Conference Power Rankings: Big Ten reigns, Big 12 falls

It's now four weeks in a row and counting for the Big Ten to hold down the top spot on the power rankings, as the conference continues to be led by a couple of juggernauts near the top of the rankings.

The SEC appears to have cemented itself right behind the Big Ten in the rankings after sharing second position with the ACC a few weeks backs. The intriguing change, however, comes in the middle of the rankings where, for the first time, a Power 5 conference now sits behind a Group of 5 conference.

How the results are calculated: Sevens editors submit their rankings. Every first-place vote is worth 10 points, each second-place vote is worth nine, and so on. Voting isn't based simply on performance, but also on external factors like injuries to key teams and strength of schedule. Last week's rankings are in brackets.

1. Big Ten (1)

Even with a 14-7 loss to Michigan, Wisconsin actually managed to move up the AP poll from No. 11 to No. 8 this week. With Ohio State at No. 2, Michigan at No. 4, and a somewhat surprising 5-0 Nebraska at No. 10, the Big Ten boasts four top-10 teams, a huge feather in the cap for the conference.

The only real negative against the conference is that outside of those four teams, no one else is ranked in the top 25. Iowa and Michigan State were expected to be the other teams in contention but have not lived up to expectations.

2. SEC (2)

We all knew Alabama was a College Football Playoff contender, but who truly could have envisioned the arrival of Texas A&M? With inspired play from graduate transfer quarterback Trevor Knight, the Aggies emergence has given the SEC two true title challengers to go along with its incredible depth.

3. ACC (3)

No ACC team seems to be able to step up next to Clemson to give the conference a pair of legitimate threats, as the they keep knocking each other off. Florida State got embarrassed by Louisville, the Cardinals in turn were taken down by the Tigers, and this past week the Seminoles topped Miami thanks to a blocked extra point.

4. Pac-12 (4)

At this point it just seems the conference is Washington and then everybody else. The Huskies exorcised some demons Saturday, snapping a 12-game losing streak against Oregon with a 70-21 drubbing of the Ducks. They remain the only Pac-12 title contender, with Utah at No. 21 the conference's only other team ranked in the top 25.

5. AAC (6)

Despite Houston's first loss of the season, the AAC finally managed to overtake the Big 12 and become the first Group of 5 conference to move ahead of a Power 5 conference in the rankings. A big reason for that was Navy, which moved into the AP poll thanks to its upset of the Cougars.

Add in squads in Memphis and South Florida that look legitimate and there's a lot of reason to be excited about the American conference.

6. Big 12 (5)

The good news is that Baylor keeps working its way up the rankings, though the Bears are still outside of the top 10 looking in. But West Virginia, the conference's only other undefeated team, barely managed to squeak out a win for the second game in a row, which doesn't help the perception of the Big 12.

7. Mountain West (7)

Boise State's rounding into form on what looks like it has the potential for an undefeated season. The 15th-ranked Broncos give the conference a genuine national brand and a New Year's Six bowl contender, even if San Diego State was unable to make it a two-horse race.

8. MAC (8)

It's hard to exaggerate just how much P.J. Fleck has done for Western Michigan. The 35-year-old coach not only has the Broncos undefeated at 6-0, but in the AP poll for the first time in school history at No. 24. That alone is more than enough to give the MAC the edge over the other two conferences.

9. Conference USA (10)

Conference USA didn't much like the 10 spot, and as such its time there was short. Without an unexpected team emerging and going on a sensational run, the conference will be hard pressed to reel in the MAC this season, and it appears it will spend the rest of 2016 attempting to fend off the Sun Belt's advances.

10. Sun Belt (9)

Well, it was nice while it lasted. The Sun Belt spent one whole week out of the basement before promptly returning to the bottom of the rankings. With only three games played this past week it was hard for the conference to impress the voting committee.

theScore's conference power rankings will be released every Wednesday during the regular season. This week's edition was voted on by Michael Amato, Dane Belbeck, Alex Chippin, McKenzie Dalgleish, Michael deCourcy, Mike Dickson, and Dylan Perego. The full vote count is paired with the rankings below.