The Week Seven AP and USA Today Coaches' polls were released earlier this week and five Big Ten teams were fortunate enough to make the cut at least in one of the polls. Oregon led the way, with Purdue and UCLA carrying the flag behind the Ducks.

Here is where the Big Ten landed:

Overall, the Big Ten continues to trend positively, though this week was a bit of a step back. The league has been struggling to get teams in the top 10 and 25 this season and there was a significant breakthrough over the last few weeks, largely thanks to the dramatic rise of Oregon and UCLA. There's still a long way to go if the Big Ten is going to perform at the level it did a decade or go, but this is some big progress.

The most encouraging news, as mentioned above, came from Oregon and UCLA. The Ducks were unranked two weeks ago, but moved into the top 10 this week. Likewise, the Bruins have been on quite a rise after a slow start to the season. Both teams also have more upside with some important games to close 2024. If UCLA can knock off teams like Gonzaga and North Carolina, watch out.

Other teams to watch are Illinois, Michigan, and Michigan State. The latter two remained in the top 25 this week, but only narrowly. The Big Ten will have to hope those two can close 2024 well. Illinois slid out of the top 25 and will try to get back in short order. Wisconsin was another team that could move into the field with a few good weeks.

All told, if the Big Ten is going to make a mark in March, it will need to keep trending above its current projections. However, this week had some encouraging results.