In the Big Ten, expectations for the most part, have been met. With a few exceptions (looking at you UCLA and Wisconsin), teams are primarily where they should be, but take a look at our power rankings
anyway: Travis:
No power rankings from Travis this week as life can get in the way. Look for his hot takes and freezing cold takes (you decide which is which) in future Power Rankings.
Ryan:
1. #1 Ohio State Buckeyes (-)
Last Week: BYE
Week 5 Matchup: At Washington
Ohio State got to get some rest as it gears up for a west coast trip to Seattle.
2. #6 Oregon Ducks (-)
Last Week: Won 41-7 vs Oregon State
Week 5 Matchup: At #3 Penn State
Oregon won the Civil War against Oregon State handedly but now the Ducks will face possibly their most difficult game of the season: the Whiteout at Penn State.
3. #3 Penn State Nittany Lions (-)
Last Week: BYE
Week 5 Matchup: Vs #6 Oregon
Two top 6 teams in the Whiteout game in Happy Valley. This was a game circled on the calendar months ago and fans certainly hope it lives up to the hype. Penn State has the upper hand in terms of the crowd and having a bye week beforehand. Plus, Oregon has to travel a long way for this game.
4. # 11 Indiana Hoosiers (+3)
Last Week: Won 63-10 vs #9 Illinois
Week 5 Matchup: At Iowa
As much as I hate to admit it, Indiana earned this spot. But is Indiana really good or is Illinois just worse than their ranking suggested? Why not both?
5. #21 USC Trojans (-)
Last Week: Won 45-31 vs Michigan State
Week 5 Matchup: At #23 Illinois
The Trojan offense is just churning out points and Jayden Maiava looks like one of the best QBs in the nation, let alone Big Ten. Will USC beat up on an Illinois team that was embarrassed last week?
6. #23 Michigan Wolverines (-)
Last Week: Won 30-27 at Nebraska
Week 5 Matchup: BYE
Michigan left Lincoln with a hard-fought victory on the back of Justice Haynes and an attacking defense that got to Dylan Raiola for 7 sacks. Michigan will get the week off before hosting the struggling Badgers.
7. #23 Illinois Fighting Illini (-3)
Last Week: Lost 63-10 at #19 Indiana
Week 5 Matchup: Vs #21 USC
Do we chalk this one up to Illinois having a bad day or is it an indicator that Illinois is not actually as good as we thought? This could be both, but Illinois better hunker down if they want to avoid a losing streak when USC comes to town.
8. Iowa Hawkeyes (+2)
Last Week: Won 38-28 at Rutgers
Week 5 Matchup: Vs #11 Indiana
Iowa scored how many points against a Big Ten team?? Any Hawkeye team that can score more than 20 points consistently puts Iowa in a position to compete for a win. Mark Gronowski may not be as effective as Iowa fans expected, but he is getting the job done.
9. Washington Huskies (-)
Last Week: Won 59-24 at Washington State
Week 5 Matchup: Vs #1 Ohio State
This was a 7-point game entering the 4th quarter before the Huskies blew the doors off. A 35-point victory at a rival is a nice achievement and how are the Huskies rewarded? By hosting the top ranked school in the nation with a week’s rest.
10. Nebraska Cornhuskers (-2)
Last Week: Lost 30-27 vs #21 Michigan
Week 5 Matchup: BYE
Nebraska simply had to drop in these rankings due to the teams above them rising. The Huskers fought hard at home against Michigan and Dylan Riaola looked good. Unfortunately, the defense couldn’t contain Justice Haynes a lick and Riaola was running for his life in the backfield.
11. Maryland Terrapins (+2)
Last Week: Won 27-10 at Wisconsin
Week 5 Matchup: BYE
This result is more on Wisconsin being bad than Maryland being great, but September Maryland is in full swing, and the Terrapins notched their first win ever against Wisconsin. Malik Washington again played mistake free football, and the freshman is looking great thus far in the season.
12. Michigan State Spartans (-1)
Last Week: Lost 45-31 at #25 USC
Week 5 Matchup: BYE
The Spartan offense just couldn’t keep up with the freight train that is USC’s offense. Aidan Chiles did everything in his power to keep Sparty in it, throwing 3 touchdowns and having zero turnovers. The MSU defense just couldn’t stop anything USC was doing on the ground or in the air.
13. Minnesota Golden Gophers (-1)
Last Week: BYE
Week 5 Matchup: Vs Rutgers
Minnesota will stay put for now as they got the week off. We still don’t know if the Golden Gophers are good or bad. A blemish on the resume is that the Cal team that beat Minnesota just lost to San Diego State 31-0. We may find get a better feel on this team when they get into Big Ten play.
14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (-)
Last Week: Lost 38-28 vs Iowa
Week 5 Matchup: At Minnesota
The Scarlet Knights suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Allowing 38 Iowa points as a P4 team is not a good look for Rutgers defensively. Athan Kaliakmanis is really slinging the ball though as the senior has 1150 yards and 7 touchdowns thus far in the year.
15. Purdue Boilermakers (+1)
Last Week: Lost 56-30 at #24 Notre Dame
Week 5 Matchup: BYE
Purdue moves up because of how bad Wisconsin has looked. A 26-point loss in South Bend looks rough on paper, but consider the fact that Purdue lost this game at home last season by 59 points. The defense needs a lot of work as they have been exposed by USC and ND, but the offense looks creative and even explosive at times.
16. Wisconsin Badgers (-1)
Last Week: Lost 27-10 vs Maryland
Week 5 Matchup: BYE
Wisconsin laid an egg at home, surrendering their first loss in program history to Maryland. Some fans are already calling for Luke Fickell’s head, but his buyout will prevent that from happening. Wiscy hasn’t even gotten to the hard portion of their schedule as they still need to take on Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, and Illinois (and those are just the games against ranked teams). Bucky better buckle up.
17. Northwestern Wildcats (-)
Last Week: BYE
Week 5 Matchup: Vs UCLA
We will see the bottom two teams in these rankings square off this week for a spot in the 17th position. Both teams had two weeks of prep time for this matchup so maybe it will be a competitive game at least.
18. UCLA Bruins (-)
Last Week: BYE
Week 5 Matchup: At Northwestern
See above. If UCLA drops this game, they will be staring down the barrel of an 0-12 season.
