PSU-IOWA meaty matchup of top-5 teams
1. Penn State (5-0): The Nittany Lions dropped behind Iowa in the AP rankings, but here at Big Ten Power Rankings we put a ton of stock in shutouts, like PSU’S 24-0 defensive gem against Indiana.
2. Iowa (5-0): The Hawkeyes have gone 27 consecutive games allowing 24 points or fewer, which is the longest active streak in FBS. They also lead the nation with 12 interceptions.
3. Michigan (5-0): We keep waiting for the Wolverines to wilt, but if it didn’t happen last week, when UM won in Madison for the first time since 2001, it likely won’t happen at Nebraska.
4. Ohio State (4-1): Ryan Day’s Buckeyes may be the best team in the conference, but proof is in the pummeling. Blowing out Maryland would send worry signals to future East opponents.
5. Michigan State (5-0): Arguably one of the Big Ten’s biggest surprises, Sparty heads to the NYC metro area to blast Rutgers. No surprise there.
6. Nebraska (3-3): Have the Cornhuskers turned a corner? Big Red Nation can only hope so, but knocking off Michigan needs to happen to avoid a here-we-go-again return to reality.
7. Maryland (4-1): The Terps tossed six interceptions against Iowa last week. Ohio State’s secondary is improving. Sounds like a recipe for another football air disaster.
8. Minnesota (3-2): The Golden Gophers get a week off to ponder such questions as “How good are we if our wins were against opponents with a combined record of 6-9?”
9. Wisconsin (1-3): A day of reckoning has arrived for Paul Chryst. The Badgers can’t lose at Illinois if their coach’s name is not to be followed by “on the hot seat.”
10. Rutgers (3-2): The Scarlet Knights are over their “We coulda been a contender” fixation, but can still play spoiler by ridding Michigan State of its goose egg in the loss column.
11. Purdue (3-2): Boiler up? Not this week. PU is down and out of action as it awaits next week’s road trip to Iowa. Gulp.
12. Indiana (2-3): A coaching staff that not long ago could do no wrong is coming under fire. Is water beginning to seek its own level in Bloomington?
13. Northwestern (2-3): The way this frustrating season is going, the Wildcats might want to embrace the old golf improvement joke: “Take a week off then quit.”
14. Illinois (2-4): Sophomore tailback Chase Brown (257 yards rushing against Charlotte) is a bright spot in an otherwise dim season. Beating Wisconsin would lighten the mood.