To paraphrase the late, great Casey Stengel, can’t anybody in the Big Ten play this game?

We know Ohio State can. And Oregon. And Penn State. But after that?

USC? Nope. Michigan? Nope. We thought Rutgers might be able to. But nope. That leaves Indiana (maybe?) and possibly Nebraska. But only possibly. It was a rough week for the pretenders.

As for contenders, the Buckeyes and Ducks duke it out this week in Eugene. Pass the popcorn. 

1. Ohio State (5-0)

Last week: 1

This week: at Oregon

What to know: After watching what happened last week at Upset Central, the Buckeyes should be glad they’re playing a top dog instead of a feisty underdog. 

2. Penn State (5-0)

Last week: 2

This week: at USC

What to know: Is it just us or are the Nittany Lions flying under the national radar? Regardless, they’re about to knock USC completely off the national map.

3. Oregon (5-0)

Last week: 3. 

This week: vs. Ohio State

What to know: We know Oregonians excel at hugging trees, but can they wrap their arms around Buckeyes tailbacks and receivers often enough to at least save the day, if not the planet?.     

4. Indiana (6-0)

Last week: 8

This week: idle

What to know: The Hoosiers need the week off to recover from pinching themselves. They can’t believe they join Miami as the only two 6-0 teams in Power 4.

5. Illinois (4-1)

Last week: 9

This week: vs. Purdue

What to know: The Illini have found the secret sauce to spicing up their offense. It’s called Purdue

6. Nebraska (5-1)

Last week: 10

This week: idle

What to know: The Cornhuskers get a week off to prepare for that Big Ten juggernaut: Indiana. .   

7. Rutgers (4-1)

Last week: 6

This week: vs. Wisconsin

What to know: Another week, another test for the Scarlet Knights, who failed the grade against Nebraska last week. They’ll need a cheat code for the Badgers.

8. Iowa (3-2)

Last week: 7

This week: vs. Washington

What to know: Iowa tailback Kaleb Johnson still ranks No. 2 nationally in rushing yards (771) but Ohio State held him to 86 yards. Luckily for the Hawkeyes, UDub is not OSU.

9. Washington (4-2)

Last week: 12

This week: at Iowa

What to know: The Huskies have not visited Iowa City since the Beatles first invaded America. Coincidentally, they’ll need “Help!” beating the Hawkeyes. 

10. Michigan (4-2)

Last week: 5

This week: idle

What to know: When you throw the ball like Christian Dior – the Wolverines rank fifth from the bottom in FCS in passing yards per game (115) – you need to run the ball like Christian McCaffrey. And UM doesn’t.

11. Minnesota (3-3)

Last week: 14

This week: at UCLA

What to know: After having just knocked off L.A.’s other college team, the Golden Gophers go for the Hollywood sweep.

12. USC (3-2)

Last week: 4. 

This week: vs. Penn State

What to know: A few years ago, reports had PSU coach James Franklin eying the Trojans’ job. Maybe Troy should have eyed him back?

13. Wisconsin (3-2)

Last week: 13

This week: at Rutgers

What to know: Fun-loving Cheeseheads fans get to party in the shadow of the Big Apple. The Badgers, meanwhile, get the Sopranos treatment in New Jersey.  

14. Michigan State (3-3)

Last week: 11

This week: idle

What to know: Sparty is that team that looks so close to being good but really is so far from it. 

15. Maryland (3-2)

Last week: 15

This week: vs. Northwestern (Friday)

What to know: The Terrapins need to get their heads out of their, er, shells, if they expect to become bowl eligible. 

16. Northwestern (2-3)

Last week: 16 

This week: at Maryland (Friday)

What to know: It’s been a tough go for Chicago teams, but chin up, Wildcats, you can’t be as awful as the White Sox..

17. UCLA (1-4)

Last week: 17

This week: vs. Minnesota

What to know: When the Bruins sit down for dinner, they give thanks they’re not Purdue.

18. Purdue (1-4)

Last week: 18

This week: at Illinois

What to know: Mama taught us if you don’t have anything nice to say … so we’re keeping our mouth shut on this one.

roller@dispatch.com

@rollerCD

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The No. 3 Oregon Ducks and the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes have a date on Saturday, Oct. 12, for the top spot in the Big Ten power rankings and perhaps even the whole country. Big Ten teams are littered across the AP Poll top 25. Six teams, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 Penn State, No. 18 Indiana, No. 23 Illinois, and No. 24 Michigan, were all in the rankings heading into week seven of the college football season.

The Ohio State Buckeyes remain at No. 1 atop the Big Ten power rankings after yet another dominating performance in their 35-7 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Ohio State has outscored their opponents 234-30 and haven’t had to sweat for a second in their 5-0 start. Their first big test is coming up on Saturday, Oct. 12, vs. Oregon.

Next Game: Oct. 12 at No. 3 Oregon

The Ducks have started to hit their groove. Oregon beat up on a reeling Michigan State Spartans team 31-10 on Friday, Oct. 4, to improve their record to 5-0 and jump to No. 3 in the AP Poll.

This week, the winner of Ohio State vs. Oregon will take the No. 1 spot in the Big Ten power rankings and potentially the No. 1 spot in the country.

Next Game: Oct. 12 vs. No. 2 Ohio State

The Penn State Nittany Lions took care of UCLA 27-11 on Saturday, Oct. 5, to improve their mark on the season to 5-0. Penn State’s defense is humming, and that is why they are a legitimate Big Ten contender.

They are comfortable playing in low-scoring defensive battles. It will be interesting to see them when they take on a USC team trying to do the opposite on Saturday.

Next Game: Oct. 12 at USC

The undefeated Indiana Hoosiers move up to No. 4 on this week’s edition of the Big Ten power rankings. The Hoosiers picked up their Big Ten-leading sixth win in a 41-24 road win over Northwestern.

What more can be said about the 6-0 Hoosiers? First-year Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has transformed a program from 3-9 a year ago to a team that has already locked up a bowl game bid in the first week of October. Indiana will enjoy their bye week before they host Nebraska.

Next Game: Oct. 19 vs. Nebraska

Illinois took full advantage of their bye week and saw some of the top Big Ten teams above them suffer bad losses. For that, the Illini moved up to No. 5.

Next Game: Oct. 12 vs. Purdue

Nebraska won a low-scoring affair against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday, Oct. 5, 14-7. The Huskers didn’t score a single point in the second half, but it didn’t matter. Their defense came up huge and forced two timely turnovers to pull out the win.

They have a bye week to rest up before traveling to Bloomington to play Indiana.

Next Game: Oct. 19 at No. 18 Indiana

Just as Michigan was finally reverting to its old form, they laid an egg against Washington. The Wolverines took a lead into the fourth quarter but were outscored 13-0 to end the game in a 27-17 road loss to the Huskies.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for Michigan as they go to Illinois after their bye week on October 19. Additionally, Michigan has some questions at quarterback going forward.

Next Game: Oct. 19 at No. 23 Illinois

USC had one of their worst losses in recent memory against Minnesota, 24-17. The Trojans had the edge across the board regarding talent, but Minnesota bothered Trojans quarterback Miller Moss all day in the Gophers comeback win.

It appears that the Trojans’ kryptonite is a run-first team that wants to slow the game down. This was imminent in their loss to Michigan and again vs. Minnesota. They have to counter this somehow or they will lose again vs. Penn State.

Next Game: Oct. 12 vs. No. 4 Penn State

Rutgers had a disappointing loss at the hands of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Scarlet Knights were down 14-0 at the half but continued to battle in the second half. Their defense kept them in the game, but the offense was only able to put up 7 points in the 14-7 loss, their first of the season.

It wasn’t a disastrous loss by any means, so they only dropped one spot.

Next Game: Oct. 12 vs. Wisconsin

Minnesota is back in the top ten after their stunning 24-17 upset of USC. Minnesota has suffered three losses this season, but two of them were right at the buzzer. They lost to UNC on a missed field goal and lost to Michigan by three after the referees wiped away a Gopher recovery on the onside kick late in the game.

Minnesota could very well be 5-1. Plus, they got one of the best wins of the weekend, earning a spot on here.

Next Game: Oct. 12 at UCLA

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The East Palestine train derailment and styrene leak near Cincinnati happened within Ohio.

Now, an Ohio teen has admitted to cutting off a tanker semi-truck in central Illinois that overturned and killed five people from a chemical spill caused by the crash.

Here’s what we know.

Ohio teen admits triggering crash; resulting chemical spill killed five people

A report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows that the 2023 tanker truck collision released hazardous chemicals that prompted evacuations in Teutopolis, Illinois. The truck carried around 7,500 gallons of anhydrous ammonia. More than half of the toxic chemical from inside the tank leaked out. Of the five who died from the exposure, three were members of a family that included an adult and two children under 12-years-old.

The 17-year-old Ohio girl—whose name was concealed since she was a minor—admitted that she passed the truck when driving a minivan. “Oh, (expletive). Yeah. Oh, my goodness. Yep, totally my bad. Wow. Holy (expletive),” she said during an Oct. 2023 Illinois State Police interview, the Associated Press reports.

Inside the minivan were the Ohio teen, her mother and her brother headed to St. Louis. She admitted fault for the accident and estimated she was driving about 90 mph to make sure she had enough clearance to pass the truck. The posted speed limit on US-40 was 55 mph, according to the NTSB.

“It was totally my fault,” she said to NTSB investigators. “I’ve honestly in the past had times when I just don’t use good judgment in judging, like, distances and whether I have enough time for something.”

Throughout the interview, the teen maintained that she had no idea the crash happened until they were preparing to return home. “Nobody said, ‘Oh, the guy behind you drove off the road.’ That would’ve been a huge deal for everybody. We would’ve been like, ‘Oh, (expletive), I just caused something really bad to happen.’”

According to the NTSB, the tanker truck driver attempted to avoid a collision but skidded off the road and ultimately struck a utility trailer, where the hitch punctured the tank and released the anhydrous ammonia, a known lung-damaging agent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.