Iowa football: Big Ten power rankings see movement at the bottom
By Andrew Wade
With five B1G games in action, there was bound to be movement in the power rankings. Here’s where the Iowa football team stands among the rest of the B1G.
Although I haven’t posted an article yet with my Big Ten power rankings, I’ve been keeping an internal monitor of what it would look like but I wanted to see a few more conference games first. After seeing the Iowa football team take care of business against Middle Tennessee State, I was able to tune into the other five Big Ten games to get a better sense for where each team currently stands.
The top of the rankings are pretty obvious at this point, but the bottom definitely received a shakeup (looking at you Nebraska and Maryland).
So with that being said, here’s our Big Ten power rankings after week 5.
Rutgers has lost two Big Ten games 82-0 and just fired their coach. Is this rock bottom yet?
807. . 2-2 (0-1). Previous: . Fighting Illini . 13. team
Illinois should be so grateful for Rutgers presence otherwise they would be the butt of all jokes.
Boilermakers . 12. team. 848. . 1-3 (0-1). Previous:
I could see Purdue moving up in the rankings, but not if Rondale Moore and Elijah Sindelar miss extended time. This could be quite a dumpster fire of a season if they can’t get healthy.
824. . 2-2 (0-1). Previous: . Terrapins . 11. team
Beat a ranked team, lose to Temple, and then get blown out by Penn State. Going forward, I refuse to trust this Maryland team. It’s just the same stuff, different year.
Wildcats . 10. team. 882. . 1-3 (0-2). Previous:
In typical Northwestern fashion, they suck against bad teams and play good teams tough. Their offense is still pretty anemic, but this is a team that could spoil a season or two this year.
. 3-2 (1-1). Previous: . Cornhuskers . 9. team. 810
Hahahahahahahaha. Try again next time Nebraska.
813. . 3-2 (0-2). Previous: . Hoosiers . 8. team
I don’t know if Indiana is solid or Michigan State is as bad as I think they are. That being said, I really like what they are starting to do with quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
Previous: . Golden Gophers . 7. team. 852. . 4-0 (1-0)
If Minnesota actually played a decent squad, they would have a loss. This might be the worst undefeated team in the nation right now.
team. 805. . 4-1 (2-0). Previous: . Spartans . 6
As much as I think Michigan is overrated, I think Michigan State is even worse. They struggled to pull away from a below-average Indiana squad, and outside of their win over Northwestern, haven’t looked that great this year.
811. . 3-1 (1-1). Previous: . Wolverines . 5. team
I don’t think Michigan has a top-25 squad, but it doesn’t matter because they have the name recognition. With a game against the Hawks this weekend in Ann Arbor, they can’t afford to lose it.
4-0 (1-0). Previous: . Hawkeyes . 4. team. 878.
I know I know, the Iowa football team shouldn’t drop after winning so easily Saturday, but I feel comfortable doing this knowing that this debate will be resolved in two weeks at Kinnick.
3. team. 806. . 4-0 (1-0). Previous: . Nittany Lions
I only moved Penn State up because of how badly they beat Maryland, a team that I honestly don’t understand. I would consider Penn State and the Iowa football team 1A and 1B at this point
809. . 4-0 (2-0). Previous: . Badgers . 2. team
I’m not as high on the Badgers as some are, but they have been dominating most of their opponents, save for Northwestern. They’re the frontrunner to win the West as of right now.
team. 812. . 5-0 (2-0). Previous: . Buckeyes . 1
There is no other team that has looked as dominant in the Big Ten so far than undefeated Ohio State. Fortunately for the Iowa football team, they wouldn’t face a Buckeye squad until the Big Ten Championship, while Wisconsin has to head to Columbus for a regular-season matchup making Ryan Day’s OSU squad a big player in the success of the Iowa football team.