There were seven games in the B1G in Week 8, but it was two games that captured the attention of the national audience.

Purdue’s upset win over No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Michigan knocking off in-state rival and 24th ranked Michigan State stole the weekend. And the results caused some serious reshuffling in our weekly power rankings. We’ve got a new No. 1 atop the list.

Let’s dive into this week’s B1G power rankings.

14. Rutgers, 1-7 (lost to Northwestern 18-15)

We have to give Rutgers some credit here, this was one of the few times it had a chance to win a football game. The Knights had the lead through three quarters but a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter for Northwestern was enough to spoil Rutgers’ hopes of getting a B1G win.

13. Minnesota, 3-4 (lost to Nebraska 53-28)

Picking Nebraska to defeat Minnesota wasn’t an uncommon trend this weekend. But the Gophers getting blown out a week removed from challenging Ohio State in Columbus wasn’t expected. Minnesota hasn’t looked very good since B1G play started, and it may not get much better, either.

12. Nebraska,  1-6 (def. Minnesota 53-28)

The wait is over. The Huskers finally got their first win under Scott Frost and snapped an ugly losing streak. The offense amassed 659 yards and there were a minimal number of penalties and turnovers. That was the recipe for a Nebraska win. The monkey is finally off Frost’s back.

11. Illinois, 3-4 (lost to Wisconsin 49-20)

After a solid start to the season, and appearing to show major improvements on the field, the Illini have looked pretty ugly the last two weeks. Maybe it’s the injuries, lack of depth and inexperience starting to add up. With games against Maryland, Minnesota and Nebraska still remaining, we’ll see if this program has indeed taken a step in the right direction.

10. Indiana, 4-4 (lost to No. 18 Penn State 33-28)

You always feel like Indiana has the opportunity to notch that marquee win, but the Hoosiers came up short again. Stevie Scott has continued to be impressive but Indiana’s defense just hasn’t been able to come up with stops. Tom Allen is going to have to figure something out if he hopes to get to a bowl game this season.

9. Maryland, 4-3 (lost to No. 19 Iowa 23-0)

When Maryland looks good, it looks really good. And when it looks bad, it looks really bad. The Terps were the latter on Saturday, getting shutout in a quick game at Kinnick Stadium. They accumulated just 115 yards and picked up seven first downs. Iowa’s defense is good, but this might’ve been the worst performance of the year for Maryland.

8. Michigan State, 4-3 (lost to No. 6 Michigan 21-7)

Michigan State still doesn’t have enough playmakers on offense, and it lost another in star wide receiver Felton Davis III, who suffered an Achilles injury Saturday. The Spartans earned just 94 yards against the Wolverines in the loss to their in-state rival. Without their best offensive player and a stagnant rushing attack, the Spartans are a mediocre bowl team.

7. Northwestern, 4-3 (def. Rutgers 18-15)

It’s impossible to get a feel for Northwestern. A few weeks ago, it looked like a contender in the West after knocking off Michigan State. In the last two games, the Wildcats have needed late-game rallies to beat Nebraska and Rutgers. Clayton Thorson is getting the job done and it’s leading to wins. For now, that’s all that matters.

6. Purdue, 4-3 (def. No. 2 Ohio State 49-20)

Just wow. If Purdue continues to play like it has the last four weeks, it can compete with anyone in the B1G. D.J. Knox and Rondale Moore are an explosive combination that have proven tough for defenses to contain. After the win over the Buckeyes, the Boilermakers are very much in the hunt in the B1G West.

5. Wisconsin, 5-2 (def. Illinois 49-20)

The win over Illinois was a perfect bounce-back game for the Badgers after an embarrassing loss in Ann Arbor last Saturday. Wisconsin pounced quick and didn’t allow the Illini to hang around very long. Jonathan Taylor is still one of the most dominating ball-carriers in the B1G, continuing his streak of 100-yard rushing games.

4. Penn State, 5-2 (def. Indiana 33-28)

Writing off the Lions would’ve been easy after back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Michigan State. While they’re not in the B1G East hunt, they still have a chance to notch some big wins. Penn State still has Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan on schedule in the next three weeks. That’s quite the three-game stretch. Getting a win in Bloomington was critical before entering such a tough three-week slate.

3. Iowa, 6-1 (def. Maryland 23-0)

Kirk Ferentz is finding ways to win games in just about every fashion. The Hawkeyes have done it with Nate Stanley throwing six touchdown passes, they’ve done it with a stellar defense and they’ve done it by running the football. Iowa had one of its more dominant performances on Saturday, even if it was a bit on the ugly side.

2. Ohio State, 7-1 (lost to Purdue 49-20)

The kneejerk reaction would be to disqualify Ohio State from the CFB Playoff and B1G East race after the ugly loss to Purdue. But the Buckeyes are entering a bye week before the final stretch of the season. Whether Urban Meyer figures things out is tough to forecast, but you can’t expect Ohio State will just roll over for the final four games of the season.

1. Michigan, 7-1 (def. No. 24 Michigan State 21-7)

Back-to-back wins over ranked opponents propels Michigan to the top of the B1G power rankings, dethroning Ohio State for the first time this season. The defense has still been the reason behind the Wolverines’ success, but Shea Patterson’s effectiveness under center is definitely a difference-maker. Michigan controls its own destiny and everyone is jumping aboard the Jim Harbaugh bandwagon.