Big Ten Football Power Rankings: Week 5 edition
Sep 26, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Connor Cook (18) drops back to pass the ball during the 1st quarter of a game against Central Michigan at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Week four of the college football season is already in the books and don’t look now, but it’s about to be October as we are one-third of the way through the year. Big Ten football squads are vying for position heading into conference play this week and some are sticking out for all the right reasons while others keep fading.
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The conference now has five teams ranked in the AP poll this week. Ohio State and Michigan State lead the pack as the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country, respectively, while Northwestern, Wisconsin and Michigan all round out the group.
The Buckeyes played well in week four, taking out the frustration of a slim victory over Northern Illinois the week before by dominating Western Michigan, 38-12. The Spartans had trouble through three quarters with Central Michigan, but ultimately pulled away to win 30-10.
Northwestern had a tough time dealing with Ball State on Saturday, but the Wildcats’ magical season continues. Wisconsin shut Hawaii out 28-0 at home and the Badgers look solid even without star running back Corey Clement — freshman running back Taiwan Deal is impressing. Michigan blew out No. 22 BYU in week four and, therefore, jumped into the Top 25.
Each week, our writers will vote on the Big Ten football power rankings and after a strong performance from the top teams in the league, this vote may be more varied close to the bottom-tier of teams.
Let’s take a look at where we voted the 14 teams in the Big Ten and if we will have a new No. 1 this week.
Next: No. 14 Purdue - No. 12 Maryland