See if Ohio St., Michigan St. are Back on Top in Week 5 Big Ten Power Rankings
Saturday Blitz Big Ten Power Rankings Week 5
4. Ohio State Buckeyes, 3-1 (0-0), Defeated Cincinnati Bearcats 50-28 Last Saturday
The Buckeyes are not going to get a ton of praise back simply for doing what they should have done to an overrated Cincinnati team. Beating Kent State along with the Bearcats is not going to make up for the loss to Virginia Tech yet. They have got to show more to move back up toward the top of these rankings.
That could start this weekend with a road game against the Maryland Terrapins. The Terps have not proven that they are firmly a legitimate Big ten title contender, but beating them in College Park would be a bigger quality win than anything else the Buckeyes have this year. That can’t be ignored. They need to cement their status as the Big Ten elite team, and there’s no better way to do that than beating newcomers Maryland and Rutgers over the next two weeks.
The offense looks great right now under J.T. Barrett, and but the defense is still up and down. That can’t be the case going forward, especially against a Terps team with so many skill players on the outside. Eventually, the secondary is going to have to step up and make plays. Otherwise, this team will fall down the list.