Back when the Big Ten was divided into the East and West Divisions (RIP Legends and Leaders), there was a serious power imbalance, with the East winning every single Big Ten title game over the 10 years those divisions existed. Ohio State and Michigan won eight of those, and when the divisions were finally dissolved, it seemed to open opportunities for other teams from the old East to break through without facing the conference's best every year. However, in 2026, it's the old West Division that has produced the surprise threats as the season's midway point approaches.
Nebraska is 5-0 (and still unranked) as they get set to host No. 7 Indiana, hoping to snap a 31-game losing streak to ranked opponents. Iowa finally got knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten in a 31-14 loss to Ohio State last week, but it looks like a classic Kirk Ferentz Iowa squad no one wants to deal with. Wisconsin is 4-1, with its lone loss in the opener to a top-5 Notre Dame team, and a defense that's suffocating opponents.
Minnesota is likewise 4-1 with back-to-back wins over Washington on the road and then Michigan at home, which the Gophers hadn't beaten in Minneapolis since 1977. Then there's 3-1 Northwestern, which pushed Indiana to the brink in its lone loss of the season before bludgeoning Penn State to open new Ryan Field in style and send the Nittany Lions into an existential crisis on Friday night. While the Big Ten's elite still reside in Columbus, Bloomington and Eugene, the old Big Ten West is making up much of the Big Ten's depth.
The result is a lot of games that once seemed simple for the conference's elite -- like Indiana's visit to Lincoln this week -- suddenly produce more anxiety for fans of those top teams and intrigue for those without a specific rooting interest. Where will all of those teams find themselves in this week's Big Ten Power Rankings? The Hoosiers did what they needed to in beating up on Rutgers, and now they get set for a road trip to face undefeated Nebraska.
Indiana hasn't been quite as sharp as we grew to expect from last year's squad, but the talent up and down the roster is still tremendous, and they can overwhelm most opponents with it. This week's trip to Lincoln will be a good test for Curt Cignetti's group to see whether they can raise their level and deliver a clinical performance in a hostile environment. A year ago, they were better than anyone at taking a crowd out of it quickly, and we'll see if they still have that killer instinct and ability early against the Huskers.
Jeremiah Smith is the most dominant player in the country and is rocketing up the list of the greatest receivers this century with every monster performance. Iowa was supposed to be the game where Smith's torrid early-season pace slowed down, but instead, he upped his effort with 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Smith might be masking some potential issues for the Buckeyes elsewhere on offense, but he's so good that it might not matter that they've built everything around his dynamic abilities.
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