Week 6 B1G Power Rankings: Primetime matchups don't live up to the hype

Penn State traveled to Maryland. Ohio State made a trip to Nebraska. On paper, both of those games looked like intriguing matchups in the primetime slots on Friday and Saturday.

Instead, what we got was a combined 107-7 score in favor of the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions. That should tell you a little something about the talent differential between the top of the conference and the rest of the bunch. To compound matters, Michigan posted a 52-0 win over Rutgers.

There were a few good matchups over the weekend, though. Indiana-Michigan State came down to a last-second field goal; Minnesota nearly squandered a three-touchdown lead to Purdue; Northwestern and Wisconsin were oddly competitive. So there was some good over the weekend, too.

But enough of about the games, let’s get to the power rankings this week:

14. Rutgers, 1-3 (L, 52-0 at #20 Michigan)

Last week: No. 14

You’d like to say Rutgers is getting better, but after a 52-0 loss to Michigan, I don’t think we can. Nobody thought the Scarlet Knights stood a chance in this game, you just would’ve liked to see something a little more competitive.

Up next: vs. Maryland

13. Purdue, 1-3 (L, 38-31 vs. Minnesota)

Last week: No. 13

The defense still can’t stop anyone and the offense lost both Elijah Sindelar and Rondale Moore early in the game against Minnesota. You hope those injuries aren’t serious, but neither looked to good. The 2019 season may be going from bad to worse in West Lafayette.

Up next: at #12 Penn State

12. Illinois, 2-2 (OFF)

Last week: No. 12

An off week was just what the doctor ordered for Illinois after a heartbreaking loss to Nebraska. No movement from the Illini this week.

Up next: at Minnesota

11. Maryland, 2-2 (L, 59-0 vs. #12 Penn State)

Last week: No. 9

Mike Locksley’s first primetime matchup as the head coach at Maryland went pretty poorly. It really makes you wonder how the Terrapins did what they did to Syracuse a few weeks ago. Maryland hasn’t been able to move the football in either of their last two games. After a sizzling the start, things have really cooled off in College Park.

Up next: at Rutgers

10. Northwestern, 1-3 (L, 24-15 at #8 Wisconsin)

Last week: No. 11

Isn’t this kind of the Northwestern we expected to see all year? At least on the defensive side of the ball. If the Wildcats played this well through the first three games, they’d at least have one more win on their resumé right now. The offensive struggles were there again, but we’re getting to that point in the season when Pat Fitzgerald’s team starts playing a much more consistent brand of football.

Up next: at Nebraska 

9. Nebraska, 3-2 (L, 48-7 vs. #5 Ohio State)

Last week: No. 8

Now is probably a good time to put the mussel on the idea that Nebraska is ready to make the jump into the upper echelon of the B1G. Ohio State outclassed the Huskers — which is going to happen to a lot of B1G teams. The interesting thing will be to see how Nebraska responds after such an ugly loss. There are still plenty of winnable games left on the schedule.

Up next: vs. Northwestern

8. Indiana, 3-2 (L, 40-31 at #25 Michigan State)

Last week: No. 10

Has Indiana adopted the slogan “so close” yet? Goodness. The Hoosiers had every opportunity to register its first marquee win under Tom Allen and beat a top 25 Michigan State team on the road. But IU came up short, giving up some big plays on the final stretch. Still, Indiana is a much better team with Michael Penix on the field and it’ll be interesting to see how IU proceeds after another heartbreaking loss.

Up next: OFF

7. Minnesota, 4-0 (W, 38-31 at Purdue)

Last week: No. 7

Four games, four one-possession wins. It’s pretty amazing that, as much as Minnesota has tried to gift teams a win, it still hasn’t faltered. The Gophers were pretty imposing through three quarters, but squandered a big lead late and allowed Purdue to get back into the game. Once again, Minnesota made just enough plays down the stretch to get the win. When you’re 4-0, that’s all that matters.

Up next: vs. Illinois

6. Michigan, 3-1 (W, 52-0 vs. Rutgers)

Last week: No. 6

Hey, Michigan’s offense finally showed some life. I don’t care that it was against Rutgers, this might’ve been just the outing this group needed to handle a pretty daunting schedule that still lies ahead. Through three games, Michigan looked like an average B1G team. This weekend, it looked like a big boy in the B1G East. We’ll see if that carries over to next Saturday.

Up next: vs. #14 Iowa

5. Michigan State, 4-1 (W 40-31 vs. Indiana)

Last week: No. 5

Strong performances from the offense in back-to-back weeks against B1G competition is a really good sign for Michigan State. For all the flack it’s received, the offense has played fairly well in three of the last four Saturdays, with the only exception being the Arizona State game. Indiana was able to pick apart the secondary though, so that’s something to keep an eye on this weekend with a matchup against Ohio State on the horizon.

Up next: at #5 Ohio State

4. Iowa, 4-0 (W, 48-3 vs. Middle Tennessee)

Last week: No. 4

No hiccups for the Hawkeyes out of the bye week. They were clicking on all cylinders to close out non-conference play with a big win over Middle Tennessee. Each week, Iowa looks more and more like a contender in the B1G West. With a trip to Michigan coming up, we should find out just how good of a squad Kirk Ferentz has in Iowa City.

Up next: at #20 Michigan

T2. Wisconsin, 4-0 (W 24-15 vs. Northwestern)

Last week: No. 2

Yeah, I’m cheating this week. If voters in the AP poll can have ties, then so can I. Wisconsin takes a slight knock this week because the offense didn’t look nearly as crisp and the defense gave up some big plays in the second half. Had Fitzgerald not made some questionable decisions, who knows, maybe Northwestern has a chance to tie the game. Basically, this was the first week Wisconsin looked human. While I don’t see this as a major concern right now, there isn’t quite enough evidence to support that the Badgers definitely are above Penn State right now.

Up next: vs. Kent State

T2. Penn State, 4-0 (W, 59-0 at Maryland)

Last week: No. 3

On the road, coming off an idle week and with a group of young and inexperienced players, Penn State still dropped the hammer on Maryland. KJ Hamler is as good as any player in the B1G and hasn’t received nearly enough love this season. I know it’s just Maryland, but Penn State’s shutout win — without Micah Parsons by the way — was impressive. But, are they absolutely better than Wisconsin right now? It would certainly be an interesting matchup.

Up next: vs. Purdue

1. Ohio State, 5-0 (W, 48-7 at Nebraska)

Last week: No. 1

It’s almost like Ryan Day created his own video game and all of his players have the maximum 99 rating. Ohio State has demolished everyone on its schedule, including Nebraska on Saturday night. Not only are the Buckeyes the best team in the B1G, this legitimately has looked like the best team in college football to this point. The only concern right now is how they’ll perform in a four quarter game…if they every have to play one of those.

Up next: vs. #25 Michigan State