win over a decent Georgia team and a road win over Wake Forest.  Minnesota gets North Dakota and Southern this week.

#9 - Nebraska (Average 9.2)

The Cornhuskers lost their second game of the season last weekend and drop one spot as a result.  Still, despite a disappointing loss at home to Creighton, Nebraska did secure a road win over Florida State and sits at 5-2 overall.  They will have another big game at home against Cincinnati this weekend.

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#10 - Indiana (Average 9.5)

The Hoosiers moved up a spot this week after scoring victories against Pittsburgh and Savannah State at home.  Indiana currently sits at 7-1 and outside of a home upset against Eastern Washington have played pretty well.  They have a huge game against Louisville on Tuesday and a game against Grand Canyon this weekend.

#11 - Purdue (Average 10.8)

The Boilermakers dropped this week after splitting their home games against North Carolina State and North Florida respectively.  Purdue was starting to look like a surprise team before their loss to North Florida and now need to get the ship righted before facing Vanderbilt and Notre Dame in the coming weeks.

#12 - Penn State (Average 12.0)

The Nittany Lions are perhaps the quietest one loss team in the Big Ten right now.  They scored wins over Virginia Tech and Marshall last week and look to Duquesne and George Washington this week at home.

#13 - Northwestern (Average 13.0)

The Wildcats are on a three game losing streak right now.  None of the losses came against bad teams, but Northwestern is struggling to take the necessary steps forward so far this year.

#14 - Rutgers (Average 13.9)

The Scarlet Knights once against had an up and down week.  They went on the road and beat Clemson, then were blown out by Seton Hall over the weekend.  They get New Hampshire and Manhattan this week.