Week nine lacked a marque matchup in the Big Ten, but we learned plenty and a secondary contender tier has established itself.

In Seattle, Washington bottled up Luke Altmyer and Illinois's offense en route to a 42-25 victory. Demond Williams, Jr. was once again excellent, as was star WR Denzel Boston, while the Washington defense stepped up well in the second half. Now at 6-2, the Huskies have a trio of winnable games prior to a season-ending showdown with Oregon. Is it time to talk about playoff sleeper Washington?

In Iowa City, the Hawkeyes jumped all over Minnesota early and coasted to a monster 41-3 victory. The Hawkeyes held Drake Lindsey and Minnesota to 133 total yards, and they scored TDs on offense, defense and special teams. Their 5-2 is a step behind Washington, but with shots against Oregon, Nebraska and USC looming, do we ...