Big Ten Power Rankings: Week 5

Week four caused the biggest shuffle in my Big Ten power rankings of the 2023 season. From a new number one, to a new last place team and everything in the middle, new teams emerged and proved themselves while others floundered.

Let's go over the who, what and why's of the movement in my rankings as I break down the risers, fallers, and no-movement Nellys of this week.

Risers

A new number one! Penn State (4-0) has finally proven themselves to me after I toyed with the idea of putting them in one of the top two spots for a week or two now. After two big conference wins, their resume makes me the most comfortable (among the top three) that they would win a head to head against any other team in the conference on a neutral field. That said, I am no more comfortable than the average person on the New York subway at 5:00 p.m.. Later, I will get to why Ohio State did not move up, and fell instead, following this past weekend's performance. The Nittany Lions' defense played exceptional and their offense looks extremely well balanced.

Wisconsin (3-1) came out and played a solid overall game against Purdue. Their emergence in the Big Ten West is more about their consistency and Iowa's terrible offense than it is anything else. The Badgers have a dominant running game and their loss to Washington State does not define their season.

Nebraska (2-2) has shown, to me, to be an improved team in the absence of Jeff Sims. It helps that Heinrich Haarberg has shown out as a runner against non-power five opponents, whereas Sims has played two power five teams. The turnover differential between the two makes me feel better about them at #9 than Minnesota or anyone in the bottom four (at the moment) with Haarberg as the QB.

Northwestern (2-2) had a huge 21-point comeback win over Minnesota in a game where quarterback Ben Bryant threw for nearly 400 yards along with four touchdowns and no interceptions. I am still not sold on the Wildcats the rest of the way, but their impressive resurrection late in that game has my interest piqued on their ability to steal a couple more wins the rest of the way.

No Movement

There is not much to say here as none of these teams impressed or disappointed. Maryland (4-0) took care of business against a broken Michigan State team. Rutgers (3-1) lost in respectable fashion to one of the best programs in the country.

Illinois (2-2) beat Florida Atlantic in a game that probably should not have been a one score match, but Luke Altmyer also played much better to the tune of 300+ yards and a touchdown. Purdue (1-3) lost to a Wisconsin team who played well on both sides of the ball, I just do not think they are worse than either Northwestern or Indiana.

Fallers

Here we go. Michigan (4-0) moves down to #2, and it is not the end of the world folks. I promise. Michigan simply does not have the resume that Penn State does, and their play proves that out. I think that the Wolverines' ceiling is higher a possibly the best team in the country, but they have not played anywhere near that. They also have not played the caliber of teams that Penn State has dominated to date. The Michigan defense is legit, and if they win out like I expect them to, they will snag that top spot back. But if Michigan played Penn State right now on a neutral field, I would opt for the more battle-tested Nittany Lions.

I am not discounting how big of a win it was for Ohio State (4-0) to take down Notre Dame in South Bend, IN, but that game left me with plenty of questions and the nagging thought that the Fighting Irish lost the game more than Ohio State won it. Props to Kyle McCord for showing some absolute guts after a tough night and stepping up on the final drive. The final completion to Emeka Egbuka at the goal line was top notch. The Buckeyes fall because I still trust Michigan and Penn State more than them on a neutral field. In turn I think both of those teams would have beaten Notre Dame, likely by more.

Iowa (3-1), Michigan State (2-2), and Minnesota (2-2) all disappointed me pretty mightily this week. The Hawkeyes and their offense are maybe on of the worst units I have seen in years that is underperforming to the degree that they are with the talent that they have.

Michigan State is in limbo. With the official firing of Mel Tucker and the possible exit of several players through the transfer portal, I hesitated to put them as high as #8. That said, the Maryland game was closer than it looked, and my gut feeling tells me that the Spartans are better than those below them.

Minnesota was a disgusting display of complacency after gaining an early 21-point lead. The Golden Gophers ended up answering some of the earlier Northwestern scores, but allowed the Wildcats to go on a 21-0 run in the fourth quarter (27-3 to close the game out). This ultimately led to a 37-34 overtime loss. P.J. Fleck has a lot to figure out with a team that has generally underperformed and was originally angled to be a Big Ten West contender.

Closing Remarks

Things are finally beginning to shape up in the Big Ten after the first official week of conference play. After getting a third of the way through the season there is still a lot that has to be figured out. I fully expect this power ranking to be volatile until somewhere in the weeks 7-10 range or even right up until the season's end, so keep an eye out for my season-long weekly releases.

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