Michigan State takes down Illinois, Rutgers gets two victories and Purdue's win streak extends to seven games. How it all impacts the Big Ten power rankings.

Two marquee matchups headlined the week: Michigan State vs. Illinois (Jan. 19) and Purdue vs. Oregon (Jan. 18). The Spartans and Boilermakers’ respective victories firmly establish them as the Big Ten’s top two teams at this stage of the season.

While MSU’s win over Illinois was huge, Purdue’s win over Oregon was even more impressive, as the Boilermakers took down the Ducks on the road. Without a loss to the scrappy Penn State Nittany Lions, that win would have put them in the No. 1 spot.

Both Michigan basketball teams made small movements in Monday’s AP Top 25 poll. The Michigan men dropped one spot to No. 21. Since last week’s poll, they lost at Minnesota on Thursday and beat Northwestern at home on Sunday.

The Spartans' win over Illinois bought breathing room against one of the Big Ten's most dangerous title contenders.

Purdue won the Big Ten by three games last season, despite three road losses. Yet it also went to Champaign and beat its closest competitor — the Illini — in the penultimate game of the regular season.

Bigger picture, it was an important bounce-back game. The Wolverines are in the hunt for a Big Ten title, and the win kept them near the top of the standings. They’re 6-1 in the league, behind Michigan State (7-0) and tied in the loss column with Purdue (7-1). Wisconsin is 5-2, three teams have three losses, and on down it goes.