(Photo credit: AnnArbor.com via Flickr)

So, in case you were asleep or out of the country all week, the Big Ten fell down. Penn State beat Wisconsin. Indiana beat Illinois. Northwestern came within a whisker (see what I did there?) of beating Ohio State.

In honor of this new, chic, completely unintelligible Big Ten, we bring you rankings that are modeled likewise.

Inside the Hall Big Ten power rankings: Week 6

Very No. 11. Iowa – Definitely not ranked; 8-13, 1-8; 33 total points

Oh, to be young and in Iowa City when it’s freezing cold and there’s no good basketball to be found within a hundred miles. Beating Indiana was nice, but then the Hoosiers turned around and smacked a Top 25 team. Aside from beating the Hoosiers, what’s the best Iowa’s done this year? Northern Iowa? Alabama?

The closest No. 10 has ever been to No. 9. Indiana – NR; 11-11, 2-7; 29 total points

Oh but how close they were. A week marked by wins over Illinois and Michigan State would have had Hoosier fans flashing back to the old days. Still, there are positives, namely that someone or something lit a fire under Christian Watford. The sophomore is averaging 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game over his last six.

No. 9 because we beat State. Michigan – NR; 13-9, 3-6; 28 total points

It was a good week to be a Wolverine, with wins at Michigan State and at home to Iowa. Darius Morris ripped off a triple-double, further cementing is status as likely the conference most improved player (all respect to Jordan Hulls).

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The coaches finally agree with Inside the Hall: Ohio State is the unanimous No. 1 in both of our polls. More people really should pay attention to those coaches.

The other real competition, as it has been for much of the conference season, was at the bottom of the poll, with Michigan, Indiana and Iowa slugging it out. So let’s get to it, shall we?

Inside the Hall Big Ten power rankings: Week 5

11. Indiana – NR; 10-10, 1-6; 31 total points

The complaints about Indiana’s transition defense (16-2 deficit against the Hawkeyes in transition baskets Sunday) have been exhaustive. What should be concerning to Indiana fans under the surface of the loss is the “indefinite” nature of Verdell Jones’ knee injury. His presence was clearly and sorely missed against Iowa, both as a scorer and as a leader.

10. Iowa – NR; 8-11, 1-6; 30 total points

Slot the Hawkeyes in between Indiana and Michigan in a vote that came down to a single vote between each team. You’ve probably had a good night when freshman who has scored 22 points in his first six Big Ten games puts up 18 in his seventh.

9. Michigan – NR; 11-9,  1-6; 29 total points

The Wolverines slide up to ninth despite not having won a game in more than three weeks. Playing Minnesota tough at home was nice enough, but the losses are mounting quickly for what was once the Big Ten’s purported surprise team. Michigan is averaging less than 60 points per game during its losing streak.

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And we’re back for another week, with another installment of Inside the Hall’s weekly Big Ten power rankings. It took us a full 21 days to reach our first notable milestone, but we have: For the first time, Alex, Ryan and Zach all turned in identical ballots.

Indiana is moving up, Michigan and Illinois each took a slide and Purdue reclaimed the No. 2 spot on the ballot by the skin of its teeth, after successive road losses. Perhaps most impressive is Penn State, which has beaten Michigan State and Illinois, and Saturday took Ohio State all the way to the brink at Value City Arena.

And away we go …

Inside the Hall Big Ten power rankings: Week 4

11. Iowa – NR; 7-10, 0-5; 33 total points

It’s getting bleaker by the moment in Iowa City, as more and more teams grab at least one nice Big Ten win, and supposed bottom feeders like Penn State leave Fran McCaffrey’s group behind. The Hawkeyes have a road date with Ohio State on Wednesday, but it’s Sunday they might be thinking about, when Indiana comes to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Lose then, and it’s tough sledding if Iowa wants to win one in the Big Ten all year.

10. Michigan – NR; 11-7, 1-4; 30 total points

Ooof. It’s hard to pick out the worst thing about Michigan’s rather comprehensive loss to Indiana on Saturday, the elimination of Zach Novak from the offense, the porous defense or the notion that Darius Morris felt devoid of impact until late in the game. Michigan has some impressive losses this year — Kansas, Syracuse, Ohio State. Last Saturday was not one of them.

9. Indiana – NR; 10-8,  1-4; 27 total points

A 19-point win over Michigan isn’t the most earth-shattering result in the world — unless it’s an emphatic end to a dispiriting six-game losing streak. The win was Indiana’s first in conference this season, it was strong in nearly every facet and it was Tom Crean’s largest Big Ten win, in terms of point total, in his IU career. Play like that against any other Big Ten opponent, and the Hoosiers will almost certainly be, at very least, competitive.

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The second installment of our Big Ten power rankings (we started after a week of games to get an early read on the league, so Week 3 = second installment). We’ve got movement at the top and bottom of the poll this week, with Illinois up to second and Indiana sliding to last.

Without further ado, and running from 11th to 1st this time ’round:

Inside the Hall Big Ten power rankings: Week 3

11. Indiana – NR; 9-8, 0-4; 33 total points

There are a myriad of problems with the Hoosiers right now, both tangible and intangible, and no one in the lineup seems immune. A fact perhaps most indicative of the Hoosiers’ problems is the simplest of all: They are 0-4 in the Big Ten, and have now lost six games in a row.

10. Iowa – NR; 7-8, 0-3; 30 total points

Another unanimous selection at their position in this week’s rankings, the Hawkeyes hold the dubious distinction of being the Big Ten’s only sub-.500 team overall. There could exist a chance to get a first Big Ten win for Fran McCaffrey at home Wednesday against Northwestern.

9. Michigan – NR; 11-5,  1-2; 25 total points

Oh but what could be for the Wolverines, who lost on Sunday by seven in overtime to No. 3 Kansas. Couple that with a three-point loss to Syracuse earlier in the season, and you get a picture of a team getting close. Yet the Wolverines are still being outscored by more than 10 points per game in Big Ten play, so maybe not as close as you’d think.

8. Penn State – NR; 9-6, 2-2; 24 total points

It’s getting harder to lend much weight to a win against Indiana, even at Assembly Hall. But the Nitts are 2-2 in the Big Ten, where frankly no one expected them to be at this time. Jeff Brooks’ 17.8 points per game in conference play have been immensely helpful.

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Come, friends, and behold the first-ever Inside the Hall Big Ten power rankings.

We’ve spent the last few months bringing more and more weekly staples to the site, including our Twitter mailbag and podcast. Consider this simply the latest addition to that list.

Our system is by no means original: Alex, Ryan and Zach will each cast a weekly ballot on Monday, ranking teams 1-11. Each team will tally a point total from each ballot based on their position in the rankings (first place gets one point, second place two points, etc.), and the final tally of points will determine that team’s final place in the rankings. Final point tallies will be published.

So without further ado, here goes:

Inside the Hall Big Ten power rankings: Week 2

1. Ohio State – Consensus No. 2; 14-0, 1-0; 3 total points

The Buckeyes got their first taste of Big Ten play in an 85-67 thumping of Indiana. If we can find one weakness from that game – and we’re nitpicking, the Buckeyes are really good – it’s that the Hoosiers shot 50 percent from the field, something Thad Matta wasn’t pleased with afterward.

2. Purdue – No. 11 AP/No. 10 Coaches; 13-1, 2-0; 6 total points

It’s hard to tell if the Boilers have been tested yet, with their only loss coming to Richmond. But E’Twaun Moore has been solid on the boards in the absence of Robbie Hummel, pulling down 1.5 rebounds per game more than in any other season of his career.

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