Big Ten power rankings after Week 6: Ohio State reclaims No. 1, Michigan climbs, PSU falls

It was a wild, wild week of college football, and the Big Ten wasn’t immune to upsets. While there was really just one upset (Penn State at UCLA), some games got upended from what they appeared to be in the early going (Washington at Maryland). Some games were closer than expected to some degree (Illinois at Purdue; Wisconsin at Michigan; MSU at Nebraska), others weren’t (Minnesota at Ohio State; and Northwestern’s nonconference game vs. UL Monroe).

Five teams were on bye in Week 6 (Oregon, Indiana, USC, Iowa, and Rutgers). But with an unexpected weekend, we’re shuffling up our Big Ten power rankings after Week 6.

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This week: W, vs. UL Monroe, 42-7

Previous ranking: 17

Hi/Lo: 16/17

Though coming off two straight wins, we put Northwestern as our bottom team this week. Despite a get-right game against UL Monroe, the Wildcats really proved nothing compared to other teams in the conference. Yes, quarterback Preston Stone got 262 yards and didn’t turn the ball over, while the run game amassed more than 250 yards. But the level of competition inspires no confidence. A trip to Penn State looms next week. Win there, and we’ll talk.

17. Wisconsin Badgers (2-3, 0-2)

This week: L, at Michigan, 10-24

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Previous ranking: 16

Hi/Lo: 16/17

Wisconsin went on the road with its third-string quarterback and backup center and kept things closer than expected in Ann Arbor. Much of the reason why the Badgers kept it close, however, was due to Michigan still growing into its shoes. Even still, after being left for dead, Wisconsin had some life, keeping the Wolverines offense in the mud in the first half before allowing a season-high in rushing (175 yards) and the second-most of the year in passing (270 yards). The Badgers will almost certainly lose their No. 1 rushing defense badge, but it was still a valiant effort. They return home to face Iowa next week.

This week: L, vs. Illinois, 27-43

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Previous ranking: 15

Hi/Lo: 15/16

Purdue had a tenuous lead before letting Illinois score 27 points in the second quarter. The offense under Barry Odom is impressive, with quarterback Ryan Browne getting more than 300 yards against a very good Illini defense. But the defense? Not great. The Boilermakers allowed nearly 400 passing yards and over 100 rushing yards. This is still a work in progress, but it’s moving in a positive direction. Up next is a night game at Minnesota.

15. MSU Spartans (3-2, 0-2)

This week: L, at Nebraska, 27-38

Previous ranking: 12

Hi/Lo: 12/15

MSU gave Nebraska everything it could handle for about three quarters before the Huskers pulled away. Aidan Chiles still can be Superman, and showed that in Lincoln, but a 0-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio is a losing formula, especially against a good team like Nebraska. The offense continues to be anemic, but the defense frustrated and confused Dylan Raiola and the offense for nearly the whole game. Given that the defense has been intermittent, it’s a step in the right direction for Jonathan Smith’s team. However, the Spartans will next host a confident UCLA team before facing the meat of their schedule.

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14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-2, 0-2)

This week: BYE

Previous ranking: 14

Hi/Lo: 14/14

Rutgers was on bye this week but will travel to Seattle to face Washington next week.

13. Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-2, 1-1)

This week: L, at Ohio State, 3-42

Previous ranking: 13

Hi/Lo: 13/13

We’re not moving Minnesota for the unenviable task of facing Ohio State in Columbus at night. The offense surprisingly moved the ball right down the field in the first possession, but from there, everything fell apart. The Buckeyes overmatched the Gophers in pretty much every way, with OSU quarterback Julian Sayin looking more like C.J. Stroud than Kyle McCord or Will Howard. The offense struggled after that first drive and never really got going against that stout defense. Minnesota can get right against Purdue next week.

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12. UCLA Bruins (1-4, 1-1)

This week: W, vs. Penn State, 42-37

Previous ranking: 18

Hi/Lo: 12/18

Interim coach Tim Skipper has the win of the week, and thus has his team with the biggest upward mobility in our power rankings. Penn State was a 24.5-point favorite in Pasadena, and yet, UCLA jumped out to a sizable lead and then held on for dear life. Nico Iamaleava didn’t set the passing offense on fire, but he did have two passing touchdowns. However, it was the run game that shocked, with the Bruins getting 269 yards on 51 carries against the Nittany Lions. This was the biggest upset of the week in college football, in a week with some really big upsets (Florida over Texas; Cincinnati over Iowa State). So give Skipper and UCLA their flowers, because that was impressive.

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11. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-2, 1-1)

This week: BYE

Previous ranking: 11

Hi/Lo: 11/11

Iowa was on bye this week, but travels to Madison to face Wisconsin next week.

10. Maryland Terrapins (4-1, 1-1)

This week: L, vs. Washington, 20-24

Previous ranking: 10

Hi/Lo: 10/10

Maryland had everything it wanted, up 20-0 over Washington in College Park. But then, the Huskies mounted the comeback, and the Terps were handed their first loss. The lack of a run game really caught up to Maryland in Week 6, and the offense, which was solid early, could do nothing late. This one will sting for a while, but quarterback Malik Washington is still growing into his role and still looks like a potentially formidable force. The Terrapins host Nebraska next week.

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9. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-2, 0-2)

This week: L, at UCLA, 37-42

Previous ranking: 3

Hi/Lo: 3/3

A week after going toe-to-toe with Oregon, Penn State shocked the world, but not in a good way. The offense was OK (evergreen statement), but the rushing defense was abysmal. Yes, traveling out West is difficult, but the Nittany Lions did it last year and upended USC in the Coliseum. With this loss, Penn State has the biggest drop in our power rankings, which is well deserved given the preseason expectations. There are some big games left on the schedule, and now it doesn’t look likely that PSU will repeat in making the College Football Playoff. The preseason No. 2 in the country is the same as it always is under James Franklin — overrated, and overall just OK. But this might be the first time in a while that Penn State lost to a team it had no business losing to. A get-right game against Northwestern is next, but Oregon has to be lamenting that its epic win last week is already losing its luster.

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8. Washington Huskies (5-1, 2-1)

This week: W, at Maryland, 24-20

Previous ranking: 9

Hi/Lo: 8/9

A week after losing to Ohio State, Washington appeared to be on the ropes. And yet, down 20-0 in the third quarter on the opposite coast of the U.S., the Huskies battled back. The defense stood tall after the Maryland touchdown to open the second half, and the offense became methodical. Given that the Terps were undefeated entering the contest, it’s a huge win for UW, and one it can hang its hat on before facing Rutgers in Seattle next week.

7. USC Trojans (4-1, 2-1)

This week: BYE

Previous ranking: 8

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Hi/Lo: 5/8

USC was on bye this week but hosts Michigan football in Los Angeles next week.

6. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-1, 2-1)

This week: W, at Purdue, 43-27

Previous ranking: 7

Hi/Lo: 6/9

It was a defense optional game in West Lafayette, it just turned out that Illinois had more firepower. Though the defense gave up 302 passing yards, Luke Altmyer had almost 400 yards through the air. Purdue is resurgent, sure, but this was maybe a little bit of a letdown performance after upsetting USC last week. Even still, a good win for a team that has higher aspirations this year. But a home game against Ohio State looms next week.

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5. Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-1, 1-1)

This week: W, vs. MSU, 38-27

Previous ranking: 6

Hi/Lo: 5/7

Nebraska didn’t have a sharp week, but it came alive in the fourth quarter to finally pull away and beat MSU in Lincoln. The pass game was anemic for the first real time this year, and the run game was — well, not good. However, the defense came to play; it turned Aidan Chiles over twice and got better at stopping the run. While it wasn’t an inspiring performance, after losing to Michigan two weeks ago, it’s a good sign for Nebraska that it got its first Big Ten win.

4. Michigan Wolverines (4-1, 2-0)

This week: W, vs. Wisconsin, 24-10

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Previous ranking: 5

Hi/Lo: 4/6

Michigan outgained and outpaced Wisconsin, but didn’t really pull away until late against the Badgers. The Wolverines had 7.2 yards per play compared to Wisconsin’s 4.4, but it was a two-score game because the maize and blue couldn’t quite get out of their own way on multiple occasions. Even so, Bryce Underwood amassed 270 yards passing with a career high 68% completion percentage. His favorite targets emerged in Donaven McCulley and Andrew Marsh, who accounted for 192 of those yards. And running back Justice Haynes had his fifth straight 100-plus yard game. The defense continues to impress, but it will be much more difficult next week with a trip to USC.

3. Indiana Hoosiers (5-0, 2-0)

This week: BYE

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Previous ranking: 4

Hi/Lo: 3/4

Indiana was on bye this week, but has a huge contest at Oregon next Saturday.

2. Oregon Ducks (5-0, 2-0)

This week: BYE

Previous ranking: 1

Hi/Lo: 1/1

Oregon was on bye, but fell due to both Ohio State’s performance vs. Minnesota as well as the Ducks’ best win (Penn State) aging very poorly. Oregon can get back to No. 1 next week if it beats Indiana.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0)

This week: W, vs. Minnesota, 42-3

Previous ranking: 2

Hi/Lo: 2/2

Ohio State continues to roll, and after overmatching Minnesota and looking more like vintage offensive firepower Ohio State, we had no choice but to move the Buckeyes up to No. 1. Julian Sayin had over 200 yards passing in the first half alone, and the defense continued to look elite. The explosive plays were back and Sayin finished with 341 yards. Carnell Tate starred with 183 yards on nine catches, while freshman running back Bo Jackson continues to look like the feature back. Meanwhile, the defense held the Gophers to 94 yards passing and 68 yards rushing. OSU is back to looking like OSU, and that should scare just about everyone.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Big Ten Week 6 power rankings: Ohio State on top, chaos below