Big Ten Power Rankings: Week 6

Through two weeks, the story of the Big Ten season has been Michigan. Three-straight shutouts dating back to Sept. 26 is impressive. But what about Iowa? The Hawkeyes sit at 6-0 this season and with a win over Northwestern in Evanston on Saturday, Iowa will be the unquestioned leader in the Big Ten West with wins over the two biggest contenders in Northwestern and Wisconsin, both on the road. Iowa can really put itself on the map this week with a big win, even more so, maybe, than Michigan or Michigan State.

Here are our staff's rankings of the Big Ten teams after six weeks:

1 Ohio State Buckeyes RECORD: 6-0 (2-0)  ||  LAST WEEK: 1 The Buckeyes could be starting to figure things out. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1.25

T-2 Michigan State Spartans RECORD: 6-0 (2-0) ||  LAST WEEK: 2 An underdog at rival Michigan, the Spartans have something to prove in Week 7. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 3 2 2 2 2 3 3 2 2.38

T-2 Michigan Wolverines RECORD: 5-1 (2-0) ||  LAST WEEK: 3 The hottest team in the country right now. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 2 3 3 3 3 1 1 2 2.38

4 Iowa Hawkeyes RECORD: 6-0 (2-0) ||  LAST WEEK: 5 Iowa is in the driver's seat in the Big Ten West, with a matchup with Northwestern to come. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4.13

5 Northwestern Wildcats RECORD: 5-1 (1-1)  ||  LAST WEEK: 4 A 38-0 loss at Michigan was bad, but not the end of the world. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4.88

6 Wisconsin Badgers RECORD: 4-2 (1-1)  ||  LAST WEEK: 6 A last-second field goal on the road in Lincoln could be enough to spark the Badgers. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 6 6 6 7 6 6 6 6 6.13

7 Penn State Nittany Lions RECORD: 5-1 (2-0)  ||  LAST WEEK: 9 Penn State is quietly playing pretty well after a slow start to the season. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 7 7 7 6 7 7 7 7 6.88

8 Illinois Fighting Illini RECORD: 4-2 (1-1)  ||  LAST WEEK: T-10 Illinois played Iowa well in Iowa City. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 9 8 8 8 11 8 9 8 8.63

9 Nebraska Cornhuskers RECORD: 2-4 (0-2) ||  LAST WEEK: 7 This team just keeps finding ways to lose close games. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 8 10 9 9 8 9 8 9 8.75

10 Minnesota Golden Gophers RECORD: 4-2 (1-1)  ||  LAST WEEK: T-10 A nice bounce-back game from the Gophers as they put up 41 points on Purdue. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 11 9 10 10 9 11 10 10 10

11 Indiana Hoosiers RECORD: 4-2 (0-2)  ||  LAST WEEK: 8 The real Indiana is BACK, baby. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 10 11 12 12 10 10 11 11 10.88

12 Rutgers Scarlet Knights RECORD: 2-3  (0-2)  ||  LAST WEEK: 13 Michigan State may not be as good as its ranking indicates, but Rutgers still played well in a 7-point loss. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 12 12 11 11 12 12 12 12 11.75

13 Purdue Boilermakers RECORD: 1-5 (0-2) ||  LAST WEEK: 12 Purdue has a coach. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 13 13 13 14 13 13 13 14 13.25

14 Maryland Terrapins  RECORD: 2-4 (0-2)  ||  LAST WEEK: 14 Maryland does not have a coach. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Ian McCafferty Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 14 14 14 13 14 14 14 13 13.75