It has become quite clear that the Big Ten power rankings are going to be headlined by three teams. This week, the Michigan Wolverines stormed to the top after three one-sided wins against some high-level competition. They aren’t alone, as both Purdue and Michigan State are right there behind them. All three are inside the Top 10 of the polls, and have made a statement that the Big Ten is here to win it all this year.
As for the rest of the conference, here’s how they stand.
Big Ten Power Rankings: Wolverines Make Statement
1. Michigan (7-0)
Don’t look now, but the Wolverines are on fire. Michigan went out to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival, and they returned to Ann Arbor with three powerful wins. That included back-to-back 30-plus points wins over both Auburn and Gonzaga. Yaxel Lendeborg finally showcased the hype that has surrounded him.
MVP 🙌 pic.twitter.com/dW6N0lwgLV
— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) November 28, 2025
Up next: Rutgers, Saturday, Dec 6th
2. Purdue (7-0)
It’s not a bad thing for the Boilermakers to slip to the number two spot. They remained unbeaten and have more than proven they are a real contender. The current No. 1 in the country continues to click. Braden Smith continues to move up the assist leaderboard, with his eyes set on former Michigan State Spartan Cassius Winston‘s All-Time Big Ten Mark.
Up next: @ Rutgers, Tuesday, Dec 2nd, 8:00 pm, No. 10 Iowa State, Saturday, Dec 6th
3. Michigan State (7-0)
Tom Izzo’s Spartans once again did not disappoint with their performance at the Fort Myers Tip-Off. After dispensing ECU on Tuesday, Michigan State handled business against No. 16 North Carolina in a 74-58 butt kicking. Jeremy Fears Jr looked outstanding with a career-high 19 points and seven more assists.
Up next: Iowa, Tuesday, Dec 2nd, 7:00 pm, No. 4 Duke Saturday, Dec 6th
4. Indiana (7-0)
Indiana was able to add two more victories and move, which easily boosted them in this week’s Big Ten power rankings. Earning an 86-69 win over Kansas State was a very nice victory for the Hoosiers. Reed Bailey looked good with 21 points in that game.
Up next: @ Minnesota, Wednesday, Dec 3rd, No. 6 Louisville (Indianapolis), Saturday, Dec 6th
5. Iowa (7-0)
The Hawkeyes remained unbeaten while also winning the Acrisure Classic out in California during Feast Week. That included wins against Ole Miss and Grand Canyon. Now, Iowa has a huge match-up at No. 7 Michigan State to kick off the early Big Ten slate. It could be a huge opportunity for Coach McCollum to really make his mark.
Up next: @ No. 7 Michigan State, Tuesday, Dec 2nd, 7:00 pm, Maryland, Saturday, Dec 6th
6. Nebraska (8-0)
The Cornhuskers were the first Big Ten team to reach 8-0. Coach Hoiberg just continues to get the best out of his players. Unfortunately, they won’t have Connor Essegian for the rest of the season. He went down with a major right ankle injury midway through the team’s game with Wintrop last Tuesday.
God’s plan. See you soon Husker Nation🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/iBUZjdGLtZ
— Connor Essegian (@CEssegian) November 29, 2025
Up next: Creighton, Sunday, Dec 7th
7. USC (7-0)
The Trojans handled business as they carried the Big Ten banner out in Maui. USC took down Boise State, Seton Hall, and Arizona State en route to the Maui Title. A huge start for Coach Musselman’s team.
Up next: @ Oregon, Tuesday, Dec 2nd, 10:00 pm, Washington, Saturday, Dec 6th
8. Illinois (6-2)
The Illini rebounded from their close loss to No. 11 Alabama with back-to-back wins. However, they couldn’t keep up with No. 5 UConn in their clash last Friday. For the first time this season, David Mirkovic looked human. It was good to see Kylan Boswell deliver, but he certainly didn’t have much help offensively from his teammates.
Up next: No. 13 Tennessee (Nashville), Saturday, Dec 6th
9. Wisconsin (5-2)
The Badgers handled Providence in their first game out in San Diego. Then they reached the championship game on Friday night, and got punched in the mouth. Despite John Blackwell’s 30-point performance, Wisconsin lost to TCU. It isn’t a killer loss, but the Badgers slipped in the power rankings this week.
Up next: Northwestern, Wednesday, Dec 3rd, Marquette, Saturday, Dec 6th
10. Northwestern (5-2)
The Wildcats took on Oklahoma State on Thanksgiving and fell short in a very tightly contested game. Nick Martinelli put in a season high 28 points, along with 10 rebounds for a double-double. It just wasn’t enough. They have a very tough draw to begin conference play with a road trip to Madison this week.
Up next: @ Wisconsin, Wednesday, Dec 3rd, Ohio State, Saturday, Dec 6th
11. UCLA (5-2)
It appears the shuffling of lineups has caught up to the Bruins. They had a chance for a showcase win on a neutral court when they clashed with former PAC-12 foe the California Golden Bears last Tuesday. It was or not, as UCLA fell short in an 80-72 loss, that knocked the Bruins outside the Top 25 in the country. Despite high expectations, it appears Donovan Dent isn’t shining bright in the Big City.
Up next: @ Washington, Wednesday, Dec 3rd, Oregon, Saturday, Dec 6th
12. Penn State (7-1)
The Nittany Lions could’ve gone to the dumps after losing to Providence two weeks ago. Luckily, they haven’t and find themselves at 7-1. The schedule has been pretty light, but they have at least, for now, proven to be trending up.
Up next: Campbell, Tuesday, Dec 2nd, 6:00 pm
13. Ohio State (6-1)
While Buckeye Nation can be happy about their football team beating rival Michigan, the basketball side once again found itself on the losing end of a buzzer-beater against Pittsburgh. That’s two years in a row. Fans aren’t liking the direction it’s going under Coach Diebler, it seems.
Up next: @ Northwestern, Saturday, Dec 6th
14. Washington (5-2)
Despite reaching the Acrisure Holiday Classic Championship, the Huskies fell flat against a surging Colorado team. Where or where is Hannes Steinbach? All that excitement, and now he’s missed three straight games with an ankle injury. Not good enough for Washington to compete in the Big Ten at this rate.
Up next: UCLA, Wednesday, Dec 3rd, @ No. 24 USC, Saturday, Dec 6th
15. Maryland (5-3)
The Terps were able to win their first game at the Players Era over UNLV. After that two straight losses where they gave up over 100 points. At least Pharrel Payne is back from his scary fall. Other than that, Buzz Williams has a lot of things to fix.
Up next: Wagner, Tuesday, Dec 2nd, 8:00 pm, @ Iowa, Saturday, Dec 6th
16. Rutgers (5-3)
Surely Rutgers was dead in the water following their three straight losses, two of which came in the Players Era Festival against No. 17 Tennessee and Notre Dame. But sure enough, they got right by beating UNLV on the final day of that event. It was nice to see senior center Emmanuel Ogbole score a career high of 21 points along with 13 rebounds. This week is rough with two games against Top 3 three teams in the country.
Up next: No. 1 Purdue, Tuesday, Dec 2nd, 8:00 pm, @ No. 3 Michigan, Saturday, Dec 6th
17. Oregon (4-3)
I expected a lot more out of the Ducks, but here they are at 4-3. Nate Bittle has been a steady hand in the post for Oregon during his time in Eugene. Losing all three of their games in Las Vegas was crushing. Not to mention, Bittle got hurt during the second of those games. He also seems to be in question for the foreseeable future. That is just more bad news with a Top 25 conference foe coming in this week.
Up next: No. 24 USC, Tuesday, Dec 2nd, 10:00 pm, @ UCLA, Saturday, Dec 6th
18. Minnesota (4-4)
The Gophers are not a good team right now. They have clearly claimed the title as the worst team in the Big Ten for now. Minnesota sits on a three-game losing streak heading into games against ranked conference foes. They hold on to the 18th and final spot in the Big Ten power rankings pretty firmly.
Up next: No. 22 Indiana, Wednesday, Dec 3rd
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