What we learned from each Big Ten team in Week 8

17 Big Ten teams were in action this weekend (Illinois was off), and it was a huge week in the conference. Seasons changed, positions shifted, and we have a ton of takeaways. So, let’s get to it. One quick thing we learned about all 17 Big Ten teams this week.

1-3. The Big Ten has three Playoff-caliber teams

Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon are all College Football Playoff teams. Anything can happen, of course, and Oregon already has a loss, but these teams are elite. The Ducks do have more tough games left than the other two, so it wouldn’t be unimaginable if they get upset twice and miss the CFP, but as things stand that’s where these three are.

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4-6. Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Rutgers were overwhelmed

I don’t have much to say about these three teams. I can point out their underwhelming talent compared to elite teams (and Wisconsin looks in more trouble than the other two), but really it’s not about them. We didn’t learn about these three this week because they just met top teams and couldn’t compete.

7-9. Nebraska, USC, and Washington aren’t Playoff-ready

All three of these teams came into the weekend with outside Playoff hopes. All three lost games (Nebraska and Washington in uncompetitive fashion) that they probably should have won. USC would have made a real Playoff statement with a win but came up short. Nebraska and Washington just weren’t ready. All three might still get into the Playoff if they win out, but based on their showing this weekend, that’s not looking likely.

10. Minnesota is better than we thought

This was, by far, the best game the Golden Gophers have played all season. They underwhelmed against bad teams, but finally put together a strong performance against a good team. Do that again against Iowa next week, and we can start looking at Minnesota’s resume.

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11. Michigan is a talented enigma

The Wolverines clearly have a ton of talent. They also have played some pretty poor games this year. On the other hand, New Mexico doesn’t look as bad as early in the season, and Michigan has some pretty solid wins. If the Wolverines can win their next four, they’re probably hosting the Buckeyes after Thanksgiving with a Playoff bid on the line.

12-13. Northwestern might go bowling; Purdue will not

These two were expected to be the worst in the league when the season started. Northwestern has done really well to earn three conference wins, including a then-stunner over Penn State. Purdue has had no such luck. The Boilermakers aren’t eliminated from the postseason until they lose two more games, but Ohio State and Indiana are both still on the schedule. Meanwhile, Northwestern will be an underdog the rest of the way, but the Wildcats only need one victory to cap off a far better season any fan imagined two months ago.

14-15. Penn State is still talented, but so is Iowa

This was actually a really good game between two teams. The Nittany Lions are still finding their identity (or trying to), but the roster has elite talent and played better than in their last two games. The next two games coming up (after a bye) are Ohio State and Indiana, but don’t be too surprised if they’re competitive. Iowa, meanwhile, has a date with Minnesota coming up. Win that, and Oregon’s trip to Kinnick Stadium will have serious Playoff implications.

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16-17. UCLA finds ways to win while Maryland finds ways to lose

The Terrapins should be 7-0 right now. Maryland had its last three games in its grasp (all against pretty good teams) and let all three slip away. The beneficiary this time was UCLA, who is still playing well after the upset win over Penn State. The schedule gets brutal from here, so maybe expecting another win is too much, but no one expected three wins after the way the first month of the season gets, so who knows what happens from here.

This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: What we learned from each Big Ten team in Week 8