Ohio State remains at No. 1, with Michigan following closely behind, as the top half of our power rankings didn’t change a bit since Week 1.

The bottom half is another story.

No team in spots 8-14 stayed the same as last week, as several -- Illinois, Northwestern, Penn State -- dropped following losses Saturday. Purdue is the only squad that moved up despite a loss, but if you followed the Big Ten over the weekend, you’ll understand why:

1. Ohio State (2-0): OK, so J.T. Barrett didn’t post six passing touchdowns on Saturday -- he actually threw none -- but the Buckeyes simply have too many weapons to remain bottled up. Mike Weber rushed for 92 yards, and the defense ended up with four interceptions. Young or not, there’s still so much talent here.

2. Michigan (2-0): The Wolverines continue to impress and, once again, received one first-place vote from our panel. Jim Harbaugh appears to have made the right choice at quarterback, as UCF dared Michigan to throw -- and Wilton Speight posted a near-perfect 92.0 QBR, to go along with four TDs. The Wolverines have won their first two games by a combined 97 points.

3. Wisconsin (2-0): Fortunately for the Badgers, they didn’t have to face ex-Purdue QB Danny Etling last week. At any rate, this remains one of the nation’s 10 best teams, as they made quick work of Akron. Quarterback Bart Houston took a step forward this week, and the defense looks elite. Right now, this is the best team in the West.

4. Iowa (2-0): What rivalry game? C.J. Beathard and the Hawkeyes blew out Iowa State 42-3 in the most lopsided rivalry win since a 63-20 victory in 1997. Iowa hasn’t exactly been tested yet -- with wins over Miami (Ohio) and Iowa State so far -- but it has dominated as expected. It should be heavily favored over the next three games.

5. Michigan State (1-0): The Spartans took an early bye on Saturday, but they’ll need all the extra time they can get. Mark Dantonio’s crew is set to take on No. 18 Notre Dame next week, and that’ll determine whether the Spartans rise or fall from this spot. There’s quite a bit to fix after a so-so Week 1 performance against Furman.

6. Nebraska (2-0): Mike Riley relied on the run last week and the pass this week. Both were equally effective. Now, the Huskers will search for some balance against No. 24 Oregon in what will be their first real test of the season. The defense forced six turnovers against Wyoming, but it can’t hope for the same against the Ducks. The secondary better be ready.

7. Minnesota (2-0): A win against the not-so-mighty Indiana State Sycamores won’t move the Gophers up any spots, but it will put us on alert. Minnesota posted up the sixth-best offensive output in school history with 592 total yards, and it has a chance to put on a clinic again next week against Colorado State.

8. Indiana (2-0): If you know the Hoosiers, you know 453 offensive yards against Ball State is nothing to get excited about. But, for the second straight game, Tom Allen’s 4-2-5 defense played surprisingly well. Indiana allowed just a field goal through three quarters. It’ll be tested against Wake Forest this week.

9. Penn State (1-1): On one hand, the Nittany Lions’ run defense was absolutely shredded as Pitt ran out to an early 28-7 lead. On the other, Penn State seems to have found a solid quarterback in Trace McSorley, who essentially came up 31 yards short of a comeback. James Franklin’s team needs to get healthy in a hurry to stand a chance in the B1G.

10. Maryland (2-0): The Terps and Lions were the closest calls here, as Maryland fell behind Penn State by a single voting point. Quarterback Perry Hills has been on point so far against inferior competition, but he still gets some style points for outscoring Maryland’s first two opponents by a combined 93-27.

11. Illinois (1-1): Well, the Illini fell to UNC last season by a score of 48-14. This year, the score was 48-23. So, that’s … progress? Wes Lunt didn’t have his best game out there, and he’ll have to get better in a hurry if the Illini want a chance at a bowl.

12. Purdue (1-1): Quarterback David Blough threw five interceptions, and Cincinnati racked up 512 yards of total offense. Not exactly a recipe for success. Interestingly enough, the teams of former Purdue QB Austin Appleby (Florida) and QB Etling (LSU) both won. Blough’s did not.

13. Rutgers (1-1): FCS Howard jumped out to a 14-0 lead and went into halftime tied 14-14 with Rutgers. Despite winning convincingly in the end, that first half of Rutgers football is unacceptable. The Bison won a single game last year -- as an FCS team. A single game.

14. Northwestern (0-2): The only thing we debated here was whether to drop Northwestern and slide in Illinois State. The Wildcats fell to a MAC team in Week 1 and followed up that disappointment with another by losing 9-7 to FCS Illinois State. Both opponents are good in their respective conferences, but Northwestern is a Big Ten team. Allegedly. It should be 2-0, not the only winless team here.