Big Ten Power Rankings: Week 5

After just the first full week of conference play, it seems the Big Ten is more wide open than previously thought. Northwestern, Michigan and Iowa all impressed while perennial powers Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin looked weak. While the Buckeyes and Spartans still claim the top two spots, some other teams are putting pressure on them.

Here are our power rankings after five weeks of college football:

1 Ohio State Buckeyes RECORD: 5-0 (1-0)  ||  LAST WEEK: 1 Even after struggling with Indiana, the Buckeyes regained their unanimous spot atop our rankings. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 Michigan State Spartans RECORD: 5-0 (1-0) ||  LAST WEEK: 2 Despite poor outings from both the Spartans and Buckeyes, they still remain in a tier by themselves. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

3 Michigan Wolverines RECORD: 4-1 (1-0) ||  LAST WEEK: 3 Harbaugh has his team rolling after back-to-back shutouts. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 3 3 3 3 4 3 4 3.29

4 Northwestern Wildcats RECORD: 5-0 (1-0) ||  LAST WEEK: 4 Despite a 27-0 demolition of Minnesota, it still seems this team is in search of national respect. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 4 4 4 5 3 4 3 3.86

5 Iowa Hawkeyes RECORD: 5-0 (1-0)  ||  LAST WEEK: 6 Iowa, like Northwestern, is dangerous. But no one's quite sure how dangerous yet. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 4.86

6 Wisconsin Badgers RECORD: 3-2 (0-1)  ||  LAST WEEK: 5 A 10-6 loss at home to Iowa has led many to write off the Badgers. They'll still be a factor in the Big Ten West race, though. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6

7 Nebraska Cornhuskers RECORD: 2-3 (0-1)  ||  LAST WEEK: 7 A 2-3 team ranked at No. 7? Welcome to the Big Ten West, where mediocrity (and sometimes less than that) rules. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 7 9 9 7 7 7 8 7.71

8 Indiana Hoosiers RECORD: 4-1 (0-1)  ||  LAST WEEK: 10 The Hoosiers move up in our power rankings despite losing. They showed some good things against Ohio State. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 8 11 7 9 9 8 7 8.43

9 Penn State Nittany Lions RECORD: 4-1 (1-0) ||  LAST WEEK: 9 Another head-scratching outing for Penn State, a 20-14 win at home over Army. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 9 10 8 8 8 9 9 8.71

T-10 Illinois Fighting Illini RECORD: 4-1 (1-0)  ||  LAST WEEK: 11 Illinois eked out a 14-13 win over Nebraska at home and could be a tough matchup for the Hawkeyes on Saturday. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 10 7 10 11 12 11 10 10.14

T-10 Minnesota Golden Gophers RECORD: 3-2 (0-1)  ||  LAST WEEK: 8 Sure, Northwestern might be good... or Minnesota is really bad. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 11 8 11 10 10 10 11 10.14

12 Purdue Boilermakers RECORD: 1-4 (0-1)  ||  LAST WEEK: 14 A three-point loss in East Lansing was impressive. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 12 12 12 12 11 12 13 12

13 Rutgers Scarlet Knights RECORD: 2-2 (0-1) ||  LAST WEEK: 12 Look at the two teams at the bottom of the rankings. Welcome to the Big Ten, friends. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 13 13 13 14 13 13 12 13

14 Maryland Terrapins  RECORD: 2-3 (0-1)  ||  LAST WEEK: 13 Don't score a point at home to Michigan... yikes. Henry Bushnell Josh Rosenblat Zach Pereles Josh Burton Lyndsey Armacost Michael Odom Zach Wingrove AVERAGE 14 14 14 13 14 14 14 13.86