1. Michigan (9-0, 4-0)
Do I believe Michigan is really the best team in the Big Ten? No. Have they played a particularly difficult schedule thus far? No, especially in comparison to some of their league opponents. But Michigan earned this ranking by virtue of being the only undefeated team remaining in the most difficult conference in America. The Wolverine offense is humming thanks to veterans like Isaiah Livers and Franz Wagner, as well as hyper-efficient freshman center Hunter Dickinson, who is scoring nearly 17 points per game while shooting an absurd 71.8%. Don’t expect Michigan to linger long on these rankings, but viewing this as a snapshot of where the Big Ten stands on January 5, they have to occupy the top spot.