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Big Ten football power rankings: Week 6

Michigan takes over top spot

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We're six weeks into the college football season, and it has finally happened. For the first time in 2016, Ohio State has been knocked from the top of the Big Ten football power rankings, though it might not last for long.

The Buckeyes haven't done anything wrong. They took care of a very good Indiana team despite a slow start on offense and a no-show from their Heisman candidate J.T. Barrett.

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Ohio State was knocked from the top spot by something historic another Big Ten team pulled off. Here are this week's Big Ten power rankings.

1. Michigan

Last week: 2 (Up 1)
Week 5 result: Michigan 78, Rutgers 0

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No, you're not reading that wrong, if you haven't already heard. Michigan went into Piscataway and put one of college football's all-time beatings on a fellow Big Ten team. Rutgers was held to 39 total yards of offense and two first downs, all of which came against the very end of Michigan's bench. The Scarlett Knights went 0-17 on third downs and completed two passes -- both of which were behind the line of scrimmage. The Wolverines only threw 16 passes, but ran for 481 yards on 56 carries. Michigan scored a record nine rushing touchdowns and averaged 8.6 yards per carry. On the other side of the ball, Michigan recorded 13 tackles for loss and four sacks. This was one of the most dominating performances in college football history, and Michigan was on the right side of it.

2. Ohio State

Last week: 1 (Down 1)
Week 5 result: Ohio State 38, Indiana 17

Again, Ohio State only fell to No. 2 because Michigan won a Big Ten football game by 78 points, but the Buckeyes have a chance to reclaim the top spot with a road win over Wisconsin this weekend. It wasn't pretty, but Ohio State knocked off a solid Indiana team by three touchdowns Saturday despite a poor throwing day from Barrett. He completed just nine of 21 pass attempts for 93 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He did run 26 times for 137 yards, but the offense wasn't as dynamic as it looked in past weeks. Defensively, Ohio State did a nice job holding Indiana to 281 yards and 17 points. Next week's matchup with Wisconsin figures to be a heavyweight battle.

3. Wisconsin

Last week: 3
Week 5 result: BYE

No team deserved a week off more than Wisconsin after the Badgers played back-to-back road games against Michigan State and Michigan. Now, Wisconsin has to host Ohio State, travel to Iowa and host Nebraska over the next three weeks. If the Badgers can win two out of three, they'll be in the mix for a West Division title.

4. Nebraska

Last week: 4
Week 5 result: BYE

Nebraska also had a bye week Saturday, but still found itself sneaking into the AP Top 10 for the first time this season. The Cornhuskers have a chance to keep rising if they can sweep the Indiana duo over the next two weeks.

5. Penn State

Last week: 8 (Up 3)
Week 5 result: Penn State 38, Maryland 14

James Franklin needed a couple of big wins at home, and Penn State went out and got them. Undefeated Maryland went into Happy Valley looking for a 5-0 start, and the Nittany Lions stomped them by 24 points. Trace McSorley was excellent in the passing game -- throwing for 152 yards and two touchdowns -- but the real difference came in his ability to run the football. He rushed 18 times for 81 yards and converted five of 13 third down attempts -- an area in which Penn State is one of the worst teams in the country. Franklin has to be thrilled going into the bye week at 4-2, especially after losing by 39 points in Ann Arbor.

6. Iowa

Last week: 11 (Up 5)
Week 5 result: Iowa 14, Minnesota 7

Iowa isn't as bad as the team that lost to North Dakota State and Northwestern, but it's also nowhere near the team that went undefeated in the regular season last year. No. 6 is right where the Hawkeyes belong after a very mediocre first half of the season. They found a way to keep their Big Ten West Division title hopes alive Saturday with an ugly win over Minnesota, but the real tests don't begin until Wisconsin comes calling Oct. 22.

7. Maryland

Last week: 5 (Down 2)
Week 5 result: Maryland 14, Penn State 38

Here's a sentence I never thought I'd see this season: Maryland's chances to remain undefeated were dashed when Perry Hills went down with an injury. Let's start with the first half of the sentence. Maryland had a legitimate chance to be 5-0 Saturday, but couldn't slow down an inconsistent Penn State offense. As for Perry Hills, the guy who completed only 50 percent of his passes last season for eight touchdowns and 13 interceptions has been much better under D.J. Durkin, completing 62.5 percent of his passes for six touchdowns and only two interceptions. When he exited the game with an apparent shoulder injury, the Terrapins fell apart.

8. Indiana

Last week: 6 (Up 2)
Week 5 result: Indiana 17, Ohio State 38

Indiana didn't stand much of a chance in Columbus, but the Hoosiers put up a fight for three quarters. They scored early in the second half to pull within a touchdown, but got shut down the rest of the second half and Ohio State ran away with the game. Urban Meyer called Indiana "one of the four or five best teams" in the Big Ten. That might be a slight exaggeration, but Indiana certainly looks like its in the top half of the league.

9. Michigan State

Last week: 7 (Down 2)
Week 5 result: Michigan State 14, BYU 31

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Michigan State continues to plummet in the rankings after its third straight loss. This time, BYU went into Spartan Stadium, forgot to show up for the first half and still ran away with the game in the fourth quarter. Michigan State's offense mustered just over 200 total yards and 13 first downs, while the defense allowed 398 yards -- 260 of which came on the ground. Tyler O'Connor got pulled from the game despite completing seven of 11 passes and Damion Terry got the nod. Where will the quarterback situation go from here?

10. Minnesota

Last week: 9 (Down 1)
Week 5 result: Minnesota 7, Iowa 14

Minnesota had a golden opportunity to stay in the Big Ten West race. Instead, the Golden Gophers have no chance. Two games into the conference season, Minnesota has lost two toss-up games to Penn State and Iowa and plays all of its remaining important games on the road. Minnesota could play spoiler the rest of the way, but that's all.

11. Northwestern

Last week: 10 (Down 1)
Week 5 result: BYE

Northwestern took a week off after its huge win over Iowa on the road. Now, the Wildcats have to go into East Lansing to play a desperate Michigan State team in a tough environment. Is it impossible that Northwestern could come out with a win? No, but it will enter as a heavy underdog. Justin Jackson will have to carry the offense against a team that got blown up on the ground against BYU.

12. Purdue

Last week: 14 (Up 2)
Week 5 result: Purdue 34, Illinois 31 (OT)

It seems like it's been a miserable season for Purdue, but when the Boilermakers woke up Sunday morning, they did so with a winning record. They went into Illinois and picked up a tough Big Ten road victory and kept the slimmest of bowl hopes alive. If Purdue gives Iowa a game this weekend, that would be another huge step forward.

13. Illinois

Last week: 12 (Down 1)
Week 5 result: Illinois 31, Purdue 34 (OT)

Not many teams can lose to Purdue at home and stay out of last place in the power rankings. Lovie Smith, you can address thank-you letters to Chris Ash.

14. Rutgers

Last week: 13 (Down 1)
Week 5 result: Too graphic to display

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Rutgers has been historically bad this month. Without Janarion Grant, the Scarlett Knights would struggle to qualify for a bowl game as a MAC team. In what they were calling their "championship game," the Scarlett Knights had negative yards at halftime and never even threatened to put points on the board. Michigan fans took over the stadium and hundreds of recruits who came to see Rutgers play ended up watched a Michigan satellite camp. No, Chris Ash, I don't think the best players in New Jersey want to be a punching bag for the rest of the Big Ten East.


About the Author
Derick Hutchinson headshot

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.

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