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First, Indiana brought in an offensive coordinator, Seth Littrell, with a pass-first pedigree.

The Hoosiers then added Cameron Coffman, a coveted junior college quarterback who Littrell had recruited at his previous coaching stop (Arizona). Then, late in the recruiting process, Indiana added Nate Sudfield, rated by ESPN Recruiting as the nation's No. 14 quarterback prospect. Sudfield is the highest-rated recruit in Indiana's recent signing class.

Some might see all of this as sending a message to Tre Roberson, who emerged as Indiana's starting quarterback midway through Big Ten play last season. While Roberson showed tremendous potential at times, he also completed only 57 percent of his passes and threw twice as many interceptions (6) as touchdown passes (3).

But the team's recent moves have been made with Roberson's development very much in mind. When Indiana opens spring practice March 3, Roberson will lead the offense.

"Tre will definitely have a huge advantage," Hoosiers head coach Kevin Wilson told ESPN.com on Wednesday. "He has the potential to be a very quality player. He's off to a great young start in his career. ... He can make some plays with his feet, but he's a better quarterback than people give him credit for. I want competition at every position, but going into the spring, without a doubt Tre Roberson's our guy."

Coffman is one of six junior-college additions already on campus at Indiana. Sudfield arrives in the fall. Indiana was looking to add quarterbacks after both Ed Wright-Baker and Dusty Kiel left the team last month. Roberson moved past both Wright-Baker and Kiel on Indiana's depth chart during Big Ten play and provided a spark with his athleticism.

His next challenge is to become a more effective and consistent passer, which Wilson has little doubt he can be.

"[Littrell] is going to escalate Tre in the pass game," Wilson said. "I think Tre can be really good. These other two guys will make great competition for him."

Although a historically poor defense remains Indiana's primary offseason focus, Wilson thinks the Hoosiers can take steps offensively as well. Indiana had at least 350 offensive yards in half of its games in 2011 but cracked the 30-point barrier just three times and only once in Big Ten play.

Wilson wants to score more through the pass game, a big reason why he brought in Littrell, a Mike Leach disciple whose Arizona offense ranked third nationally in passing in 2011.

"I look to see what elements of that passing game will become the true part of our pass offense," Wilson said. "We'll still try to have balance and run the ball. We're going to play to the strength of the quarterback. But for us to score points, we've got to make strides defensively, but we've got to make a boatload of strides offensively, particularly in scoring, and one of the quickest ways of doing that is trying to improve the pass game.

"I don't see it as a change of offense, but it's an emphasis on some subtle things in the passing game."

Indiana got stung by the decommitment of star quarterback prospect Gunner Kiel last fall. Earlier this month, quarterbacks Ed Wright-Baker and Dusty Kiel (Gunner's brother) left the program.

So the Hoosiers needed some depth at the position behind incumbent starter Tre Roberson. And it looks like they got just that on the recruiting trail.

California prospect Nate Sudfeld gave his verbal pledge to Kevin Wilson on Thursday. Sudfeld was originally committed to Arizona and was also being purused by Arizona State and UCLA. He is ranked as the No. 14 quarterback in this class, according to ESPN.com.

Sudfeld had built a relationship with new IU offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, who had been recruiting him for Arizona before Mike Stoops got the boot.

"I really like Coach [Kevin] Wilson too, the whole staff was great with me," he told ESPN.com's Greg Biggins. "That staff has a winning pedigree and I want to be a part of something special. Indiana is a great university and has the combination of academics and football I was looking for and it’s a cool college town as well so I’m really excited about my decision.”

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Sudfeld has great size and arm strength and will bring competition to the position, along with junior college transfer Cameron Coffman. And Sudfeld eases a little of the pain from the Gunner Kiel affair.

Before the season began, we ranked every Big Ten position group from No. 1 through 12. That was based on projections and assumptions, but now we have a full season's worth of data.

So it's time to go back and assign a final 2011 ranking to each position in the league. We'll start, as usual, with the quarterbacks. You can take a look back and see how we ranked this group in the preseason here. Depth will matter more at other positions, but for this one, we're mostly concerned how the main guy fared this past season.

Let's kick it:

1. Wisconsin: When we did this list in June, we didn't know yet if Russell Wilson would transfer to the Badgers. That's why we ranked Wisconsin No. 11 at the time. That seems ludicrous now. Wilson broke the NCAA single-season record for pass efficiency (191.8), finishing ahead of Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III. He completed 72.8 percent of his passes for 3,175 yards and had 33 touchdowns and only four interceptions. If that's not enough to qualify for the top spot, I don't know what is.

2. Michigan State: I'm not sure if Kirk Cousins' 2011 season was properly appreciated nationally. Cousins led the Big Ten in passing yards with 3,316 while completing 63.7 percent of his passes and throwing 25 touchdowns. He was especially good down the stretch as the Spartans' offense took off and remained one of the best leaders in college football. And Cousins didn't get nearly the same amount of support from the running game that Wilson did.

3. Michigan: Denard Robinson's numbers declined in several key areas from 2010, including his rushing yardage, passing yardage and completion percentage. Meanwhile, his interceptions went up and there was little doubt he struggled at times. Yet Robinson also had two of the most spectacular individual efforts of the season in wins against Notre Dame and Ohio State, and he still led the Big Ten in total offense per game. And in the end, it's pretty hard to argue against an 11-2 record and Sugar Bowl title.

4. Northwestern: A lingering Achilles' tendon injury and an awful defense helped obscure the fact that Dan Persa had another outstanding year when healthy. He completed 73.4 percent of his throws and actually averaged more passing yards per game (237.6) than any other Big Ten quarterback. Persa's mobility, however, was limited and that made him much less of a running threat. Kain Colter fulfilled that role and did a nice job stepping in for Persa, including his heroics in an upset win at Nebraska.

5. Nebraska: Taylor Martinez's improvement wasn't easy to measure in statistics. His completion percentage dipped to 56.3 in 2011, and he had far less of an impact running the ball over the last half of the season — he failed to run for more than 56 yards and did not have a rushing touchdown in the final seven games. But Martinez got better as a game manager and leader and remained a dual threat defenses had to account for. And he learned to protect the ball better, throwing just three interceptions in his final eight games.

6. Iowa: James Vandenberg put up some good numbers in his first year as a full-time starter, throwing for 3,022 yards and 25 touchdowns. But he compiled a lot of his stats against bad defenses like Pitt, Louisiana-Monroe, Indiana and Northwestern. He wasn't nearly as good in losses to Nebraska, Michigan State and Penn State. Vandenberg has the potential to be the best pure passer in the Big Ten, but he needs to become more consistent.

7. Ohio State: The Buckeyes would have ranked at or near the bottom of this list after the first half of the season, after initial starter Joe Bauserman was benched and freshman Braxton Miller went through some early growing pains. While Miller's passing was often reigned in, he was extremely effective as a runner, rushing for for at least 90 yards five times. Miller showed the whole package in an impressive performance against Michigan to end the regular season. With Urban Meyer's tutelage, Miller could put the Buckeyes at the top of this list in the near future.

8. Purdue: The Boilermakers' quarterback situation looked bleak to start the year, as projected starter Rob Henry went down with an ACL injury and backup Robert Marve was slow to recover from his own knee problems. But while Purdue wasn't flashy at the position, it got decent production from Caleb TerBush and from Marve later in the year. Combined, they passed for over 2,500 yards and 17 touchdowns, and TerBush was the team's fourth leading rusher.

9. Illinois: Nathan Scheelhaase looked like he'd claim a spot as one of the Big Ten's best quarterbacks with a solid start to the season, including a 426-yard, four-touchdown showing in a win over Northwestern. But like the rest of the Illini offense, his production fell off a cliff in the second half of the season, and the sophomore appeared to lose his confidence along the way. Freshman Reilly O'Toole came in for certain situations and looked close to usurping the starting job. Scheelhaase bounced back with a nice second half in the bowl win against UCLA. Now he'll have to adjust to new coach Tim Beckman's spread offense.

10. Minnesota: Early in the season, it was hard to tell if MarQueis Gray or freshman Max Shortell would win coach Jerry Kill's favor and seize control of the offense. Neither was particularly effective. But Gray, who made the transition from wide receiver, started to find a groove late in the year. He led the upset against Iowa and ran for 327 yards in the final two games. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder is hard to stop when he takes off running, but he must improve on his 50-percent completion rate.

11. Indiana: The Hoosiers played quarterback roulette for the first half of the season, rotating between Ed Wright-Baker and Dusty Kiel. But when they finally settled on freshman Tre Roberson, they found their signal-caller of the present and future. Roberson is still a bit raw but has tremendous athleticism and instincts. He ran for 121 yards and threw for 169 against Northwestern, showing that he could be yet another dangerous dual threat quarterback in this league going forward.

12. Penn State: The Nittany Lions' handling of the quarterback situation was baffling and counterproductive in 2011. Penn State continued to trot out Rob Bolden as the starter for much of the year even though Matt McGloin was clearly the better option. McGloin did the heavy lifting off the bench, but he was not exactly a world-beater either, completing just 54 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and five interceptions. The Nittany Lions beat Ohio State mostly because they put a couple of receivers in the Wildcat formation, and when McGloin couldn't play in the TicketCity Bowl, Bolden struggled. New coach Bill O'Brien will quickly learn that Tom Brady isn't walking through that door in 2012.

National Signing Day is barely a week away, and Big Ten teams will be stockpiling for the future (and, in some cases, the present). Today we'll take a look at the recruiting needs of each Big Ten team, starting with those in the Leaders division. These needs are based on current rosters and anticipated departures in the near future. And to save you some email time, we do realize teams have already addressed needs in compiling their 2012 classes.

Let's get started ...

ILLINOIS

Wide receiver: The Illini lose A.J. Jenkins, who accounted for 90 of the team's 226 receptions in 2011. No other Illinois player had more than 26 catches, so there certainly are opportunities for young players to emerge and make an immediate impact for the new coaching staff.

Linemen: Illinois loses two starters from an offensive line that struggled down the stretch of the regular season. It's important to build depth there going forward. Despite Whitney Mercilus' early departure to the NFL draft, the defensive line returns some talented players. Still, defensive end Michael Buchanan is entering his senior year, and defensive tackle Akeem Spence is a bona fide NFL prospect who could enter the draft with a strong 2012 campaign.

Safety: The Illini defense didn't have many weaknesses in 2011, but safety was a liability at times. The team returns experience for 2012, but will lose some key players after the season. An impact defensive back or two in the 2012 class would really help.

INDIANA

Defensive back: This has been a primary recruiting need for the past few seasons, and it remains a pressing concern after Indiana surrendered a league-worst 8.5 yards per pass and a league-high 26 passing touchdowns in 2011. Indiana needs impact players and depth among the back four to be able to limit Big Ten offenses.

Defensive front seven: Sense a theme here? Indiana needs defenders in the worst way, and the front seven is a huge piece to the puzzle. The Hoosiers return some experience at defensive tackle, but lose top linebackers Jeff Thomas and Leon Beckum. The coaches showed in 2011 that they're not afraid to play young players, and they need more contributors on the defensive side.

Quarterback: Starter Tre Roberson returns, but Indiana needs bodies here after Dusty Kiel and Ed Wright-Baker both opted to transfer earlier this month.

OHIO STATE

Offensive line: Three multiyear starters depart at center, left tackle and right tackle, so Ohio State's offensive line will have a very different look in 2012. The Buckeyes could use some immediate-impact linemen, like center Mike Brewster in 2008, and they'll look to build depth here.

Defensive end: Ohio State appears loaded at defensive tackle for 2012 and beyond, but the team needs some more pure pass-rushers on the edge. John Simon, who had four more sacks than anyone on the squad in 2011, will be a senior this coming season.

Wide receiver: The Buckeyes lacked reliable receiver options in 2011 and had their best wideout, DeVier Posey, for only three games because of suspension. Posey departs and Ohio State needs to build depth and increase competition in what should be a more wide-open offense under Urban Meyer.

PENN STATE

Quarterback: New coach Bill O'Brien might be the quarterback whisperer Penn State has waited for, but he also needs to upgrade the talent on the roster. Matthew McGloin and Rob Bolden both must make significant strides, and while Paul Jones is an intriguing player, we've yet to see him in a game. Penn State needs more options here.

Wide receiver: Top target Derek Moye departs, and Penn State returns only two players with decent but not great production in Justin Brown and Devon Smith. Brown looks like a potential impact player in 2012, but Penn State needs more options in the passing game.

Defensive back: Penn State loses all four starters, although returning players like Stephon Morris, Malcolm Willis and Adrian Amos have logged playing time. Still, the Lions need some more players here to build depth and increase competition.

PURDUE

Offensive line: This is one of few areas where Purdue loses a decent amount of production from 2011, as tackle Dennis Kelly and Nick Mondek both depart. Two more starters exit after the 2012 season, and Purdue wants to be a run-based offense. It's important to build some depth up front with the 2012 class.

Kicker: Purdue loses the bionic-legged Carson Wiggs, who did more than make field goals from ridiculous distances. He also kicked off and served as a backup punter, attempting 45 punts over the past two seasons. The versatile Wiggs leaves a major void, and Purdue must address the specialist spot.

Defensive back: The Boilers say goodbye to both of their starting safeties from the 2011 team. They also will lose starting cornerback Josh Johnson after the 2012 season, while Ricardo Allen might be an early entry candidate with a big junior year. While this isn't a pressing need right now, it could soon become one.

WISCONSIN

Quarterback: Russell Wilson saved Wisconsin in more than one way in 2011, and his departure is significant. The team's most experienced signal callers, Jon Budmayr and Curt Phillips, both are coming off of major injuries. Wisconsin typically doesn't play younger quarterbacks, but needs more options after a season where Wilson showed what the offense could be.

Wide receiver: The Badgers typically get by with 1-2 good wideouts and an excellent tight end or two, but they could use more depth at the receiver position. Top target Nick Toon departs, and Wisconsin is pretty thin at receiver aside from Jared Abbrederis.

Defensive speed: Oregon makes a lot of teams look slow, but the Rose Bowl spelled out what the Badgers must do to take the next step as a program. Wisconsin needs to upgrade its speed at all three levels of the defense, particularly the back seven, to prevent explosion plays. Michigan State also exposed Wisconsin's defense, so the need for speed certainly is there.

Bring it.

Nicholas from West Des Moines, Iowa, writes: can we PLEASE get a replacement announced for norm parker already?! ... and why is everyone so concerned with derby leaving? we seem fine at the QB position, shouldn't we be worrying about getting a RB and filling in the gaps left on defense?

Adam Rittenberg: Nicholas, I definitely hear ya on the Norm Parker replacement. Iowa's job posting for an assistant coach expires Jan. 26, so hopefully we'll get an announcement by then. Regarding A.J. Derby's departure, I think the reaction stems more from Iowa losing several players in recent weeks, most notably star running back Marcus Coker. Also, Derby arrived with a ton of hype and immediately became a fan favorite. Fans hate to see highly touted recruits not pan out or transfer, and some see Derby's departure as a sign of a systematic problem at Iowa. But on the whole, I agree that replacing Coker and bolstering the defense, especially the line, are bigger issues for the Hawkeyes right now.

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Ed from Rochester Hills, Mich., writes: So the Basketball coach at Iowa throws a chair and Commishioner Delaney's response is "The conference did not ask for, nor did the conference expect, an apology from the coach. The conference is primarily focused on future conduct, not statements of apology." Pat Narduzzi makes a comment about 60 minutes of unnecessary roughness and MSU Athletic Director Mark Hollis is required to admonish the MSU coach by the commish.I am detecting a double standard by Delaney.

Adam Rittenberg: Ed, while you make an interesting point, there are some differences with the Narduzzi situation. For starters, it was a quote to media members rather than an outburst during a game. Also, some interpreted the quote as being directed toward an opponent, Michigan. McCaffery's chair-throwing was done in front of his own team after an argument with officials. The Hawkeyes' opponent, Michigan State, had nothing to do with it. While we can debate whether Narduzzi's comment was taken out of context, you are usually going to see a stronger response from the league to something someone says or does that's directed toward an opponent. You saw similar responses to player unsportslike conduct violations directed toward opponents.

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Samuel from Iowa City, Iowa, writes: Adam, to answer your question about coaches, I prefer my coaches have some positive character rather than bad character or zero character. Iowa's Fran McCaffery has not crossed a line in my opinion. Slamming a chair is one thing. Bob Knight style kicking, choking, head butting and throwing chairs onto the court is something different altogether.

Adam Rittenberg: Samuel, thanks for your response. I agree that it's fine for coaches to show some emotion on the sideline. It's an emotional game, and coaches can sometimes light fires under their teams but showing some fire themselves. I don't have a major issue with what McCaffery did. He didn't direct any of it toward Iowa's opponent. But it's something you don't want to see every game or every few games.

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Jeff from West Chester, Ohio, writes: Should Purdue fans be concerned that Danny Hope hasn't hired replacements for Emanuel and Elmassian? Signing day is approaching and I fear defensive recruits from the surprisingly good class may waver.

Adam Rittenberg: Jeff, it has been extremely quiet on the Purdue coaching front. The team hasn't officially announced the departures of Gary Emanuel and Phil Elmassian, although neither are listed on the official roster. Although most of Purdue's 2012 class plays offense, recruits always want to know which direction the team is headed on both sides of the ball. Although Purdue didn't have a great year on defense in 2011, Emanuel's ouster is a bit surprising. Danny Hope has a former defensive coordinator, Donn Landholm, still on staff, but he'll be looking to replace two veteran assistants.

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Elliot from East Richfield, Minn., writes: With Troy Stoudermire being granted another year for the Minnesota Gophers, the Gophers seem to have their cornerbacks pretty set with Stoudermire and Brock Vereen, among others. However, both safety positions are unsettled.Who do you see emerging at safety for the Gophers? James Manuel and maybe Michael Carter? Maybe some newcomers will get a chance to play?

Adam Rittenberg: Elliot, I really think Minnesota will enter spring practice with most of its starting spots open on defense. We heard some good things about Manuel in 2010, when he started three games, but he played strictly as a reserve in 2011, recording 11 tackles in 12 games. Carter was one of Minnesota's top recruits under former coach Tim Brewster, but he hasn't really panned out. There certainly will be opportunities for players to step up in the defensive backfield, as the Gophers must replace Kim Royston's production at safety. Remember that Minnesota also signed three junior college defensive backs. Those guys weren't brought in to sit on the bench.

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Clayton from Fort Collins, Colo., writes: Adam -- Thanks for your article regarding coaches sideline demeanor. It would be fun to see you and Brian have a "blog blow-up" once in a while! All jokes aside, I get tired of hearing people rant about Bo Pelini's sideline behavior. As a former college football player, I feel strongly that a passionate coach is not uncommon and actually appreciated by the players. Nebraska fans too soon forget how reserved and soft Bill Calhahan was, almost as though he didn't care enough. Bo had his issue at A&M in 2010, had a very professional apology, and has sense cleaned up his act. Can we put it to bed or are we going to keep talking about this? "cue TV panning to BO getting all red faced and mad on the sideline, chomping his gum"

Adam Rittenberg: Clayton, thanks for your perspective. It's always interesting to ask how a coach's sideline behavior affects his team. Sometimes it certainly seems to fire up players in the right way. Other times, it seems like a coach who seems out of control leads to a team playing a bit recklessly. While I see your point about Pelini's issue at A&M being in the past, I don't think he'll be able to avoid the cameras on the sideline. No coach really escapes them these days, and TV folks are looking for reactions. I think Bo seemed calmer for the most part this season, although he was none too pleased, for obvious reasons, in the Capital One Bowl loss. While I don't believe a coach has to stomp around and scream at officials to show he cares more, I think players want to see some response from the man leading them.

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Alan from Evansville, Ind., writes: Hey Adam, What should IU fans make of all the departures from the IU football team, which appears to be a continuing trend with Wright-Baker and Kiel leaving the team this week? Is this a healthy sign that shows Wilson is making sure he has the kids he wants to work with, or is this a sign that something (or many things) are wrong in Bloomington and with this new coaching staff? Additionally, do you think these departures will have a negative impact on the school's ability to recruit going forward?

Adam Rittenberg: Alan, these things can go either way. You always have some attrition after a coaching change, even some delayed attrition like we're seeing with Ed Wright-Baker and Dusty Kiel. The offensive direction seems pretty clear with Tre Roberson returning and Seth Littrell coming as as coordinator, and while Wright-Baker and Kiel would have provided some depth, their playing-time options seemed limited, especially with Cameron Coffman coming in from a juco. You see quarterbacks transfer more than those at other positions because of the playing-time issue. Now is Kevin Wilson a tough guy to play for? He's a brutally honest guy. He doesn't sugarcoat anything. His style might not jive with certain players. But I think once he gets his guys in there, he'll be pretty successful at IU.

At times, Tre Roberson looked like the future of Indiana's offense down the stretch of the regular season. The freshman showcased good speed and play-making ability.

To push Roberson, Indiana on Thursday secured a verbal commitment from Cameron Coffman, who accounted for 34 touchdowns (21 pass, 13 rush) as a freshman at Arizona Western College in 2011. Coffman, who passed for 2,244 yards and ran for 945 yards, received several Big 12 offers coming out of high school.

He has three seasons of eligibility left and will compete with Roberson for the top job in new coordinator Seth Littrell's offense.

It's pretty clear where Indiana is headed on offense, as both Roberson and Coffman look like good fits for the spread. It seemed unlikely Dusty Kiel and Ed Wright-Baker would be part of the plan, and both quarterbacks have decided to leave the program, the team confirmed Saturday.

Wright-Baker started Indiana's first four games in 2011. Kiel started the next two before giving way to Wright-Baker again. Both men then stepped aside as Roberson started Indiana's final five contests.

Kiel's younger brother Gunner, one of the nation's top recruits, decommitted from Indiana in October after pledging to join his brother in late July. It's not a surprise that the older Kiel would eventually look elsewhere as well.

Both Dusty Kiel and Wright-Baker have two years of eligibility left. No word yet on potential transfer destinations for either quarterback.

The departures leave IU a bit thin at quarterback, and it'll be interesting to see if any other signal callers are added to the 2012 class.

After learning that star recruit Gunner Kiel has decommitted, perhaps Indiana has decided to turn to another youngster as its future quarterback.

True freshman Tre Roberson will make his first career start under center for the Hoosiers today at Iowa. Roberson was Mr. Football in Indiana last year. He got his most significant playing time this season two weeks ago against Illinois, when he completed 11 of 17 passes for 148 yards and rushed for 36 yards and a touchdown.

Roberson is the third different quarterback to start for IU this season, joining Ed Wright-Baker and Dusty Kiel.

» Power Rankings: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC

Week 7 brought some definition in the Big Ten. Michigan State established itself as the team to beat in the Legends division. Both Michigan and Illinois showed their strong starts were largely the byproduct of favorable schedules. Wisconsin continued to dominate and look like the Big Ten's best team by far. Penn State? The Nittany Lions found another way to win.

We have a better idea of who these teams are. Not surprisingly, there was some significant shuffling in this week's power rankings.

Let's get to them ...

1. Wisconsin (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten): After a tune-up against Indiana, the Badgers finally get ready for their first true road game of the season. It comes at a place (Spartan Stadium) where they've lost three straight contests and against an opponent (Michigan State) playing at a very high level, especially on defense. The cakewalks likely are over for Russell Wilson and co., and we'll learn a lot about Wisconsin's ability to stay poised under pressure on Saturday night.

2. Michigan State (5-1, 2-0): Mark Dantonio's team affirmed itself as the best in the state and the best in the Legends division -- at least for now -- with a convincing victory against archrival Michigan. Michigan State is halfway through a brutal October slate at 2-0, and has Wisconsin coming to its house, where the Badgers have struggled in recent years. The nation's No. 2 defense continues to punish people and capitalize on opportunities, while Edwin Baker sparked a rushing attack that Dantonio wants to define his program. Michigan State can make a national statement this week by upsetting Wisconsin.

3. Nebraska (5-1, 1-1): Bo Pelini's team got a breather in Week 7 after a potentially season-saving comeback against Ohio State. But the bye week also brought some bad news as star DT Jared Crick was ruled out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle. Crick's injury is a blow to a Nebraska defense that needs to regroup for the second half of the season. Nebraska looks to boost its play against Minnesota before a huge Legends division showdown against Michigan State.

4. Penn State (6-1, 3-0): Who needs a quarterback? Penn State has won six games and put itself right in the mix in the Leaders division without settling on a signal caller. The Lions continue to play opportunistic defense, recording three takeaways Saturday against Purdue to bring their season total to 17, tied for 10th most nationally. They also held a decided edge on special teams. You have to wonder how long the formula will succeed without a quarterback emerging. But for now, Penn State is in great shape.

5. Michigan (6-1, 2-1): Brady Hoke warned us that Michigan hadn't arrived, and he proved prophetic as the Wolverines' weaknesses on both sides of the ball caught up with them in East Lansing. After a strong start, Michigan struggled to generate a passing attack and couldn't stop Spartans playmakers like Baker and wide receiver Keshawn Martin. Denard Robinson completed just 9 of 24 pass attempts on a windy day, and coordinator Al Borges got too cute with a critical fourth-down call late in the game. Michigan tries to regroup in the bye week before hosting Purdue.

6. Ohio State (4-3, 1-2): Football might be a passing game these days, but Ohio State defied the theory Saturday at Illinois. The Buckeyes completed just one pass, albeit a touchdown from Braxton Miller to Jake Stoneburner, in a 17-7 win fueled by the old-fashioned values of punishing defense, takeaways and a run game boosted by the return of Dan Herron. If a defense led by linemen John Simon and Johnathan Hankins replicates its performance, Ohio State will be tough to beat. The Buckeyes get a much-needed bye before hosting Wisconsin.

7. Illinois (6-1, 2-1): The Illini take the biggest tumble in the power rankings, although it's hard to rank them ahead of an Ohio State team that beat them by double digits in Champaign. Although Illinois' defense continued to receive strong individual performances from Whitney Mercilus, Jonathan Brown and others, the offense took more than 50 minutes to get off of the mat against Ohio State. Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase seemed jittery and didn't get enough help from his supporting cast as Illinois fell for the first time.

8. Iowa (4-2, 1-1): After failing to score a touchdown against Penn State, Iowa scored five against Northwestern and exploded for 24 fourth-quarter points to defeat its recent nemesis for the first time since 2007. Running back Marcus Coker emerged with 124 yards and two touchdowns, and the Hawkeyes capitalized on a shaky Northwestern defense and got a defensive touchdown of their own. They now have a chance to go on a roll as they face Indiana and Minnesota the next two weeks.

9. Purdue (3-3, 1-1): The Boilers are a few plays away from being a 5-1 team, but their inability to avoid major mistakes at the wrong times continues to hold them back. Saturday's loss at Penn State was filled with what-ifs, as Purdue outplayed the Lions for stretches and put itself in position for a defining road win. Whether it's penalties or turnovers or special-teams blunders, the Boilers are holding themselves back from taking the next step as a program.

10. Northwestern (2-4, 0-3): There's still half a season to play, but Northwestern has been the Big Ten's biggest disappointment. The Wildcats defense seemingly has regressed after collapsing late last season, and a program known for finishing games and being clutch is repeatedly melting down in the fourth quarter. Coach Pat Fitzgerald admitted after the Iowa loss that defenders aren't on the same page and said the coaches must do better going forward. This week's home game against Penn State is an absolute must-win if Northwestern intends to continue its streak of postseason appearances.

11. Indiana (1-6, 0-3): Halloween isn't for another few weeks, but Indiana already has visited its own personal house of horrors at Camp Randall Stadium. Though Saturday's beating wasn't quite as bad as last year's 83-20 debacle, Indiana won't be pining for a trip to Madison any time soon. The Hoosiers defense looked overmatched -- as many units do -- against Wilson and Wisconsin's high-powered offense. Quarterback Edward Wright-Baker struggled and the offense did little outside of a long touchdown run from RB Stephen Houston.

12. Minnesota (1-5, 0-2): The bye week came at a good time for Minnesota, which has lost its first two Big Ten contests by a combined score of 103-17. Quarterback Marqueis Gray should be fully healthy after dealing with a toe injury, and Minnesota will need a much better effort from the offense to keep pace with a high-powered Nebraska attack this week. The Gophers' Big Ten home schedule is extremely challenging as Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois visit TCF Bank Stadium.

It wasn't an 83-20 redux, but Wisconsin flexed its muscles once again against an overmatched Indiana team. As a result, Bret Bielema's team improves to 6-0 before its first true road game of the season.

The Badgers cruised to a 59-7 win against Indiana in their final tune-up in advance of the Michigan State showdown next week. While the competition level will be brought up whenever Wisconsin's name is mentioned, credit the Badgers for handling their business in dominating fashion these first six games.

No offense in America is clicking like Wisconsin's, which received huge performances again from running back Montee Ball (14 carries, 142 rush yards, 3 rush TDs, 1 pass TD) and quarterback Russell Wilson (12-for-17 passing, 166 yards, TD, receiving TD). James White had a nice performance as well as the Badgers steamrolled Indiana's defense. After a huge first half from the offense, the defense and special teams joined the scoring action as Jared Abbrederis had a punt return for a touchdown and Derek Landisch recovered a fumble in the end zone.

We'll get a much better read on Wisconsin next week against Michigan State, which continues to play superb defense and rediscovered its rushing attack against Michigan. It'll be strength vs. strength in East Lansing.

Indiana didn't have much of a chance today, but the Hoosiers hurt themselves with turnovers and failed to cash in on some scoring opportunities. Quarterbacks Ed Wright-Baker and Tre Roberson struggled, combining to complete 8 of 20 passes for 64 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. It hurt that top receiver Damarlo Belcher left the game with an undisclosed injury.

Coach Kevin Wilson must continue to evaluate his quarterback spot going forward. Wisconsin clearly doesn't have that problem.

It's halftime at Camp Randall Stadium, and the only surprise so far is that it took Wisconsin nearly 10 minutes to score.

The Badgers have since picked up the scoring pace and lead Indiana 38-7 at the half. Indiana has had no answer for the Badgers offense, which has received touchdown runs from Montee Ball and James White and a touchdown pass from Ball to quarterback Russell Wilson.

Take that, Andrew Luck.

Not surprisingly, Wisconsin continues to pick up huge chunks of yards both with its run game and its passing attack. Other than one overthrow to Jared Abbrederis, Wilson has been sharp, completing 9 of 12 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. Both Ball (86 rush yards, 2 touchdowns) and White (84 rush yards, touchdown) should be making more trips to the end zone against an overmatched Hoosiers defense.

Indiana has moved the ball decently and reached Wisconsin territory on several possessions. But the Hoosiers haven't translated yards into many points, and Antonio Fenelus' interception of an Ed Wright-Baker pass in the end zone squashed any momentum for IU.

Junior college transfer Stephen Houston has provided a spark for IU at running back, racking up 109 yards on 12 carries, including a 67-yard scoring scamper.

Wisconsin isn't on pace for 83 points again and likely will play its reserves for a good portion of the second half. No need to risk Wilson, Ball and White for too much longer.

Coming at you from False Start City. Another nice performance, Bears.

• Quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Denard Robinson have contrasting styles, Matt Charboneau writes in The Detroit News. Three big questions entering the Michigan-Michigan State game.
• Illinois WR Darius Millines (foot) is day-to-day after missing two games.
• Penn State has a scary defense and a scary offense -- in very different ways. Bob Smizik writes that Urban Meyer would be the perfect successor for JoePa.
• Michigan's seniors want to change their legacy in rivalry games. Wolverines DE Ryan Van Bergen talks about his resemblance to Paul Bunyan.
• A good look at Nebraska's potential season-saving rally from Dirk Chatelain. Where does Saturday's comeback rank among the best in Huskers history?
• Wisconsin isn't going all out on a Heisman Trophy campaign for RussellMania. Every team talks about having a balanced offense, but Wisconsin actually achieves it.
• History isn't on Purdue's side in Happy Valley.
• Dusty Kiel (ankle) didn't practice Monday, and Indiana expects to go with Ed Wright-Baker and Tre Roberson at quarterback against Wisconsin.
• Jerry Palm won't make many friends in Wisconsin with his latest computer rankings, while he'll be more than welcome in Ann Arbor and Champaign.
• Jerry Kill's cohesive staff isn't translating to wins for Minnesota.
• Northwestern's fourth-quarter defense has been U-G-L-Y. Perhaps return specialist Venric Mark can help the D.
• A look back at Ohio State's questionable decision not to attempt a long field goal attempt at Nebraska. The Buckeyes' collapse in Lincoln left players and coaches baffled.

Indiana Hoosiers

Record: 1-5 (0-2 Big Ten)

No one ever said Kevin Wilson's job would be easy. The first-year IU coach earned goodwill among the fan base in the preseason with his bold talk and recruiting prowess. But success on the field has been slow to follow. The Hoosiers' only victory came over FCS opponent South Carolina State, and they suffered an embarrassing loss at North Texas. The problems are what you might expect: Indiana is not strong enough in the trenches to stop or generate a rushing attack. Wilson is an innovative offensive coach, but his team has struggled to move the ball consistently while starting two different quarterbacks (sophomores Ed Wright-Baker and Dusty Kiel) and working in true freshman Tre Roberson in the last game against Illinois. Every step of potential progress (a big second-half comeback against Virginia, a closer-than-expected 16-10 loss to Penn State, a 10-0 lead over Illinois) seems to be answered by another hole that needs plugging. Wilson has already played 16 true freshmen, and first- and second-year players can be found all over the depth chart. A full-scale rebuilding project is under way; nobody said it would be easy.

Offensive MVP: Quarterback Ed Wright-Baker. There's really not a lot to choose from on this offense, and Wright-Baker has had his ups and downs. But he was the quarterback during IU's lone victory, and he threw for 925 yards and four touchdowns before missing the past two games with injuries.

Defensive MVP: Linebacker Jeff Thomas. The fifth-year senior has been one true anchor for the defense. He leads the team with 48 tackles, including eight for loss. The Hoosiers need more like him.

How good is Illinois? I'm not sure we know yet, even as the Illini improved to 6-0 on Saturday. We know a few things, however:

• They can take care of business against an overmatched opponent, as they did in the 41-20 win over Indiana.
• The offense can put up plays and points quickly when it's clicking, as it did while outscoring the Hoosiers 30-3 after falling behind 10-0 early. The Nathan Scheelhaase-A.J. Jenkins duo is as good as it gets in the Big Ten right now. They rolled up over 500 yards of offense, including more than 300 on the ground.
• They can win on the road, although Indiana might have the worst home-field advantage in the league. Still, it was the first game away from Champaign this season for Illinois.

Ron Zook's team didn't play a perfect game by any measure, and its mistakes would likely have been much costlier against a better team on the road. But 6-0 is 6-0, and with a struggling Ohio State team coming to Champaign next week followed by a trip to Purdue, the Illini have a chance to be 8-0 and put some pressure on Wisconsin in the Leaders Division.

For Indiana, it was another loss. But the Hoosiers got off to a good start and showed some fight, slicing the lead to 34-20 late. They may have also found their quarterback of the future, as true freshman Tre Roberson completed 11 of 17 passes for 148 yards. Roberson still has a lot to learn but is athletic and gives the offense a dual-threat weapon. Head coach Kevin Wilson will now have to decide whether to play Roberson more or go with Dusty Kiel or Ed Wright-Baker, who are just sophomores themselves.

Dusty Kiel will start his second consecutive game at quarterback for Indiana today against Illinois.

Ed Wright-Baker, who started Indiana's first four games, is dressed and available after missing last week's loss to Penn State with an ankle injury. Receiver Duwyce Wilson (back) has returned to the starting lineup, and RB D'Angelo Roberts (concussion) is dressed for the game.

Indiana's offense is closer to full strength as it tries to upset the 19th-ranked Illini.

Several Big Ten teams have competitions/controversies/questions about their starting quarterback situations. Let's take a look at where the drama stands at each place right now:

Purdue

Boilermakers coach Danny Hope has been playing both Caleb TerBush and Robert Marve since Marve came back from his knee injury and plans to keep doing so. TerBush threw an interception on the first play last week against Notre Dame, and Marve got a lot of playing time. Hope said Tuesday that TerBush enters this week as the No. 1 quarterback but that there would be a competition.

"We have two good quarterbacks, two guys who haven't taken a lot of game reps in the last two years," Hope said. "I think Caleb is probably a little more consistent in regards to the execution of our total offense, but Robert is a very special passer. ... We have some competition at that spot, not controversy."

There was some potential minor controversy with Marve earlier this week. After Hope made some comments about Marve's need to play within the system more, the quarterback posted this on his Twitter account Monday: "Don't understand how I was not playing in the system! It was rough from the get go, don't understand how that was on me." Marve later tweeted that he wasn't trying to criticize anyone and that he was "all in" with the team. Hope said he had no problem with it.

"When I read it, I knew exactly what he was trying to say, and the only negative responsive to it is everyone else's negative response," Hope said. "I wasn't offended by it one bit, and he said exactly what we were saying, that he's got to play within the system."

Minnesota

True freshman Max Shortell made his first start last Saturday at Michigan as MarQueis Gray was unavailable with a toe injury. Shortell has been playing a lot even when Gray was healthy. Head coach Jerry Kill said Gray is out of his walking boot, and he's hopeful that Gray can play this week against Purdue.

"We need his athleticism on the field, because we're not that gifted in a lot of areas right now and he's an athletic kid who can help us," Kill said. "But with a toe situation, it's yet to be seen. ... I'm not going to put somebody who's three-quarter speed out there in that situation. We'll see how it progresses this week, but we hope we can get some plays out of him on Saturday."

Ohio State

Head coach Luke Fickell reiterated that freshman Braxton Miller remains his starting quarterback. Miller did not play the entire fourth quarter last week against Michigan State, and former starter Joe Bauserman led the team to its only score in the waning seconds. Despite Miller's struggles in the passing game against the Spartans (5-of-10 for 56 yards), Fickell said he wouldn't have a quick hook for Miller this week at Nebraska. He said the offensive line needs to do a better job giving Miller chances to throw.

Penn State

Surprise! Joe Paterno says he doesn't know who his starting quarterback will be this week. Of course, Paterno has said that every week, and every week he has started Rob Bolden. In the last couple of weeks, though, Matt McGloin has played better while coming on in relief. While neither has been outstanding, McGloin is also the only Big Ten quarterback who's played regularly in every game who has yet to throw an interception this season.

Paterno, though, talked again about how both players are equal in many regards.

"It's a dilemma," he said. "I'm very reluctant to point out that one is better than the other ... so I'm going to play them both. It's one of those things where people might not agree with it, and that's fine. I'm not sure I agree with it."

Indiana

Dusty Kiel made his first start of the season in last week's 16-10 loss to Penn State. Kiel also came on in relief of Ed Wright-Baker in the North Texas loss and led the team on a rally that fell short. Wright-Baker wasn't available last week because of an ankle injury. Kiel was 22-of-45 for 184 yards and a touchdown with an interception versus the Nittany Lions.

Head coach Kevin Wilson said Wright-Baker has returned to practice, but Kiel will get the bulk of the reps in the early part of the week in preparation for Illinois.

"If Ed's full speed -- I don't know if we have a controversy because those two are good friends -- but it's pretty close," Wilson said. "Until we get the surrounding parts playing better, neither one of those guys right now has been the issue. They need to play better. They're playing well with what's dealt to them. We've got some issues at other positions that need to keep getting better moving forward."

Northwestern

No controversies here, as the Wildcats say Dan Persa will be back as the starter against Michigan and should be healthy enough to play the entire game. But Persa did shed some light Tuesday on why it took him until four games into the season to play and why he left last week's Illinois game early.

Persa told the Chicago Tribune that he had a setback on his surgically-repaired Achilles' tendon in June that pushed his timetable back by about a month. That's why he exercised caution in the Illinois game.

“Right after the game, the docs talked to me and said: ‘This is normal. You’ll have some tweaks with this and you’ll have to play through it,’" he said. “I felt a weird pull in the bottom of my leg and then it got tight. But there was nothing torn or strained too badly. I’ve had some setbacks before, and they were always worse than that. They know I don’t want to have another setback that could possibly threaten my season."