Big Ten Power Rankings: Week 6

Each week during the regular season, BadgerBlitz.com will compile a power rankings article that ranks each program in the conference from best to worst. Every Big Ten team that was in action this week played another conference team as we head towards the meat of the college football season.

Without further ado, here's every team in the conference ranked from first to worst:

WEEK 5 RESULT: Beat Michigan State, 38-7

PREVIOUS RANK: 1

MOVEMENT: N/A

Ohio State aced its first third of the season, but now a rough stretch awaits with Iowa, Oregon, Nebraska and Penn State on the docket one after the other. With Indiana and Michigan back-to-back to close out the season, these Buckeyes will certainly be tested.

WEEK 5 RESULT: Beat UCLA, 34-14

PREVIOUS RANK: 2

MOVEMENT: N/A

UCLA has struggled this season, while Oregon has found its groove after a shaky first two weeks. Thus, this result comes as little surprise. Michigan State will visit Eugene next week before one of the biggest games of the entire season when the Ducks travel to Columbus to face the Buckeyes.

WEEK 5 RESULT: Beat Illinois, 21-7

PREVIOUS RANK: 3

MOVEMENT: N/A

Illinois proved to be a worth adversary for the Nittany Lions, but Penn State took care of business after going down 7-0 in the first quarter. It piled on seven sacks against Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer, and the duo of Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton was its usual bruising self. Meanwhile, the run defense was unbelievably stout, holding Illinois to 34 yards on 23 carries. Penn State will now play the two Los Angeles programs consecutively, starting with UCLA at home.

WEEK 5 RESULT: Beat Minnesota, 27-24

PREVIOUS RANK: 4

MOVEMENT: N/A

Minnesota made this game much too close for comfort in the Big House. Still, most games the Wolverines play this year figure to play out just like this one and the game against USC the week prior: extremely close, with Michigan relying on its defense and situational football. Meanwhile, Alex Orji more than doubled his passing output from last week — he threw for 86 yards against the Gophers.

WEEK 5 RESULT: Beat Wisconsin, 38-21

PREVIOUS RANK: 5

MOVEMENT: N/A

USC struggled mightily in the first half, turning the ball over three times and walking into the locker room with a two-score deficit to the Badgers. But the Trojans did what good teams do: owned the second half. Ultimately, USC won one-on-one matchup after one-on-one matchup against the Badgers, out-classing Wisconsin in the second half to pull away with a comfortable victory.

WEEK 5 RESULT: Beat Maryland, 42-28

PREVIOUS RANK: 7

MOVEMENT: +1

What a climb for the Hoosiers. This team started the 2024 season with almost no expectations, and they were ranked dead last in the first installment of BadgerBlitz.com's weekly power rankings. They've reached No. 6 after their first 5-0 start since 1967. Now sitting at No. 23 in the nation, the Hoosiers have cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2021. How about the job first-year head coach Curt Cignetti has done in Bloomington?

WEEK 5 RESULT: Beat Washington, 21-18

PREVIOUS RANK: 9

MOVEMENT: +2

The look on head coach Greg Schiano's face after Washington missed the game-tying kick said it all — he knows he's brought this program back. It took four games for the team's first legitimate win, but the Scarlet Knights are a serious problem in this conference with Kyle Monangai and that defense.

WEEK 5 RESULT: Lost to Penn State, 7-21

PREVIOUS RANK: 6

MOVEMENT: -2

Illinois proved it could hang with the big dogs in this conference, playing a respectable game in Happy Valley and only losing by two scores. Still, the offensive line looks like a big liability for this team when it faces top-tier competition, as the quarterback Altmyer was sacked seven times and the Illini could only average 1.1 yards-per-carry.

WEEK 5 RESULT: Beat Purdue, 28-10

PREVIOUS RANK: 8

MOVEMENT: -1

This was a good win for Matt Rhule and company, but there's still some questions about this team and it was playing Purdue, after all. Dylan Raiola was once again solid if not spectacular, and the ground game was productive while the defense produced five sacks and a touchdown. Next up for the Huskers? A big showdown with unbeaten Rutgers in Lincoln.

WEEK 5 RESULT: BYE

PREVIOUS RANK: 11

MOVEMENT: +1

Iowa was idle in Week 5. The Hawkeyes will now gear up for their biggest game of the season in Columbus against Ohio State.

WEEK 5 RESULT: Lost to Rutgers, 18-21

PREVIOUS RANK: 10

MOVEMENT: -1

The Huskies couldn't stop Rutgers from playing their game — Monangai and some great situational defense. Two turnovers on downs and three missed field goals ultimately sank Washington in Piscataway. Welcome to the Big Ten, Huskies!

WEEK 5 RESULT: Lost to USC, 38-21

PREVIOUS RANK: 13

MOVEMENT: +1

First of all, Wisconsin still has a laundry list of problems it needs to address. But there are small steps in the right direction here. The Badgers managed to create splash plays on defense. They threw the ball downfield. They certainly can't come out as flat as they did in the second half, but you could see the slightest inklings of progress from Wisconsin in Los Angeles.

WEEK 5 RESULT: Lost to Indiana, 28-42

PREVIOUS RANK: 12

MOVEMENT: -1

Indiana turned the ball over three times in the first half and still won by multiple scores comfortably. If that sounds familiar to Wisconsin fans, it's exactly what USC did to the Badgers on Saturday. And much like the Trojans, Indiana proved it was a good team by overcoming that in the second half. Meanwhile the Terrapins, like the Badgers, were unable to capitalize.

WEEK 5 RESULT: Lost to Ohio State, 7-38

PREVIOUS RANK: 14

MOVEMENT: N/A

There's absolutely no shame in losing to Ohio State, hence the lack of movement here for the Spartans. After a 3-0 start, however, it's not hard to see Michigan Sate dropping the following seven games, as it faces Oregon, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois consecutively. Such is life in the new-look Big Ten.

WEEK 5 RESULT: Lost to Michigan, 24-27

PREVIOUS RANK: 16

MOVEMENT: +1

Minnesota gave Michigan everything it had, but there were several key issues that surfaced for the Gophers that the Wolverines were able to exploit. First of all, Max Brosmer. He isn't exactly a liability at quarterback, but he's certainly not going to win you very many games on his own. What's more, Minnesota couldn't run the ball with its assortment of talented tailbacks against Michigan's stout defensive front. A valiant effort, but the Gophers are now 2-3 with an uphill climb to bowl eligibility.

WEEK 5 RESULT: Lost to Oregon, 14-34

PREVIOUS RANK: 15

MOVEMENT: -1

It's just been a brutal start to the season for UCLA. After barely beating Hawaii in the opener, the Bruins have lost three straight games by a combined 67 points. UCLA isn't just losing; they're getting owned. Now, playing Oregon and LSU certainly doesn't help, but it doesn't get easier with a trip to Happy Valley and the No. 7 ranked Nittany Lions on tap next week.

WEEK 5 RESULT: BYE

PREVIOUS RANK: 18

MOVEMENT: +1

Mercifully, Northwestern had a Week 5 bye to attempt to recuperate. The 2-2 record doesn't tell the whole story of how tumultuous this season has been, with a quarterback controversy still raging between Jack Lausch and Mike Wright. Neither has been passable. Next up are the 5-0 Indiana Hoosiers.

WEEK 5 RESULT: Lost to Nebraska, 10-28

PREVIOUS RANK: 17

MOVEMENT: -1

It's close here between Purdue and Northwestern, but we'll give it to the Boilermakers with the conference's first in-season coordinator firing of 2024. Out is Graham Harrell; in as play-caller is offensive analyst Jason Simmons, a move head coach Ryan Walters made reportedly in part so that none of his on-field assistants would need to change their role. We'll see how that plays out, but Purdue vs. Wisconsin next weekend will feature two of the most frustrated fan-bases in the conference.

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