Week 5 was full of some great games starting off right away with the Illini walk-off field goal winner over USC and Minnesota’s battle with Rutgers. Add in some afternoon drama between Iowa and Indiana
and then the Double OT night cap with Oregon winning in the White Out and arguably that might be the best week of games we will see all year long. This week has the opposite issue with the potential for several very large blowout games ahead. We shall see at the end of the day on Saturday.
#1 Ohio State Buckeyes (Previously #1)
Ohio State went into Seattle and took care of business over a tough Huskies squad 24-6 to remain in the top spot. They get Minnesota in Columbus this weekend as 23.5 point favorites and that seems probably a bit low.
#2 Oregon Ducks (Previously #2)
Oregon wanted to move up to #1 this week and tried hard. but despite the excitement in their 30-24 double OT win over Penn State, they remain at #2 this week. After a long cross-country trip they get their first bye of the season.
#3 Indiana Hoosiers (Previously #4)
Indiana moves up one more spot after a tough fought 20-15 win at Iowa. This team is knocking off the mid-level Big Ten teams, but to prove they get to stay with the big boys they are going to need a win over Oregon in 2 weeks or Penn State in November. They get a bye this week to get ready for the Ducks to come to town the following week.
#4 Penn State Nittany Lions (Previously #3)
Is Penn State the 4th best team in the Big Ten? Maybe, maybe not but Big Game James failed again to pick up a huge win as Oregon held off the Happy Valley Crowd and snuck back westward with a double OT win. The Nittany Lions now have to head three time zones west for what would normally be a huge trap game at UCLA, but not this year. PSU is favored by 26.5 and again, that seems low.
#5 Illinois Fighting Illini (Previously #6)
Illinois looked like they were going to pick up a painful loss in a close game to add to their blowout loss the week before, but they got the ball mving and kicked a game winning field goal as time expired to beat USC 34-32 at home. So Illinois moves back up a spot as they head to Purdue as 9.5 point favorites this weekend.
#6 Michigan Wolverines (Previously #5)
Michigan drops one spot due to Illinois picking up a nice win. They come off of their bye and get to host a Wisconsin team that is a shell of it’s former self. The Wolverines are favorited by 16.5. It shouldn’t be that close.
#7 Nebraska Cornhuskers (Previously #8)
Nebraska bumps up a spot on their bye week as the Iowa offense looked back to its usual self. The Huskers host Michigan State this week in what could be a sneaky good game. Nebraska is favored by 11.5 and that seems high to me.
#8 Iowa Hawkeyes (Previously #7)
Iowa drops a spot after their defense blew the game against Indiana after giving up a long TD pass in the final minutes. Add in some serious injury questions with their QB and Iowa could be tetering on the edge. They get a much needed bye this week, and Wisconsin next week, but then things get real serious real fast for the Hawkeyes.
#9 USC Trojans (Previously #9)
USC had Illinois on the ropes and looked like they were going to pick up a huge road win, but they just could not stop the Illini on the final drive and lost on a walk-off field goal. They get a bye this week to recharge for the second half.
#10 Washington Huskies (Previously #10)
No shame in losing just 24-6 to Ohio State. Washington played well and will be a threat the rest of the way. They need to travel all the way across the country to take on Maryland this week in what should be a win, but the long travel effect will be something to watch. Vegas all ready is only favoring the Huskies by 5.5.
#11 Minnesota Golden Gophers (Previously #12)
Minnesota pops up one spot after their nice 31-28 win over Rutgers in a very entertaining game. It would be nice to say I could see the Gophers pulling an upset this week in Columbus, but yeah…that’s not going to happen. Just keep everyone healthy for the rest of a very winnable October.
#12 Michigan State Spartans (Previously #11)
Sparty drops one spot on their bye after the Gopher win. They head to Lincoln this week in what should be the best Big Ten game of the weekend. Can they find a way to knock off the Huskers on their home field?
#13 Maryland Terrapins (Previously #13)
September Maryland went 4-0. Now can October Maryland keep that train going, or will it as usual be a stark reversion to the mean. They get a chance to pick up a massive win with Washington in town this weekend, but it won’t be easy.
#14 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (Previously #14)
Rutgers stays at 14 after a tough fought loss to Minnesota. It was a good game. They get a bye to get their OL healthy as the second half of the schedule gets much tougher.
#15 Wisconsin Badgers (Previously #15)
Wisconsin didn’t lose the bye, but they may well as have. Can they regroup and be competitive? We will see in Ann Arbor Saturday.
#16 Northwestern Wildcats (Previously #17)
Northwestern pops up a spot after hanging on for dear life and defeating UCLA 17-14. The Wildcats really tried to lose the game late but got a critical stop on the last drive of the game. They play their final non-conference game this week hosting UL Monroe as 10.5 point favorites.
#17 Purdue Boilermakers (Previously #16)
Purdue drops a spot on their bye week, but might not be as bad as their ranking shows. Off of a bye they host Illinois and could potentially turn some heads.
#18 UCLA Bruins (Previously #18)
The only question left after a loss at Northwestern is will the Bruins go 0-12. It’s a distinct possibility with the “easiest” game left on their schedule a home game against Maryland. In a normal season Penn State coming cross-country this week after a tough loss would be prime upset potential, but this is not a normal season.
