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Big Ten Power Rankings: Week 5

Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

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